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Old 12-30-2007, 12:48 PM   #1
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I am installing a drawer in the bottom of the closet in my 13' Scamp.
I have built a face frame that I intend to attach to the interior surface of the closet. My problem is the the gel coat on the interior is very thick. Will the resin attach to the remnants of the gel coat as well as to bare fiberglass?
I have done several fiberglass repair jobs but never attempted to attach something directlyto the gel-coat.
Thanks,
John
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Old 12-30-2007, 01:49 PM   #2
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Polyester resin will stick to polyester or epoxy resin however epoxy resin will not stick to polyester resin - only to epoxy.

As most of the glues we use is epoxy, do a test spot to see if it will glue something to it or, just call the egg company and ask what type of resin they use.

Epoxy to Epoxy
Polyester to polyester or epoxy

Gorilla glue may work however it expands so you would have to have it clamped tight.
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Old 12-30-2007, 02:30 PM   #3
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Back in '86 your FG trailer was probably made up with a chop gun and polyester. It was the most commonly used product back then.
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Old 12-30-2007, 04:13 PM   #4
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Do you have gelcoat on the inside of your trailer? Is it white?

The inside of my sailboat is fiberglass in epoxy. To add fiberglass to existing cured fiberglass you have to buff it lightly, wipe with acetone and then epoxy it sometime that day. I would expect that you would have to do something similar to gelcoat. That is, get to the expoxy underneath the gelcoat.
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Old 12-30-2007, 04:16 PM   #5
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Well, Darwin, it's back to the drawing board for me.
I had gotten the idea that epoxy will stick to either and polyester could only be applied to polyester. So far my search on the 'net seems to support my original idea. See West System or System 3.
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Old 12-30-2007, 08:31 PM   #6
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I tried with no success to get both standard poly/fiberglass resin and SMC resin to stick to the white "gel-coat" surface on the inside of the closet in our 16' scamp. The only way I could get either to adhere was by sanding off the coating, and getting down to the poly/fiber (green) base.

Good luck with your mod. I hope it works out for you.
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Old 12-31-2007, 12:08 AM   #7
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Quote:
I tried with no success to get both standard poly/fiberglass resin and SMC resin to stick to the white "gel-coat" surface on the inside of the closet in our 16' scamp. The only way I could get either to adhere was by sanding off the coating, and getting down to the poly/fiber (green) base.

Good luck with your mod. I hope it works out for you.
Thanks everyone.

I just sanded the gelcoat as well as possible and put resin on the gel and on the wooden face frame and clamped it up.
I left it clamped for about 3 hours and it seems to be working. The drawer works fine. I am going down to Joshua Tree National Park next week so if it doesn't come apart on the trip I guess it will be OK.

Thanks again,
John
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Old 01-03-2008, 11:02 AM   #8
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My fiberglass days were back in the early 70s when I was building model RC airplanes and it was polyester with wax added so I asked the experts about the Epoxy / Polyester and here is their answer(s). My questions are underlined and their answer follows each question.

System Three Resins, Inc.
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253/333-8118
www.systemthree.com



1. Epoxy resin will bond to Epoxy resin. True but the epoxy substrate should be sanded.

2. Polyester resin to polyester resin or to epoxy resin. Polyester bonds to polyester that has not had a wax added to it to facilitate a surface cure. It does not bond as well as epoxy resin (see #3). Polyester bonds poorly to most epoxy resins. It does bond to our SB-112 (see attached).

3. I was also told that the polyester resin contained paraffin and that is why epoxy would not bond to it. Only “finish” resin contains wax (see #2). This must be sanded before epoxy will bond to it. Epoxy bonds extremely well to sanded polyester resin – better than polyester. This is why it is the material of choice to repair polyester boat hull laminates.

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