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Strategy for applying this surface coat
Strategy for applying this surface coat
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Strategy for applying this surface coat
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quinn
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quinn
posted 6 Years Ago
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My plug is done and I'm about ready to lay up a mold. This will be used for prepreg so I'm using premium resin tech rdr-1902 high temp surface coat and rdr-3212 resin. I have some concerns with the surface coat. It's a bit thicker than I imagined but I guess that's good so it won't run, however after mixing a small test batch, it seems pretty slow to release air bubbles. As you can see in the pic of my plug, there are areas with vertical walls and even a few areas of negative angle. For air to release from the surface coat as I brush it on, these bubbles need to rise to the surface to pop right? So any areas that are beyond vertical with a negative angle, I would think are gonna have a hard time releasing air. I picture a bubble just rising up against the surface of the plug and staying there. I'm wondering if I should apply the surface coat in partial areas with the plug oriented so surface coat I'm applying is face up, allowing better release of air bubbles. Do I need to bother? Or can I just brush it on the whole thing as it sits in the pic? Looks like pics got rotated 90 degrees, the pointed nose is up
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Strategy for applying this surface coat
quinn
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6 Years Ago
I use R&D Resin including the RDR-1902 as well and really have never put that much thought into the surface coat, even on undercuts as you're describing. I can't say i've seen any porosity. If you're...
KLComposites
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6 Years Ago
Sounds good, i think ill just go for it. I have way more high temp coat and epoxy than i need so if i have to try more than once im just using up stuff thats gonna expire anyway.
quinn
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6 Years Ago
Yeh most epoxy surface coats are very thixotropic like that. The general technique is to cut the bristles on your brush to about 1" long, so they are quite stiff. Remember to pull the bristles a bit....
Hanaldo
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6 Years Ago
Done with the first coat. It's very hard to get this stuff to brush on thin. The brush just grabs and stops. Did my best and I'm pretty confident there's no air. I could see a few little bumps at...
quinn
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6 Years Ago
I usually do a single thick application of surface coat. The areas I pay special attention to are sharp corners. Too thick in the corners and you do run the risk of trapping air. Otherwise, it should...
KLComposites
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6 Years Ago
It's cf. The only reason I would have to do more laminating after removal is if I need to cut the slot to remove the mold. In that case, I'll probably just put a peice of tape over the slot on the...
quinn
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6 Years Ago
Mold came out great. Not a single void in the surface. The dull spot you see up in the top is where I used some clay on the plug to smooth out an indentation that would would have made it more...
quinn
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6 Years Ago
Another question before I start the post cure. My mold came out great and the gloss is as good as what I got on the duratec which is pretty good, but out of curiosity I tried hand polishing a small.....
quinn
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6 Years Ago
No problem polishing. I would do it after the post cure. Hardness difference is minimal, might even be lower on some resins (some resins get tougher but the hardness drops a tiny bit). I usually do.....
SleepingAwake
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6 Years Ago
Ah, good point. Didn't consider the mold has protruding scratches. I'll probably be good enough with just a polish though. I did put a lot of time in the plug. Do you use anything special for...
quinn
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6 Years Ago
My composites supply has a polish for plastics that works well. But it's branded by them no idea what it is.
SleepingAwake
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6 Years Ago
Finished the post cure. Looked good afterwards other than some slight dimple looking shapes in the light. Looks like the surface coat softened and moved around a bit. Went super slow on the cure, les...
quinn
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6 Years Ago
Maybe try a mould sealer?
SleepingAwake
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6 Years Ago
I think I'm just gonna have to try again. Aside from the little voids, the slightly wavy dimpled surface isn't great either. It does sand out, but it's not gonna be the perfectly flat surface like I....
quinn
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6 Years Ago
I make wet-laid molds out of fiberglass, compensating for the reduced stiffness with extra thickness. The glass, being translucent when saturated, allows me to see any voids between the surface coat....
KLComposites
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6 Years Ago
Ah, that makes sense. The waviness/dimples I saw did appear to be positive bumps when sanding. Would make sense that expanding air would push these out. I remember thinking when I was doing wet lay.....
quinn
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6 Years Ago
On another note, do you guys think it's possible to save the first mold? Figured i might as well try if I'm making another anyway. With more sanding, I think I can flatten the surface well enough, bu...
quinn
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6 Years Ago
You can sand the bumps from the expanded voids flat, but they'll just bow out again during the cure cycle. Been there, done that. The only way to solve that is to hog the blistered areas out and...
KLComposites
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6 Years Ago
Figured that might be the case. Not a huge deal, I have enough surface coat and epoxy leftover. Just hope it goes better next time. I'll use fg so air is easier to see in the laminate. Here's another...
quinn
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6 Years Ago
I talked to the supplier about the distorted surface. They agreed most likely voids between laminate and coat that pushed out dimples when air heated. They recommended bagging the mold after wet lay....
quinn
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6 Years Ago
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