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Surface finish with time (sink?)
Surface finish with time (sink?)
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Surface finish with time (sink?)
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FLD
FLD
posted 9 Years Ago
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HOT
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Morning folks!
I have a question for you all. I've a few infused mouldings that I've had for a few years. These parts were made with a perfect infusion which, at the time, gave me that nice glassy finish we all strive for. I was made up. A year or so on you can make out the texture of the cloth on the surface. It's as if there's paint sink into the weave pattern. It's not easy to spot but it bugs me. Is this because I didn't post cure the parts in mould? If I had used a gel coat would this stop this issue?
Thanks.
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Hanaldo
Hanaldo
posted 9 Years Ago
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Yeh that's shrinkage. Don't ever believe that epoxy doesn't shrink, it most certainly does! Low resin content processes like infusion and pre-preg will suffer it more than a resin rich wet-laid laminate.
Post-curing is definitely the best solution, but you may still get a bit of shrinkage later, especially if the part is a body panel that sits in the sun and might exceed the post-cure temp or the resin Tg. A coating of some sort also helps, though again you will still likely get some shrinkage over time. I find the absolute best solution is to post cure as high as you can, then sand the part flat if it shrank at all, then spray a high solids clear coat onto it, post-cure again to the same temperature, and then do one final flat and polish. This should effectively prevent it completely provided your resin has a decent Tg and doesn't get exposed to temperatures above that.
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FLD
FLD
posted 9 Years Ago
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Magic. That was the perfect reply!
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