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 Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums
 General Sailing Forum
 Epoxy and Plywood		  New Topic  Topic Locked
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familysailor
1st Mate

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USA
38 Posts
Initially Posted - 11/17/2004 :  02:36:52  Show Profile
Greetings all,

I have read in several threads about epoxy soaked plywood. How does one accomplish this? Is the wood soaked in rosin and the hardener added later or is a slow hardner mixed with the rosin and the mixture painted on the wood? Have I missed the boat completely? Any info will be appriciated.

Thanks.
Russ
Catalina 25 SK/SR #240 "Daydream"
Provo, Ut.
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lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts
Response Posted - 11/17/2004 :  08:38:50  Show Profile
Sounds like this might be a commercial process that is done by high-pressure injection equipment in a mill, and not something you can do at home in your garage.
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ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts
Response Posted - 11/17/2004 :  09:41:28  Show Profile
West system epoxy (and others) can be radically thinned and still 'work'. In this state, most woods will really soak it up (and I mean really drink it up) and it penetrates deeply.

You simply repeat applications of the epoxy until 'refusal', reducing the amount of thinning as you go. When you're done, you have a piece of hybrid material...wood and epoxy as one. Strong, waterproof and nearly rot-proof.

The West system folks offer a nice little booklet on using their product. Highly recommended. See this link for more info. http://www.westsystem.com/
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Happy D
Admiral

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921 Posts
Response Posted - 11/17/2004 :  17:44:09  Show Profile
I have found that if you apply the epoxy while the wood is cooling, it tends to suck it up better. If you apply the goo while it is getting warmer it bubbles up, bad. Been there, done that.
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Waterboy
Navigator

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USA
204 Posts
Response Posted - 11/17/2004 :  18:47:42  Show Profile  Visit Waterboy's Homepage
Google 'penetrating epoxy' for lots of related links. Various mixtures are apparently used to repair and strengthen anything that's somewhat porous. http://www.rotdoctor.com/ has link to boat-specific applications.
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familysailor
1st Mate

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USA
38 Posts
Response Posted - 11/18/2004 :  12:50:08  Show Profile
Thanks to all who responded. I have a direction to head now and appreciate the help.

Thanks again.
Edited by - familysailor on 11/18/2004 12:51:17
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Douglas
Master Marine Consultant

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1595 Posts
Response Posted - 11/18/2004 :  18:17:02  Show Profile  Visit Douglas's Homepage
Try this site www.rotdoctor.com
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John V.
Admiral

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USA
559 Posts
Response Posted - 11/19/2004 :  21:05:20  Show Profile  Visit John V.'s Homepage
I use west epoxy, with a slow cure hardener, mix it up to start the process and then cut it by 50% with xylene. It takes several days to cure but after that it will take varnish and look great. The thing that's great is that once the process is done the finish will never crack or check. Moisture can't get under the finish to expand or contract the wood. Bright work stays nice longer.
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Todd Frye
Navigator

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USA
222 Posts
Response Posted - 11/24/2004 :  12:40:40  Show Profile
Years ago, I built a sea kayak out of Luan plywood. The plans called for a “marine grade” plywood, but after a lot of reading, I decided to go with a non-marine product. The reason being, if the non-marine ply is “encapsulated” in epoxy, water will not contact the bonding agent in the plywood. I used West Systems epoxy and it did penetrate to some degree, because I had to apply a second and third coating, sanding between coats. Probably applied at least 4 coats of high gloss varnish over the epoxy and I have to tell you it was drop dead gorgeous. My answer to your question would be plywood is a very high strength to weight material. The benefit of encapsulating plywood with epoxy is to form an impermeable membrane, which guards the integrity of the ply. No question the epoxy contributes to a “composite “ relationship, but the “encapsulation” is what makes this such a winning combination. Todd Frye
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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
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