"excel"

[Steward]

Just un-packing the "EXCEL" that actually arrived last week...
My son put it quite simply... "WOW"... I have to agree...!!!

I guess I need to start learning about epoxy...

Anyone with stories... or tips? I'm all ears...!!!

 

[loopy]

Buy a bulk pack of vinyl or latex gloves, and alot of toothpicks or popsicle sticks for mixing/applying. I tend to use medium cure times as they hold better, and you can work with them longer = mix a slightly larger batch and do more at once, then let it sit for a few minutes to set. Make sure you don't rub your hands on your clothes...not a good thing. I have a bald spot on my leg from where I scratched my leg with epoxy on my fingers. Soaked through my flannel pants, and bonded to my leg a little bit. Quite a nice surprise when I went to the bathroom at 3 am...

Beyond that, you'll love working with epoxy. Just be careful with it. I love how smooth it is when it dries - it tends to self level very nicely and looks great on fillets!

Keep us posted, and don't forget the pics!

Loopy

 

[rocketkid88]

i had my first 'experience' myself with epoxy the other day... i had been sorta dreading using it... i duno y, i guess thats just the way it is whenever you try something 'new', and if you mess up you can't really undo it
I used the thick kind of rubber gloves that go up to just below your elbows and 30min epoxy. i had a whole buncha things lined up and then mixed my epoxy up and started at the left and worked to the right... when i first mixed it i thought, man this stuff smells bad, but after a little while i didn't notice it as much. one thing i do advise, tho, do this in a well ventilated area. b/c it didn't smell that strong (at least the stuff i was using, it smelled bad, but not that strong) i just sat there working and breathing the fumes for 45min (note, i mixed two batches, not just one ) and i had a headache all night long.
other than that there isn't much to say... mix it well and let it cure plenty long. its easy enugh to use, but its also very thick, so don't expect it to seap into cracks and stuff like white glue. youll have to smear it in. have fun and make sure you take pics!

 

[jetra2]

Ya know, I don't like to toot my own horn TOO much, but you'll probably find this thread useful.

Epoxy is a dream to work with, IMHO. But then again, sometimes it is a royal PITA... mainly that's when you don't have any mixing cups, so you have to use the graduated lines on the side of the bottle, but you don't get an even mix, blah blah blah blah blah.

Oh, BTW. DO NOT BUY THE EPOXY IN THE SYRINGES! BUY IT IN SEPARATE BOTTLES! SYRINGES ARE A WASTE OF TIME!

I think I got my point across.

Jason

 

[lalligood]

Originally posted by jetra2
Epoxy is a dream to work with, IMHO. But then again, sometimes it is a royal PITA... mainly that's when you don't have any mixing cups, so you have to use the graduated lines on the side of the bottle, but you don't get an even mix, blah blah blah blah blah.

If you only need to mix up small batches of epoxy, get yourself a legal pad or spiral bound notebook. Mix up & use what you need. When finished, tear off that page (or occasionally 2 if it happens to really soak through). Do it again...

Really handy & saves your plastic cups for the big jobs!

 

[rocketkid88]

Originally posted by jetra2
Ya know, I don't like to toot my own horn TOO much, but you'll probably find this thread useful.

Epoxy is a dream to work with, IMHO. But then again, sometimes it is a royal PITA... mainly that's when you don't have any mixing cups, so you have to use the graduated lines on the side of the bottle, but you don't get an even mix, blah blah blah blah blah.

Oh, BTW. DO NOT BUY THE EPOXY IN THE SYRINGES! BUY IT IN SEPARATE BOTTLES! SYRINGES ARE A WASTE OF TIME!

I think I got my point across.

Jason

I know i've heard not to use the epoxy in the syringes b4... but y? thats what i used... and it worked fine. you dont really need 2 wory about measuring that way. also, i use the little ketchup cups you get at fast food places to mix my epoxy in. they seem to work rather well, for me ny way.

 

[LMazza]

A lot of the syringes have addatives to make it a 1:1 ratio mix. These also have the effect of making them not as strong as other epoxy "systems". They are usually thickened to what the manufacturer thinks will be best for most uses. Unfortunately this is sometimes to thick/thin for certain things. Also, by the time you go through 10 of these things on a large rocket you realize that you've spent a LOT of money. I used the syringe stuff for a while (and still use the 5min for tacking) before realizing that I would actually lose money if I didn't switch to larger amounts that you get with something like West System or Aeropoxy. These come very thin and can be thickened to the specific need.

 

[loopy]

The stuff in the syringes has been great for me so far. I haven't had any problems at all. Granted, the biggest rocket I've done so far has been my PML Small Endeavour, so I haven't needed ungodly amounts of the stuff. When I start getting into the big stuff and 'glassing stuff, I'll buy the bulk stuff, but for smaller projects, the syringes are fine.

 

[Steward]

It's funny you know... here I am @ 50 yrs old, and I still get butterflies doing something new...

The support around here is incredible...!!!

Are we talking latex gloves like the doctor uses... or the kind you would do dishes with... or does it matter?
And without putting anyone on the spot...
What type or brand epoxy should I consider using?
Something to start the learning curve off nice and easy? I guess something that doesn't set almost instantly...
O.K... now I'm getting nervous already...LOL

I know it may be small to some of you... but this is the largest thing ever on my worktable...!!!

THANKS AGAIN!!!

 

[Dwight]

I would start with the hobby stuff, a 1 to 1 mix. The after becoming comfortable working with epoxy, move on to the bulk epoxy as the experts are suggesting..

Also cheap supplies that will help:

Latex gloves like a Dr uses is best.

Popsicle sticks ( really cheap )

Small Dixie cups ( like the bathroom ones, paper, not foam )

Small long leftover pieces of balsa from previous kits ( great
applicators in tight spots )

Milled Fiber, no only can it make your epoxy stronger, but you can use it to determine the thickness of your Epoxy for what you are about to do.

After getting used to epoxy, you will learn to like it better than other glues, I no longer use any glue except epoxy. Other than thin CA for hardening holes and the ends of tubes.

 

[lalligood]

I'd also like to mention that the cheapest place to get items like popcicle sticks (in packages of 150 or 200), (10) latex gloves, & legal pads (2 or 3 to a pack) is at a dollar store. Can't beat the price!