Subject: Dynel and L&L
Date: Fri, 01 Jun 2007Dr,
I plan to apply Dynel and L&L Resin to the deck of my wood boat.
In a practice activity yesterday, I rolled out the L&L in a small area, and laid the Dynel on top.
I expected the Dynel to "wet out", and even become transparent, but no such luck. It seemed to mostly sit on top of the L&L.
The Dynel cannot be pulled or stretched. The weave just comes apart if you pull on it. So working the fabric is not easy.
QUESTIONS:
Is the Dynel with L&L a good plan?
How do I apply the two?
There is no problem with using Dynel and our L&L Resin. However, Dynel is a bit more difficult to work with than glass cloth, but the end result is a thicker layer of protection. Dynel requires at least twice the amount of epoxy resin as fiberglass cloth, possibly more, takes twice as long to apply, and is slower to saturate the fabric. Also, Dynel does not turn transparent like fiberglass does when it is wet out. We recommend pre-rolling/brushing the surface with epoxy, laying down the Dynel, and then roll/brushing on more epoxy. If Dynel is harder to apply than fiberglass, why use Dynel? The abrasion resistance is better than with standard glass cloth.
I have noticed a variation in the consistency (thicker or thinner) of the L&L, different times I use it. If the L&L parts A and B containers are left in a hot car for several days, does the material thicken? Or does it thicken over time? Is there a way to thin it? Would I get better wet-out if it was thinner?
Thanks for your help,
Ivan E.
All epoxy resins are subject to consistency variations with temperature, thinner when warm and thicker when cold. At temperatures of 75 deg F (24 deg C) and below, we recommend that you give the resin about 15 minutes of "pot cure" time to thin-out before applying. At higher temperatures, use immediately.
You can thin L&L Resin slightly by using small amounts of xylene, but we don't really recommend it. Note the above statement that Dynel is just going to take a lot more of the resin than glass cloth will.
Feel free to come back if you have additional questions.
Doc