anyone using bondo fiberglass resin for making micarta?

J

jtwodogs

Joined
Feb 1, 2009
Messages
404
Was just wondering if anyone had tried using bondo fiberglass resin in making up some Micarta?
Thanks.
 
I have used it. It sets up pretty quickly so be well organized and work fast.
 
I've done it on a few, like i4Marc said it sets up quickly, the hotter it is the faster the set time so do it when it's cool out. Try to do it out side if possible, I did mine on my patio and the wife still yelled because the smell got in the house.
 
If you want to get something that will last and look good, use good materials. Use West System 105 resin and the extra slow set 209 hardener. The 207 extra clear hardener is also a good choice on some coarse laminates like fire hose and burlap.
 
jtwodogs said:
Was just wondering if anyone had tried using bondo fiberglass resin in making up some Micarta?
Thanks.
Click to expand...

Once or twice. Never again. :barf:

bladsmth said:
If you want to get something that will last and look good, use good materials. Use West System 105 resin and the extra slow set 209 hardener. The 207 extra clear hardener is also a good choice on some coarse laminates like fire hose and burlap.
Click to expand...

Yep! Keep in mind West does have some competitors, but in small quantities and shipping West from the local boat repair place may be the way to go.

We are ordering up 15 gallons at a time now. The cost is up there, but the quality demands. it :thumbup:
 
fod said:
Once or twice. Never again. :barf:



Yep! Keep in mind West does have some competitors, but in small quantities and shipping West from the local boat repair place may be the way to go.

We are ordering up 15 gallons at a time now. The cost is up there, but the quality demands. it :thumbup:
Click to expand...

You said they have some competitors, where I live is uber rural so what ever I get needs to be ordered on line. I checked west systems, I understand they are quality, is there any out there that come close to their quality but could save me some money. Thanks
 
Maas epoxy is very good. Some people like System 3 but I had a bad experience with it when building a boat.

Tim
 
Right now I'm at probably 40-ish sheets 3 1/2"x 12". So far its been burlap, and
I've sold the stuff I don't use myself at shows. Every show since the first is repeat
buyers and I've always sold out. It was bondo polyester resin, enough said.
Ken.
 
It dried a shade darker than I would have prefered but worked fine.
Have everything prepared and be ready to hussle. It will kick fast if you mix it too hot.
 
as most have said have everything layed out and ready and make sure you have your motions down with a dry run and an extra set of hands really come in handy. even in cooler weather that stuff sets pretty fast.
 
jtwodogs said:
You said they have some competitors, where I live is uber rural so what ever I get needs to be ordered on line. I checked west systems, I understand they are quality, is there any out there that come close to their quality but could save me some money. Thanks
Click to expand...

Look for a water clear low viscosity UV stabilized aero-marine laminating epoxy. Often the choice will depend on shipping costs.

Good results can be had with the bar top / table top resins too.
 
I use West System most of the time, and love the pumps. I just hit the pump X number of shots on each can and mix well. I then pour it out into a wide flat bottom bowl and do whatever the task is I needed the resin for. Mixing in one container and working from a shallow wide container is very important in epoxy.
 
I tried it once and it turned out darker than I wanted and was a PITA to do. It was obvious, to me anyway, that it was inferior to what I had seen on other knives. Being the scales are a big focal point of a knife, I decided to just buy it from someone who knew what they were doing. I have purchased from FOD and it's awesome and its obvious professionally made stuff. I just received some natural burlap from him and its great stuff. I've found (in my limited time making knives) that using quality materials usually results in a superior product. I've never sold a knife, I just give them away. Sounds crazy but I just really enjoy making them and continuing my learning of the process. To me, there is nothing like looking at the finished product and thinking back to when it was just a flat piece of nasty metal. Anyway, just my 2 cents. Good luck I may give it another try one day.
 
The stuff that I have purchased suppose to have a 35 minute work time. If I have all my stuff set up that should give me plenty of work time.
I built a press via some you tube videos. I believe my first batch will be some natural burlap. I also have some good lookin' heavy linen I got from the thrift store that I am going to try. I too am really into lookin' at something that was at one time some cheap "Drapes" at a thrift store, that has turned into some beautiful knife handles.
 
I tried the fiberglass resin before, and wasn't please with the results. It sets up too fast, it made the materials darker, and it smells terrible both when curing and sanding later.
 
I've done it on a few blades and I'm done using it. After using true phenolic resin sheets and seeing/using real micarta there really isn't a comparison IMO. On some of the handles I've done with bondo micarta it seems like the resin has broken down and leaves a white powder residue.
 
I never used west system before as it was too expensive but I used some this weekend to redo my canoe. Very clear, I was very impressed. However I completely forgot about the container I was using.. as Stacy said, use a shallow, wide conatiner. I forgot about the exothermic reaction until it started smoking and hardening up on me after only 15 minutes.. make only what you need and can use in a short time period. Oh well, the patches look nice :-)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top