Subject: Re: [harryproa] Re: Infusion on the floor |
From: Dennis Cox |
Date: 5/24/2011, 6:25 AM |
To: harryproa@yahoogroups.com.au |
Reply-to: harryproa@yahoogroups.com.au |
Hi Dennis,
I don't know if it is the same or not. I suspect it is a it thinner than that. But the important thing is whether it sticks to itself like normal clingfilm. Anything that sticks should work very well.
Best regards
Herb
--- In harryproa@yahoogroups.com.au, Dennis Cox <dec720@...> wrote:
>
> Thank you Herb!
>
> This cling wrap... Is this the same stuff that is used to wrap stacks of boxed
> on wooden pallets for shipment around the world?Â
>
>
> This is great information... and I for one can can squat for my one-off needs.Â
> Having a 40'x10' table is just not cost effective for me... even if I could find
> a place for it.
>
>
>
>
>
>
________________________________
> From: Herb <squirebug@...>
> To: harryproa@yahoogroups.com.au
> Sent: Sun, May 22, 2011 8:31:28 AM
> Subject: [harryproa] Infusion on the floor
>
> Â
> Last year I completed a 3 meter dory out of epoxy, glass and foam in Thailand.
> My intention was to learn by making mistakes and I was extremely successful in
> that.
>
> My shop was a concrete slab with a roof but no walls â€" in the US we would call
> it a carport. The slab was smoothed fairly well, but not more carefully than
> normal for such a use.
>
>
> I began by cutting the foam to the shape required for the bottom and sides,
> which led to unnecessary difficulty in cutting the glass as it moved quite a lot
> during cutting and infusion. It would have been much easier to cut it oversize
> for infusion and trim with a jigsaw later. There were also some areas of the
> foam on the edge that wound up with no glass at all.
>
> I did the infusion one side at a time using a large heavy clingfilm (1.4m wide)
> that I get from Central (which is a major department store in Thailand). The
> procedure was
> 1. roll out the clingfilm to the length required
> 2. put the foam on the clingfilm followed by glass, hoses and nylon peel ply
> 3. roll the clingfilm on top to form a bag
> 4. hook up the shopvac for suction and check for leaks
> 5. connect epoxy and apply suction
>
> The epoxy spread very evenly with no problems. After the epoxy had set, flip the
> panel and repeat. I never found a leak in the clingfilm and never needed to use
> tape as the clingfilm always
formed a perfect seal with itself and around the
> shopvac and other hoses.
>
> After a few panels the shopvac got too hot and melted its plastic bucket, which
> ruined the suction, so I did the remaining panels by hand. I don't think the
> shopvac would be strong enough for larger panels so I need to find a better
> suction source for the next project. I think the main reason the shopvac
> overheated is because I started with epoxy that was too thick and set too
> quickly for the weather here, it worked much better when I got the correct
> epoxy, but the shopvac died shortly after that.
>
> Based on this experience I don't see the point in building a table or infusing
> both sides at once. Granted my panels were relatively small â€" the largest was
> about .6m x 3m. However, even a very large panel â€" say 10m x 5m â€" would weigh
> less than 100 kg
after the first infusion and could be turned with a few willing
> hands. I am not sure how to turn it if it is significantly wider than the height
> of the ceiling, but the weight wouldn't be a problem.
>
> Infusing on the floor saves all the hassle of building and cleaning a table,
> which would be significant for a large panel. Also, the infused side is very
> smooth as the foam provides a smoothing buffer against minor imperfections in
> the floor. These imperfections would probably prevent a smooth double sided
> infusion. It also saves the hassle of drilling holes through the foam to allow
> resin to flow to both sides.
>
> The second side can eliminate the use of clingfilm all across the bottom. Only a
> strip around the edge is needed as the infused side provides an air tight
> surface. Breeze created some minor annoyance by causing the clingfilm to fold
> over and cling to itself, but that was adequately handled by beer bottles (I
> found beer Chang the most effective:).
>
> In Thailand use of benches, sawhorses, etc. is unknown as everyone is
> comfortable squatting (except for obese westerners like me). After a little
> adaptation even I find it relatively easy to squat for some time. Work is
> usually held by 1 bare foot when cutting or sanding, which works very well. The
> temperature is almost always between 25 and 35 here (similar to Florida or
> California) so the normal clothing is shorts and flipflops. This habit also
> makes infusing on the floor seem the obviously correct way to do it, just as
> using a table seems obviously correct in the west.
>
>
> Best regards
> Herb
>