200g Wetsuit Tank

[Conner]

So do you have to let each coat cure fully before you can apply the next coat, or can you apply while the first coat is still tacky?

 

[sashimimaster]

Did it run at all when you painted vertical surfaces?

 

[earthstudent]

So do you have to let each coat cure fully before you can apply the next coat, or can you apply while the first coat is still tacky?

You can apply additional coats at any time. I do however think it is best to allow each coat to cure fully before adding another coat. I think it will help you get a fully cured membrane in the shortest time.

I would say as a "general" rule, let the first coat cure for 2-3 days and allow the final coat to cure for 5-7 days. It will appear cured in a day or 2 but giving the extra time will make sure it is cured through.

This guideline is for the process I have used to apply this product and is what I think is best based on my experience with the product. I would recommend anyone that is going to use Wetsuit in there tanks use the fabric in the first coat and put a second coat over that. This makes for a very strong waterproof coating. It is basically a pond liner that is adhered to the wood and is seamless and wrinkle free but is actually stronger and more durable than a 60 mil pond liner. I really think this is the way to go if you are building a ply-wood tank.

If you want to speed curing you could, raise the temp and use a dehumidifier to drop the relative humidity.

 

[earthstudent]

Did it run at all when you painted vertical surfaces?

I was trying to see how thick I could apply it and I did get it to run in some areas. It will run if it is applied to thick. It is actually a bit of a challenge to get it to run though. You really have to slop it on.

 

[earthstudent]

I am not able to meet with the owner of Neptune today as he had to go out of town for a another meeting on short notice. He assured me that I can sit down with him tomorrow about the ordering issue and pricing.

 

[cvermeulen]

Curing for all these products are based on several factors.

Temperature
Humidity
Thickness

One factor many people do not think about is, what substrate it is being applied to. If you were coating glass, than a thick coat might take longer to cure than if you applied the same coating to a piece of wood. The reason being, the wood will help absorb and evaporate the water where as the glass would seal it on that side and only allow it to cure from the coatings surface. I found when using Wetsuit, that it cured much faster when using it on wood than on many other substrates, like metal, plastic or glass.

All these products rely on the evaporation of water to cure. So, if you do it in a normal ambient humidity, at or near room temp (70-75 f) than a 60 mil thickness (about what you get with fabric and a second coat) than it should be cured in a few days and if you give it a week than you should be plenty safe. This has been my experience with Wetsuit and other similar products.

Another thing to note here is that, you cant paint on a layer that it "too thick" as gravity will not allow. Just like you can not paint a 1/4" thick layer in one shot. You will only be able to apply a maximum thickness on each coat.

When doing the first layer with fabric, you get about 40mil (coat of product, fabric, coat of product) and then after that cures, if you put on another coat, you get about 60mils total. That is when you try to put on a good healthy amount each time and 60mils is all you need, at least with the Wetsuit.

OK so several points to follow this up though:

1) You can actually paint on a layer that's too thick if you use a heavier fabric than the invisilink - I'm just thinking if I use some generic polyester I better make sure it's fairly light and thin to avoid this. you can also paint on a thick layer on a horizontal surface (pooling).

2) I would worry if you make the layer too thick that the surface will cure, sealing the moisture into the lower portion of the coat so that it will never cure. Obviously with a bit of care you can avoid this, I'm just thinking out loud...

3) In many cases with polymers and composites, there is some advantage to applying your second coat while the first is still tacky (better interlayer bonding). With this stuff I'm not sure what the best route would be. I guess in your experience I'm guessing the bond between the dry coat and your re-application was quite strong?

 

[mike b]

keep us posted im extremely curious to see how youll be sealing the glass to it will you be siliconing it? if so have you done any silicone adhesion tests before putting the viewing window in?

 

[earthstudent]

keep us posted im extremely curious to see how youll be sealing the glass to it will you be siliconing it? if so have you done any silicone adhesion tests before putting the viewing window in?

Yes, I will be using silicone for the window. I have done silicone tests and I found that silicone adheres very well to the Wetsuit product.

I will actually be putting the window in tomorrow.

 

[cvermeulen]

Yes, I will be using silicone for the window. I have done silicone tests and I found that silicone adheres very well to the Wetsuit product.

I will actually be putting the window in tomorrow.

Any particular kind of silicone you used?

 

[Cookie*]

More pics?