Epoxy Sealant on Plywood: a cautionary tale

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
pengu13;4654563; said:
in my build the epoxy failed with fiberglass reinforcement from the flex of the tank, more problems then one. zavlar came through to save it i just sanded and re-coated it with a lot of liquid rubber
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Pengu you're the man I need to speak with! I'm planning on doing exactly that but my early tests with zavlar have given me some concerns. Can you post an answer to this thread: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=373328

did you do a thread on using Zavlar to reseal?
 
I'm not sure if vacuum bagging would be worth the hassle without a fibrous reinforcement. You're right it might help it soak in a bit better, but having your wood properly dried, and using a low-viscosity resin gets you most of the benefit for this IMO.

I haven't mentioned it before, but another issue that might have contributed was the near 100% humidity around the time I did this - dry wood soaks up resin much better than damp wood.
 
Op, thanks for posting! This is some useful info that we rarely get ( people who built plywood tanks talking about what worked and didnt work after years of the tank running) thank you!

Also several of the comments have some very good information as well
 
pengu13;4654563; said:
in my build the epoxy failed with fiberglass reinforcement from the flex of the tank, more problems then one. zavlar came through to save it i just sanded and re-coated it with a lot of liquid rubber
Click to expand...

How was the tank built, do you have a build thread?

Also how many layers of fibreglass did you use as to make a good effect you should do minimum of 2 450grm IMO, 3 even better as it also adds to the structureal strength.
 
waynes world;4680386; said:
How was the tank built, do you have a build thread?

Also how many layers of fibreglass did you use as to make a good effect you should do minimum of 2 450grm IMO, 3 even better as it also adds to the structureal strength.
Click to expand...

i posted a link on the other page to my build.

this was my first time laying fiberglass so it was a lot of learning (that didn't help) i don't know the weight of the fiberglass i used the bondo stuff, the seams had 3 inside i think and 1 out side, the bottom had 3 and the back wall had 2.

this was part of my mistakes i should of used better quality and order larger amount of fiberglass and resin to save money did alot of trips to cantire.

i would try fiber glass and resin for another build if i did it again
 
"Op, thanks for posting! This is some useful info that we rarely get ( people who built plywood tanks talking about what worked and didnt work after years of the tank running) thank you!"

I agree, it is a valuable thread.
 
Thanks for sharing. A lot of builders and would be builders like myself will benefit from this thread.
 
I had a simlar experiance with a expoy and fiberglass tank, check out bluemax you can get it from TrueValue harward store 5 gal for 175 and it is 800% fexiable
 
Thanks for the info! Ill be gathering data for a few more years before Im ready to build.
 
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