What Expoxy did you use on your ply wood tank?
- Thread starter kwantz
- Start date
kwantz;1265447; said:
for sealing i would look at pond shield http://www.pondarmor.com
for strength and fabrication i would use west system
imo/ime
I Just used Sweetwater 2 Part Epoxy. It goes on very easy and From what I have read it has a longer working time than West Systems. It also has the advantage of coming in already mixed colors. http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/11733/cid/3035
I used west systems. I put on two layers of fiber cloth and 4 coats of west system, for 6 coats in total.
It is a pretty expensive solution. I used 3 gallons of resin, 3 of hardner, and like 50 feet of 36" fiber. I also used 40 feet of 6" fiber and about 20 feet of 2" fiber.
Depending on how cool it is will determine whether you need fast or slow hardner. I used the 205 fast harnder and had about 20-30 minutes of working time. You have to mix small batches of west system because it will exotherm and turn into a big block of plastic.
Total cost for waterproofing with gloves, respirator, brushes, rollers, epoxy, and fiber is just over 700 dollars.
I have 2 gallons of sweetwater that I am going to use to seal the sumps. It costs less but doesn't wet out fiberglass like west systems. I really wanted the added security of the fiberglass laminate.
It is a pretty expensive solution. I used 3 gallons of resin, 3 of hardner, and like 50 feet of 36" fiber. I also used 40 feet of 6" fiber and about 20 feet of 2" fiber.
Depending on how cool it is will determine whether you need fast or slow hardner. I used the 205 fast harnder and had about 20-30 minutes of working time. You have to mix small batches of west system because it will exotherm and turn into a big block of plastic.
Total cost for waterproofing with gloves, respirator, brushes, rollers, epoxy, and fiber is just over 700 dollars.
I have 2 gallons of sweetwater that I am going to use to seal the sumps. It costs less but doesn't wet out fiberglass like west systems. I really wanted the added security of the fiberglass laminate.
industrial formulators cold cure. I recently saw a 2 part epoxy paint for around $57/gal, specifically designed for aquaria. I'll see if I can find the link.
If you're looking for cost effectiveness, use polyester based resins. mbarton used polyester resin with some good success.
If you're looking for cost effectiveness, use polyester based resins. mbarton used polyester resin with some good success.
I'm building my tank right now and I'll be using the Max ACR:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...tToStoreCat&refwidgettype=cross_promot_widget
http://www.polymercompositesinc.com/
I had conversation with the chemist guy there and for the most part a lot of their stuff is aerospace grade. I'm pretty much sold on it so far. I've done laminating in the past and I like what I hear so I'm going for it. And the prices arent bad. Hopefully I'll get my tank coated in a few weeks.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...tToStoreCat&refwidgettype=cross_promot_widget
http://www.polymercompositesinc.com/
I had conversation with the chemist guy there and for the most part a lot of their stuff is aerospace grade. I'm pretty much sold on it so far. I've done laminating in the past and I like what I hear so I'm going for it. And the prices arent bad. Hopefully I'll get my tank coated in a few weeks.