BevoHoward

I was hoping to get some advice on using z poxy. I have a Byron Pitts that I was hoping to use z poxy on. I have heard that you thin it with denatured alcohol. What is the ratio, and what is the best method of applying it? Can I just use the z poxy or is it better to use it with cloth? It seems that I saw a link descibing this, but I can't remembere where I saw it. What would be a good paint to use with it?

Thanks!!
Tom

Miniair

My Feedback: (1)

You can thin it with denatured alcohol up to about 30%. Make sure you get the purest you can, ask the drugest and he should have some 99% pure behind the counter.

If you want any strength from the Poxy then you should put on a lite glass cloth under it, 1/2 or 3/4 oz is all you need. Pour it on and the use a scraper or old playing card to spread it around and work it into the cloth. It doesn't take allot to seal the cloth to the wood and the cloth adds allot of strength without very much weight.

Let it dry and add another coat then sand it smooth with 600 weight wet&dry - dry of course. You can give it a lite spray of grey prime to show any low spots or imperfections during sanding, just fill them or seal the cloth with a bit more Poxy and re-sand.

Fighterpilot

My Feedback: (2)

I do not use Z-poxy, but purchase a gallon of West System Epoxy Resin 105. It is a finishing resin that mixes with the supplied hardener at a 5 to 1 ratio. I use Dan Parson's 0.6 oz cloth, which is very thin and strong and is the best cloth I have ever used. I cut my cloth about an 11/2 inches too big all the way around the surface to be covered. I lay the glass on the surface and smooth it down with a very soft 2" paint brush. After I have the cloth layed out smoothly, with no wrinkles, I pour a small amount of resin on the surface and work it in all directions with a 4" foam paint roller ( the 4"long by about 1" diameter foam trim roller). If I'm doing a wing, I do the bottom and let the overlapping glass cloth just go over the edges. I spread the resin around the entire surface until it holds the glass cloth down and I can see that it is wet with resin. I let this dry, then sand the overlapped cloth off of all the edges, turn the wing over and do the same thing to the top. After the epoxy has cured and all the edges have been trimmed, I apply a second coat of resin in the same manner that I applied the first coat but this second coat is thinned with about 15% denatured alcohol. I make sure that I put enough resin on the cloth to fill any voids or pinholes that I may have missed on the glass application. I next block sand this with 180 sandpaper. After I am satisfied that the surface is smooth (be sure to block sand your balsa surface and get it as smooth as possible before you glass) I apply a heavy coat of automotive filler/primer. When dry, I block sand so that most of the primer is removed and left only in the low areas. I apply a second coat of filler/primer and block sand with 320. This will give you a surface that is strong, smooth, and ready for paint. I have been painting with OMNI base coat / clearcoat with good success. The urathane clearcoat has been unaffected by 15% Nitro Glow fuel. If you have any questions, post them here and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.