Free Resin & mat, any good?

[putback]

I was given a pickup load of fiberglass supplies and tools just to haul it away. Some good some not. Questions on things I'm not sure of.. 5 gal metal pail of resin unopened, probably 10yrs old. Would it still be good? 2 1gal plastic bottles resin unopened ? 2 square 1 gal plastic bottles in boxes, unlabled unopened. I opened one, smells like resin, dark green, the consistancy of pudding. A large plastic lined heavy paper bag full of rust colored flour like substance, probably 5 or 6 cubic feet, maybe weighs 10 lbs, unlabled. A N.I.B. unopened roll of fiberglass mat 36" wide, length unknown, roll dia. 18 inches, must weigh 150 lbs. Can that mat be subed for cloth for stringer, transom and plywood deck replacement? An old spray system I don't understand. A pressure regulated cast alum pot +- 2 gal, with a serious dryer, single hose to a spray gun, large orifice. Nothing like a paint sprayer I've ever seen.. Could it be a resin sprayer? If so are they worth the effort to use? All was used to fab replica car body parts.

 

[sphelps]

Get some fresh MEKP hardener and mix up a batch .. If it kicks and hardens like it should then the the resin may be ok . When you say like pudding . Do you mean runny pudding or jello . The mat as long as it has not been wet should be good ..
Might be able to at least use the resin for fillets /pb

 

[gm280]

I concur with sphelps, buy some known fresh MEKP and take a little and mix it up and see what the resin does. Mix it at a 1% to 2% mixture ratio, If it cures hard, WALA.... And look at the mat and see if it is chop strand mat (CSM), meaning the fibers going in every direction, or woven mat with the usual over and under interweave. You just might have stumbled on some useful materials. Now all you need is a boat project... :thumb:

 

[Woodonglass]

Here's a Quote from our resident expert on Polyester resin, ondarvr..."As the resin ages the promoters tend to become less effective and the gel time will drift longer, some resins types are more stable than others, and within types some formulas are more stable than others. Then it comes down to each batch and how the product was stored. The more the gel time drifts out the poorer the cure, small amounts of drift are normal and expected during its shelf life, but as time goes on the physical properties will be reduced, sometimes dramatically. There is no way to say exactly when the resin will be of no value due to the many variables, so the shelf life is set so most resins will still be very good on that last day. After that it?s up to you as to whether it can be used for a particular purpose.

The viscosity will also prop, so if used in a laminate there is a better chance it may drain out of the glass easier. As it continues to age some cross linking will take place and the viscosity may increase and gelled particles can form."

Based on this and other things I've learned in my research and expeience, I too would suggest a Test Trial with fresh MEKP and then I would Only use it for filleting and bedding Material and Not for Laminating or wetting out glass. As for the glass, Pics would be helpful The Pot and Gun sounds like it could be a Pressure Pot set-up for shooting Gel Coat. Pics would help for that as wel

 

[putback]

Get some fresh MEKP hardener and mix up a batch .. If it kicks and hardens like it should then the the resin may be ok . When you say like pudding . Do you mean runny pudding or jello . The mat as long as it has not been wet should be good ..
Might be able to at least use the resin for fillets /pb

Closer to jello. Scoped out a spoonfull, flopped it on cardboard. Dos'nt seperate, Pretty much holds its shape. Mat & box show no sign of dampness. all was well stored,

 

[putback]

Got some pics of the spray gun. Was wrong on post #1. That gun was an old undercoating sprayer '70s era. Unpacked and found the right one. 3 lines to sprayer. 1 is air supply, 2 is line to pressure can, 3 is small line 1/8 ID goes to sealed 2 qt bottle. Binks model 62. Orfice # 67PB. The pressure can decal covered. Cast into lid is. W.R. Brown Corp Chicago 35 { or 36** Model No. 798-B. Do not use over 50 psi. A close look in the bottom of the can sure looks like dried resin. The nozzle from the small line from the glass bottle ejects just beyond the orifice of the sprayer. Pics included, what is it?

 

[putback]

I concur with sphelps, buy some known fresh MEKP and take a little and mix it up and see what the resin does. Mix it at a 1% to 2% mixture ratio, If it cures hard, WALA.... And look at the mat and see if it is chop strand mat (CSM), meaning the fibers going in every direction, or woven mat with the usual over and under interweave. You just might have stumbled on some useful materials. Now all you need is a boat project... :thumb:

Mat is CSM, average fiber length is 2 inches. Tried some resin from a 1 gal plastic container with the CSM on new plywood seemed to work as it should, will it last with the unknown age is the question? All set on boat projects. Have a pair of I/Os. '80s 191 & 161 Starcrafts. Got board with cars, these boats are interesting and fun. Learning as I go, appreciate the help.

 

[sphelps]

If the resin looks like jello I wouldn't use it .. Is all of it jello like ? Unless your Bill Cosby it prolly ain't much good for anything .. How about a pic of the resin ..

 

[putback]

Only "jello" consistancy were in a seperate unopened no labels box.Two 1 gal square plastic containers. I've now opened both, they had foil seals. "Jello", dark green, smell like resin. Haven't tried them with MEKP yet. Unless someone has a different idea I'll take them as no good resin. Ain't worth screwing up a job to find out. I'll try mixing a dab tomorrow see if it goes boom.

 

[gm280]

putback, you have to try a good amount to actually see if it will cure. So try about a 1/2 pint to see. But certainly don't just throw it away too fast. Like WOG stated, it could be great as fillers and such. And I can tell you, once you start a boat project, you will go through poly mixed fillers really fast. So if you can use that stuff for such a usage, so much better and cheaper to refurbish a boat project. It may not be good for general soaking mat or clothe, but great for fillers and fillets... :noidea:

 

[Woodonglass]

If the resin has "Gelled" (Jello or Pudding like consistency) then IMHO it should be disposed of and NOT used. If it still has somewhat of a fluid viscosity and will "Kick" when catalyzed then I wouldn't hesitate to use it for filler material. I might try laminating some CSM on a test board and then doing a flex test to check for delamination and if it held up well then I'd consider using it for Tabbings as well. Not sure I'd every use it for large laminations. Again, just an Old Dumb Okie spouting off!!!!