Resin to catalyst ratio?

[Moneypit]

I have some needed glass work to do and can't remember the "drop" ratio of the catalyst to resin.. I know it has to be modified / adjusted according to temperature, but if some one could give a ballpark place to start I might get my Hydroflite hull fixed and my 74 Tahiti driver's seat frame reattached to the bottom of the boat... Any help will be greatly appreciated..
Is 6 drops per pint at normal room temperature, (68*-74*), even close?? I know others actually do it by weight, (instead of "pint, quart"). but I don't have a small scale that accurate..
Thanks in advance,
Ray
Edit: I guess I should have had a warning about "Boating Content"...

 

[Yellowboat]

Normally it's one drop per ounce

 

[Moneypit]

Normally it's one drop per ounce

Thanks... So a pint is 8 ounces, right? So 6 drops per pint in a warmer climate is close... I know I had a pint batch "kick" before I could even stir it..Maybe a little too warm that day.. I'm thinking 5 drops per pint @ 85-90*... Wish me luck...
Ray

 

[lbhsbz]

Thanks... So a pint is 8 ounces, right? So 6 drops per pint in a warmer climate is close... I know I had a pint batch "kick" before I could even stir it..Maybe a little too warm that day.. I'm thinking 5 drops per pint @ 85-90*... Wish me luck...
Ray

Use epoxy. Better result, easier to mix (one pump to one pump), longer pot life.

 

[dryhoze1]

Here ya go Ray

 

[500bbc]

I like to make a test pot hot then dial it back to where it stops smoking.

 

[Moneypit]

I like to make a test pot hot then dial it back to where it stops smoking.

Or stops melting the plastic containers...Tell me more about this epoxy. Does it saturate the cloth like resin? I have some heavy matte for the hull repair, and could likely use it for the seat mount as well...You remember my Hydroflite Brad.. Still has those 2 carbs you gave me..Motor is out and I sold the "Aeromarine" v drive after I came up with a 12* Casale with a Whirlaway type prop release.. (Not a Whirlaway, but a left hand ratchet "clicker") The Aeromarine had 12 gears and the Casale has 18s I think...In 04 at Red Rock the 36 YO boat ran 78.5 MPH on Art's GPS. I'd really like to get it back on the water, even if it won't turn..

 

[coolchange]

Fiberglass supply resin to hardener catalyst chart. Can't copy it as a PDF.
Do not use epoxy with Matt. Matt has a binder in it it's not compatible with epoxy.
1708 is your friend. If you're doing hull repairs epoxy is best. Vinyl ester will work. Stay away from polyester for doing repairs.

 

[Gelcoater]

Or stops melting the plastic containers

...and now you know why many boat shops use tomato cans

Use a metal coffe can or something.

 

[lbhsbz]

most 1708 (biax with a thin mat) that I've found is stitched and doesn't use binders, so it works well with epoxy. Once you use this combination, you'll likely never use anything else again.

For repair work/tabbing, I roll it out and saturate the material with epoxy on a sheet of cardboard, then carry it over and lay it down.

 

[Moneypit]

Thanks to everyone... You do realize you're eliminating my excuses for not getting busy..Although we are in the middle of an "Extreme Heat Warning".. So even the nights are too warm to get any "pot time"...Hmmm, "pot time", that certainly use to have a different meaning... I do try to get outside at the crack of dawn to at least get in a little work before the tools get too hot to touch.. I really do miss driving that old Hydroflite, and the Casale with the release and the 18s should be faster and at the same time, safer...Without the release any sudden "Lifting" would try very hard to put you over the deck...
Thanks again, and I'll keep you guys up on my progress...
Ray

 

[Gelcoater]

Thanks to everyone... You do realize you're eliminating my excuses for not getting busy..Although we are in the middle of an "Extreme Heat Warning".. So even the nights are too warm to get any "pot time"...Hmmm, "pot time", that certainly use to have a different meaning... I do try to get outside at the crack of dawn to at least get in a little work before the tools get too hot to touch.. I really do miss driving that old Hydroflite, and the Casale with the release and the 18s should be faster and at the same time, safer...Without the release any sudden "Lifting" would try very hard to put you over the deck...
Thanks again, and I'll keep you guys up on my progress...
Ray

500bbc gave great advise.
If you aren’t super familiar with tha material do a test batch.
Realize it will harden in the container faster than it will on a wetter out piece of cloth.
But absolutely test it’s gel time to avoid headaches.

 

[Moneypit]

...and now you know why many boat shops use tomato cans
Use a metal coffe can or something.

I have a few dozen "Progresso" soup cans I save for target "plinking". They're bigger than the soup you add water to...Already too hot today...
Thanks again guys...
Ray

 

[old rigger]

It's much better to have not enough catalist than too much. If need be after you get your glass wet and all the excess resin removed you can push it in the sun and it'll kick.

Laminators forgot to ad catalist in the final layer of glass back in the day, at Hawaiian, and we just put it in the sun for an hour and kicked. Normally you don't want your brand new part or mold in the sun, but what the hell could we do.

 

[old rigger]

...and now you know why many boat shops use tomato cans

Use a metal coffe can or something.

I swear the guy that delivered old tomato cans to us at Tahiti and Hawaiian drove a better car than any of us. We went through hundreds of cans a week, kept him busy. ALL the shops back then were cranking. Its amazing to remember just how many guys were working in the biz in the 60s-late 70s.

 

[coolchange]

I swear the guy that delivered old tomato cans to us at Tahiti and Hawaiian drove a better car than any of us. We went through hundreds of cans a week, kept him busy. ALL the shops back then were cranking. Its amazing to remember just how many guys were working in the biz in the 60s-late 70s.

I remember that guy at Joe's tooling.

 

[500bbc]

Thanks to everyone... You do realize you're eliminating my excuses for not getting busy..Although we are in the middle of an "Extreme Heat Warning".. So even the nights are too warm to get any "pot time"...Hmmm, "pot time", that certainly use to have a different meaning... I do try to get outside at the crack of dawn to at least get in a little work before the tools get too hot to touch.. I really do miss driving that old Hydroflite, and the Casale with the release and the 18s should be faster and at the same time, safer...Without the release any sudden "Lifting" would try very hard to put you over the deck...
Thanks again, and I'll keep you guys up on my progress...
Ray

PICTURES OR YOU'RE BANNED!

 

[Backlash]

I swear the guy that delivered old tomato cans to us at Tahiti and Hawaiian drove a better car than any of us. We went through hundreds of cans a week, kept him busy. ALL the shops back then were cranking. Its amazing to remember just how many guys were working in the biz in the 60s-late 70s.

Even the 90's were hopping here in SoCal!

 

[old rigger]

Even the 90's were hopping here in SoCal!

Not like the old days. In the 90s I was at warlock and Howard and still doing a little rigging for Advantage in the Anaheim shop, but it was all 1 or 2 boats every few weeks at most. Back in the day most production shops, insert almost any shop name, were doing at least 3-4 boats a day. That all ended in 1980.

 

[Backlash]

I would agree with you. Even looking at some of those old black and white pics in the other thread, it's hard to imagine THAT many boats around and being built here in SoCal.

 

[Laguna]

1% catalyst if you don't use these types of materials. In our shop we do 2% we don't adjust for weather we get summer and winter resins. Best just to stick to 1%.

 

[nrbr]

6ccs per pint if using poly or vinyl, may slow down to 4.5 or 5 if its gonna be awhile .