Epoxy suppliers

[pinoypiper]

For everyone's boat building needs, here's a list of laminating epoxy suppliers (click on the names to link to their respective websites):

1. Polymer Products They have several branches in major cities and provinces in the country. they're also our main supplier of fiberglass cloth, biaxial fiberglass, carbon fiber and other neat stuff. I am not sure if they have epoxy in stock in the provincial branches, but i am sure they can order some for you from their main office in Pasig if you tell them that you need it.

2. Cord Chemicals they don't have branches you can only get laminating epoxy from their main branch in Mandaluyong, lncc63 says they deliver, i'm not sure though if they can give that service to everyone. If you do plan to order from them ask for the RSC200

3. Republic Chemicals Makers of the very popular Pioneer Epoxy and Mighty bond super glue. Like Cord you can only get laminating epoxy from them if you order from their main branch in Cubao. they only have one branch and it's in Cebu. Ask for their Formula #5

4. the fourth one is Power Epoxy, it is more of a backyard operation based in Cainta. and this is said to be where Polymer Products gets their epoxy from. I wouldn't be surprised. i've tried them both and I think they are the same. you can pm lncc63 on this forum for directions to their place.

I think i'm one of the few here who can say I've used all of these brands. They're pretty much all the same, feel free to get whatever is more convenient for you, in terms of price and accessibility.

5. Epolam epoxies - Manufactured by Axon Technologies distributed locally by Bigpix Graphic System Inc. #7783 St. Paul St. cor. Lumbayao St., San Antonio Village, Makati City. Tel.# (632)895-9518, (632)8966698. Look for Gelo.

Epolam 2014/2015 resins are less viscous than other resins and wet fg and encapsulate wood very well. Other than their usual hardener they also have a "fast" hardener which has a pot life of only 7 minutes. Which is good for those small rush jobs.

So what are you waiting for? build that boat!

[sunnydays]

I am all set soon to get going on boatbuilding and was intending to use cord marine epoxy for stitch and glue, but from your post, maybe we should have the laminating type. Is this because it does better on top of itself (sorry sounds Irish)

Peter

[pinoypiper]

Hi Sunnydays,

Nice to see you on the fourm again, If you're talking about the commercially available cord marine epoxy. i'm afraid you might have a big mess on your hands. even though it does have fillers already it would still be too runny to make decent epoxy fillets. that and it can be very stiff to spread.

Your best bet would still be to get laminating epoxy and add filler to it, to get the "peanut butter" consistency you need for fillets. micromix (available at polymer products) or woodflour make for great filler it's easier to spread too.

Would you be building a cs15?

Cheers/Roy

[electric eric]

Piper,
this might cause confusion. I'm confused. You're talking of only the commercially available epoxy here, right?

even though it does have fillers already it would still be too runny to make decent epoxy fillets. that and it can be very stiff to spread.

eric

[lncc]

Sunndays, laminating epoxy is effectively a lot less expensive than using regular hardware store marine epoxy. Also, as Roy implied, you will get a lot more control over the stuff by choosing and mixing the fillers yourself.

[pinoypiper]

this might cause confusion. I'm confused. You're talking of only the commercially available epoxy here, right?

Yes, i am talking about the commercially available epoxy. Sorry for the confusion I was replying to sunnyday's post, which I think mentioned them. I still use the commercially available epoxy for gluing jobs through, but not for filleting.

So to clear up the possible confusion... here's and addendum to my first post:

laminating epoxy is different from the commericially available epoxy that you can find in hardware stores and home depots.

Laminating epoxy consists of resin and hardener. Resin is a transparent liquid that has the consistency of maple syrup, while hardener has a dark amber color that has the consistency of motor oil it also has an amonia smell. resin and hardener are usually mixed at a 2:1 to 5:1 ratio depending on the type. In boat building, laminating epoxy is used to epoxy encapsulate wood, laminate fiberglass, and when fillers are added can be used as a kind of putty.

commerically availble epoxy also consists or resin and hardener but it is not usually mentioned which is which, it usually just mentions component-A and component-B. mixing ratio is usually 1:1. These types of epoxy are opaque and have different colors (usually bland) depending on the manufacturer. viscosity can also vary depending on the type. this type of epoxy is generally an adhesive and is not recommended for encapsulation or fiberglass lamination

pound for pound commericially available epoxy is usually more expensive than laminating epoxy, but it can be obtained in small quantities, while laminating epoxy can only be purchased by the gallon.

[sunnydays]

Would you be building a cs15?

Cheers/Roy[/quote]

Roy thanks for the info and yes we will build the cs 15, nice to hear of a polymer supplier in the Batangas area.

Peter

[tatoski]

I have been dealing recently with epoxy and PU flooring contractors and it crossed my mind maybe I can ask them to give me samples of their epoxy to test for strength and adhesion to plywood. Their resin is specifically designed to adhere to concrete and is inherently low viscosity. These suppliers buy their resins from Malaysia and Europe in quantities and maybe their pass on cost is a lot less than 2k per gallon set. I'll keep the group posted of the developments. I hope this works out. Epoxy is the major cost contributor in an S&G boat second to plywood and glass fibre and beer.

[fncampoy]

I'm in cavite, anyone knows where can I buy laminating epoxy near me? Im already set and ready to cut, just waiting for the december breeze to stop for me to start gluing.

by the way I'm building a sailing-canoe-skulling type boat. dont know what to call it really since maybe in the near future a part of my catamaran . cant wait to go at sea with it, i'd rather take one hull of the catamaran and row with it

[lncc]

You might try calling Cord. They deliver.

Call Polymer and ask for their nearest branch. They have A LOT of branches. Most branches however, last I tried, don't have their laminating epoxy. The one I asked didn't even know they sold the stuff. So don't take no for an answer. Maybe you can call the main branch and arrange with them for the nearest branch to get what you need.

[lncc]

At Arvin's request, my contact at Cord is Cris (928) 728-7642 or 531-1175.

[arvin555]

Thanks Lncc for posting the contact numbers.

Unfortunately the Cord Chem URL is now unavailable for some reason, so contact number is highly appreciated.

TTFN
ARvin

[arvin555]

Just an update. Was able to ask my office mate to get in touch with cord.

Contact is Gigi 531-1175 same as posted by lncc.
RSC200 is P2115 per gallon, and 5% discount if picked up at their office.
Being very near their area, I will probably just pickup when I do buy.

TTFN
Arvin

[pinoypiper]

RSC200 is P2115 per gallon, and 5% discount if picked up at their office.

I used to get 15%. try to see if you can ask if you can get that.

[arvin555]

Thanks for the tip Piper will do!

Also if ever you will visit them to get marine epoxy or something please ask also how much discount they will give you.

If they give me max 5% then I guess it would have boiled down to face value!

TTFN
Arvin