Ask Professor E. Poxy - Epoxy Help Site

EPOXY  RESIN  HELP

 

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Epoxy Help from the Professor of Epoxy

 

Professor E. Poxy Help Site - FREE INFO


The EPOXY HELP PAGE is the easiest way to navigate through our 180 page web site - or ask the Professor!

Links to about 20 web articles regarding epoxy floor paint / coatings CLICK HERE to access all of them!



 

For over a 20 years, epoxy expert and member of the two leading coating industry organizations SSPC and NACE Paul Oman, A.K.A. Professor E. Epoxy ™, has been fielding epoxy related questions from companies and individuals. Mr. Oman has been selling epoxies since 1994 and is an active member of the boating community (boat repair and building) - a BoatUS member since 1980. Located in rural NH where old fashion values still matter.

 

Click on the highlighted PROFESSOR E. POXY link below to submit your questions regarding epoxy coatings, sealers, fillers, etc. for marine (comparing marine epoxy vendors link page), boatbuilding, commercial/industrial flooring, tank/pit repair, waste water, nuclear/hydro power generation, splash zones on piers, jetties & pilings, abrasion resistive, home use, or underwater applications. Epoxy floors (epoxy floor paint link page) could be a 1-7 coat system, lots of options and different methods to decide upon. Marine epoxies that come with unlimited product support, tips and tricks for boat repair, rot repair around the house, epoxies that can be applied underwater. We can help.

 

professor epoxy help

your go-to guy for two part epoxy help

 

Click your mouse below to submit your epoxy resin help questions to the Professor

PROFESSOR E. POXY click here

 

Rather talk to The Professor over the telephone about your epoxy resin/paint/application issue? Call now - 603 435 7199



Disclaimer: The Professor shall not be liable for any injury, loss, damage, direct or consequential damages arising out of the use of its suggestions or comments.. The respondent shall determine the suitability of any information for the intended use. By contacting the Professor, you are agreeing to the disclaimers, legal notices, etc. posted at our web site (click here to access).



Search the EPOXY-ONLY World Wide Web search engine

for your Epoxy Related Search term

CLICK HERE FOR EPOXY RELATED SEARCHES



BIG list of internet links for:  FLOOR EPOXY PAINTS - GARAGE FLOOR COATINGS




BIG list of internet links for:  EPOXY BOAT BUILDING - REPAIR - MARINE EPOXIES - BLISTER FIXES - BARRIER COATS




BIG list of internet links for:  EPOXY REPAIRS - ROT - LEAKS - PIPE REPAIR - UNDERWATER REPAIRS




BIG list of internet links for:  EPOXY BASICS - GETTING STARTED WITH EPOXIES - EPOXY 101




EPOXYGURU.COM website



Links for UNDERWATER EPOXY

Application of  DIY "underwater" epoxy paint and putty

for repair and as an adhesive. Underwater swimming pool

epoxy paint and repairs - Wet surface painting.

 

 Yes, you can apply some special epoxy paint/puttty coatings UNDERWATER

 


Links to online storefront for buying UNDERWATER EPOXY

Splash Zone A-788 -- Wet Dry 700 -- Corro Coat fc2100A -- Water Gard 300

Third Party article about underwater epoxies



1)  application of underwater epoxy paint (photograph) ----- uwpaint.html




2)  underwater repair epoxy saves sinking yacht  ----- cs_boat.html




3)  history of underwater paint putty epoxy ----- uwhistory.html




4)  description / buy links to underwater epoxy paint putty adhesive  ----- under4u.html




5)  epoxy and non epoxies that can be used  (not applied) underwater  ----- immerse.html 


Contact Page (phone or email us)



The Marine Epoxy Everything Guide

Everything from user reviews, repair examples,

pricing issues and vendor evaluation tips

 

Basic No Blush Marine Boat Epoxy Product Page




Basic No Blush 12 oz Marine Epoxy sampler




Marine Epoxy Catalog page (multiple epoxies)




Basic No Blush Marine Epoxy User Reviews / Feedback




Marine Epoxy prices - what it really costs!




Marine Epoxy amine blush - what is epoxy Blush?




DIY Sitch and glue Marine Epoxy construction




Boat repair examples using Marine Epoxy




Dinghy Marine Epoxy DIY boat repair case study




Progressive Epoxy Polymer's marine web site




Buy two part Marine Boat Epoxy now




Massive site of Internet boat links




We also catalog Internet floor epoxy links!



Two Part Epoxy Product Groups:

(EVERYTHING-EPOXY.INFO  ---  Intro to basic epoxy resin types )



NEW TO EPOXY? Learn about the major 2-part epoxy product groups -

Everything-Epoxy.info (primary site) - Click Here (secondary site)



"You provide outstanding products, and Fantastic Support. Thank You." Brian S.  (call 603 435 7199 anytime)



"Thanks for all your advice, tips & moral support concerning my project. It turned out beautiful. Quality people backing a quality product is the only way to go!" Joe



E CATALOG LINKS

 

1) Our marine/boating epoxy site (www.epoxyproducts.com/marine.html) which then links to:



Section One MARINE - CLEAR EPOXIES sometimes called 'goo' ***********



 Section Two FILLERS THICKENERS ADDITIVES ***********



 Section Three THICKENED EPOXIES - EPOXY PUTTIES - sometimes called 'goo', ETC. ***********



 Section Four EPOXY PAINTS (barrier coats) ***********



NOTICE: Legal notices, Terms of Service, warranty information, disclaimers, health warnings, etc. are required reading before using web site, ordering and/or using Products. Any such use and/or ordering, online or by telephone, shall constitute acceptance and knowledge of all such terms. CLICK HERE  to access these terms. Please note: Whenever you purchase from this web site, and with each new purchase, you are granting us full and complete permission to add you to our email newsletter list at our option.



RETURNS: call or email for authorization to return. Returns are subject to a 25% restock fee. Customer pays return shipping and must comply with federal DOT shipping requirement/labeling for hazmat epoxies under penalty of fines and legal action.



Progressive Epoxy Polymers, Inc.  Pittsfield, NH 02363  - 603-435-7199 - email -

EPOXY PAINTS AND RESIN SYSTEMS - 1 AND 2 PART URETHANES - COATING SUPPLIES



 Section Five URETHANES AND NON-EPOXY COATINGS ***********



Section Six NON-SKID DECK COATINGS ***********



Section Seven MARINE REPAIR (fiberglass cloth etc) PRODUCTS ***********



Section Eight MISC. MARINE PRODUCTS ***********



HOME - INDUSTRIAL (NON MARINE) CATALOG LINKS

Our industrial/commercial/home site (www.epoxyproducts.com/main.html) IF YOU ARE NOT DOING A BOAT RELATED PROJECT, START HERE WITH THIS LINK.



Section A EPOXY PAINTS ***********



Section B FLOOR EPOXIES (regular and non-skid products), SEALERS, ACCESSORIES ***********



Section C THICKENED EPOXIES - EPOXY PUTTIES  (sometimes called 'goo'), ETC.



Section D CLEAR EPOXIES - CLEAR COATINGS ***********



Section E NON-EPOXY PAINTS COATINGS SEALERS ***********



Section F MIX-IN ADDITIVES ***********



Section G OTHER PRODUCTS ***********



Section H SURFACE PREPARATION PRODUCTS ***********



Section I  MISC (rollers, brushes, pumps) ***********




Epoxy Essentials (tm)

 

Reasons for coating failures

Preparation problem 70%; application problem 12%; environment problem 6%; wrong paint selection 9%; bad paint 1%; adding thinner 2%


"At least 70% of premature coatings failures are traced back to 'surface preparation' whether referring to wood, concrete, or metal. In a commercial recoating project, the costs (and profit) associated with surface preparation are about 70% of the job. How extensive the surface preparation is will depend on the performance expectation of the owner... Know the A, B, C's of surface preparation - visible contaminants, invisible contaminants, and profile."

 

Dr. Lydia Frenzel, The ABCs of Surface Preparation, Cleaner Times, April 2001, pg. 42-44.


DID YOU KNOW...

 

Epoxy coatings are used because of their outstanding chemical resistance, durability, low porosity and strong bond strength.
 

Epoxies consist of a ‘base' and a ‘curing' agent. The two components are mixed in a certain ratio. A chemical reaction occurs between the two parts generating heat (exotherm) and hardening the mixture into an inert, hard ‘plastic'.

Epoxies yellow, chalk (or more commonly least lose their gloss), in direct sunlight (UV). The yellowing can be a real problem. For pigmented epoxies select colors that are dark or contain a lot of yellow (such as green). Even clear epoxies will yellow and cloud up. Often epoxies are top coated with latex or urethanes that will retain their color and attractive gloss. This is particularly true if color coding or matching company colors is important.

Epoxies will harden in minutes or hours, but complete cure (hardening) will generally take several days. Most epoxies will be suitably hard within a day or so, but may require more time to harden before the coating can be sanded.

By their nature, epoxies are hard and brittle. Additives can be added to epoxies that make them less brittle, but generally at the loss or reduction of other positive epoxy properties such as chemical resistance.

Other clues of cheap epoxies include ‘induction time' (after mixing the two components the mixture must sit for several minutes to ‘self cook' before being applied).

The best time to recoat epoxy is within about 48 hours after the initial coat. Because epoxies take days to reach full cure, a second coat applied shortly after the first coat will partially fuse to the first coat rather than forming a simple mechanical bond.

End users can thicken epoxy with many things, Tiny glass spheres, known as micro-spheres or micro-balloons are commonly used. Besides thickening, their crushable nature makes sanding the hardened epoxy easier. On the downside, they work like tiny ball bearings, resulting is sagging and slumping. Another thickener is fumed silica (a common brand name is Cabosil (tm)) which looks like fake snow. About 2 parts fumed silica with one part epoxy will produce a mixture similar in texture and thickness to petroleum jelly. Micro-spheres and fumed silica can be combined together.

Fisheyes are areas on a painted surface where the coating literally pulls away for the substrate leaving a coatingless void or fisheye. Often fisheyes are caused by surface contaminants such as a bit of silicon, wax, or oil. I have also seen them on clean plywood where epoxies paints have been used as sealers and the problem might be due to uneven saturation (soaking-in) of the epoxy into the wood. Surface tension plays a big part in fisheyeing. There are some additives that can be mixed into the epoxy that will reduce surface tension. Likewise, on wood, applying several coats of solvent thinned epoxy, instead of one coat of unthinned epoxy, seems to work well. Applying a thick coat of epoxy over a contaminated fisheye surface will bury the fisheye but expect the coating to peel away in the future. As a rule of thumb, always suspect some sort of surface contamination as the primary cause of fisheyeing.

Adding a bit of solvent to a solvent based or solvent-free epoxy is something that most manufacturers would not officially approve of and something that might not work with all epoxies. However, it can be done (unofficially) with the epoxies I deal with. Adding solvent to these epoxies will: 1) thin them out; 2) increase pot life; 3) allows them to flow off the brush/roller a bit more smoothly; and 4) perhaps allows them to ‘soak-in', penetrate, or may be soften, the substrate just a little bit. Not change is visible in the epoxy unless 12% or greater solvent is added. With that amount of solvent, the epoxies no longer cure with a glossy finish.

It is best to use epoxies with a mix ratio close to 1 to 1 as opposed to something 4-1, 5-1, etc. because errors in the mix ratios can be more pronounced with the latter. That said, no matter what the mix ratio is, some epoxies are more forgiving of mix ratio errors than others. One ‘trick' of epoxy vendors with odd or very sensitive mix ratios is to sell calibrated pumps that disperse the epoxy components in exact amounts.


How Thick? How thick should your coating be? Economics play a major role in determining how much coating to apply. One U.S. gallon contains 231 cubic inches. That's only 1.6 cubic square feet of surface at one inch thick and that's also assuming a solvent-free product. If the product is 25% VOC (i.e. 25% solvent) then dry thickness/coverage will be 25% less. Again, assuming a 1/4 inch thick coating (250 mils) maximum coverage will still be only 6.4 square feet per gallon. A solvent-free (100% solids) epoxy coating applied at 16 mils will cover 100 square feet per gallon (note: the wall paint in your office is probably 2-4 mils). While thick coatings sound like a good idea, they use so much product that they must be made very cheaply so that coating 1,000 or 10,000 square feet can still be done at a competitive price. A high quality, fairly expensive product with a coverage rate of 100 sq. feet or more per gallon, on the other hand, will have a low enough cost per sq. foot to provide both economy and top quality.