Help me choose the best adhesive...

[partingclouds]

for laying in wood stations to adhere to a fiberglass hull's interior. Any help
with this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by partingclouds

for laying in wood stations to adhere to a fiberglass hull's interior. Any help
with this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

I'm not sure what is meant by "wood stations" but I'm presuming it is some type of framing term or type of bulkhead; if so, I suggest an epoxy adhesive - brand of your choice - but WEST is always a favourite if you are new to epoxies. Their range and literature make it easy for a epoxy beginner to begin .

Epoxy will provide superior and waterproof adhesion to both wood and fiberglass. Note, the fiberglass (and wood) will need to suitably rough sanded (40 or 60 grit) to provide a mechanical keyed surface for the epoxy.

Edit: Welcome aboard, just noticed this is your first post!

[partingclouds]

Thank you for the reply. I'll follow your advice, Wotname. It is appreciated.

[Terra Nova]

Bonding small pieces of wood to fiberglass can be done with epoxy or 3M 5200.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, partingclouds.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Welcome to CF partingclouds!!!

As mentioned, epoxy is pretty standard construction material... PLUS... Once you get the hang of it, it's quite fun and versatile...

5200 good too, but only good for some things...

Show us a picture of what you're up to...

[Scout 30]

If you use 5200 don't clean up the job with alcohol as it screws up the curing process. If you use epoxy, preferable, wear gloves.

[partingclouds]

Thanks for the tip about alcohol, Scout 30. Speaking from experience, it screws up more than 5200's curing process, especially if used in excess. Rubber gloves are essential with epoxy, and I appreciate your advice.

[Cheechako]

We need to know more. If you are attaching panels to hull... like bulkheads... you need to laminate.... (Uh oh....I'd better offer Plexus too!)

[Terra Nova]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

...If you use epoxy, preferable, wear gloves.

Originally Posted by partingclouds

...Rubber gloves are essential with epoxy...

Actually rubber gloves tend to make a big mess, because you cannot feel when you have a spot of epoxy on your hands. So you are unaware that you are spreading the mess around. Or because the gloves allow you to become sloppy in your technique. Laying glass I may wear 1 or 2 gloves.

For all but large epoxy gluing jobs I find it far better to use my bare hands, keeping a paper towel hanging out of my pocket so I can clean myself the instant I get a drop on me. Plain soap and water thoroughly cleans it off your hands. But I use acetone for first quick cleanup.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Terra Nova

Actually rubber gloves tend to make a big mess, because you cannot feel when you have a spot of epoxy on your hands. So you are unaware that you are spreading the mess around. Or because the gloves allow you to become sloppy in your technique. Laying glass I may wear 1 or 2 gloves.

For all but large epoxy gluing jobs I find it far better to use my bare hands, keeping a paper towel hanging out of my pocket so I can clean myself the instant I get a drop on me. Plain soap and water thoroughly cleans it off your hands. But I use acetone for first quick cleanup.

Never clean epoxy off your skin with acetone; aside from the deleterious effects of the acetone itself, you are just thinning the epoxy down and letting it penetrate your skin much more efficiently. Use hot soapy water (very hot) followed by white vinegar, which is relatively non toxic and cuts epoxy well.


I always triple glove. Anytime I need to touch anything that's not wet layup, I peel a layer of gloves, never removing the base layer (which has a taped wrist seal) and replacing top layers as needed, just like a surgeon does it. This has the added benefit of allowing you to hold any resin contaminated garbage in your hand while peeling the glove inside out over it. This way things like glass trimmings are disposed of without any chance of getting resin anywhere it's not desired, particularly on yourself. After I finish a layup I always have a big ball of latex gloves and sticky garbage. Thousands of gallons applied, and still no skin sensitivity (knock on wood)...


What do you do for overhead layups?

[UNCIVILIZED]

I think the term you're looking for is cleats. They're wooden strips bonded to the hull or a bulkhead, to which other pieces of structure are bonded. Also, more often than not, they're screwed into place, in addition to being bonded with an adhesive.

Also, they're also useful for putting a row of hooks on for hanging everything from tea cups, to all of your sheets & dock lines (though for the latter you need to use webbing loops with grommets for the hooks).

Does this sound like what you're describing needing to bond? Also, do you intend these pieces to become permanent pieces of structure on your boat? I ask, as that has a lot of bearing on what you use adhesive wise. As does the question, is where you're bonding them, a slick, shiny, gel-coated surface?
Let us know so that we can provide better targeted answers to your question.

I'd also HIGHLY suggest going to the WEST System site, & downloading all of their (free) user guides for epoxy, plus their excellent book (also free) On Boat Construction. They publish a newsletter with lots of stories, & how to's (with a search function, like the primary WEST System site) called Epoxyworks @ www.Epoxyworks.com
System Three Resins also has an excellent users guide, which includes a lot of useful data & tables also. Again, it to is free to download via their website.

Plus, of course, any type of adhesive in a tube/cartridge, has an information & support website, & phone plus online tech help available.

Treating any of these adhesives lightly is a mistake, as they can be toxic (like even absorbed through the skin), or cause serious allergic reactions. And or make you sensitive to them for life. Such is not the norm, but... Thus the reason for my cautionary note.

Please don't get the impression that I'm talking down to you, it's only that I don't want you leaping before you look. And this is based upon the question which you asked.
Especially as with a lot of the compounds recommended so far, if you haven't used them before (several times), it's VERY easy to make a pretty much permanent mess if one goes off half cocked, & without some level of background knowledge.

Likely, an hour spent searching around on YouTube would be really instructional as well, in terms of some of the (key) little tips for doing what you're proposing. And I'm almost certain that the makers of the various adhesives listed above have videos, & likely their own channels on there as well.

Good luck, & welcome aboard.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Terra Nova,
I'd HIGHLY suggest gloves. In addition to actually making working with epoxy easier, if you have decent technique. They assist a lot with cleanup. But most importantly: Preserve your liver for something important, like say, drinking! And also assist in preventing Dain Bramage. Literally.
Besides, if folks wearing gloves can discern where a vein is, through your skin, in order to draw blood, or do brain & microscopic eye surgery... I think it's obvious where I'm going with this.

As to "spreading the mess around", that's why one has a, or rather several, sets of boat work clothes, and or disposable Tyvex coveralls. That, & a shower cap for when it's time for doing overhead work.
And, one prevents themselves from making a sticky mess of the area around a project via taping & Visquine. Plus other proper prep. Thus, there's a LOT less area to spill anything on, given that it's covered up.

Originally Posted by Terra Nova

Actually rubber gloves tend to make a big mess, because you cannot feel when you have a spot of epoxy on your hands. So you are unaware that you are spreading the mess around. Or because the gloves allow you to become sloppy in your technique. Laying glass I may wear 1 or 2 gloves.

For all but large epoxy gluing jobs I find it far better to use my bare hands, keeping a paper towel hanging out of my pocket so I can clean myself the instant I get a drop on me. Plain soap and water thoroughly cleans it off your hands. But I use acetone for first quick cleanup.

[atoll]

I would actually recommend using a PU expanding foam glue for bonding wood strips to fiberglass,works well in all conditions ,even wet surfaces!

much much cheaper than epoxy,lighter,faster,cleaner,and just as strong once cured.
available in different cure times,5 minutes,and 30minutes are commonly available.

Polyurethane Adhesives Characteristics and uses.

[Scout 30]

Any particular polyurethane product that you recommend? Sounds like an interesting alternative to epoxy but there are a lot of different products. Also, I know with 5200 after you open a tube it starts to kick, even in the fridge, so having to throw away the whole container after a single use can get expensive.


FYI: Home Depot is the cheapest source for 5200 I've been able to find.