Bah! I have been misinformed... and corrected... so I'm passing it on to you!

[Linds]

Ok... so on my first cage building venture I planned to build wooden, waterproof boxes. I had been informed (since I know next to nothing about this) that epoxy will 100% waterproof it. Well that person came down and did them in fiberglass resin, I was led to believe from that that they were indeed the same thing. Nope! Weeks later and much of the stuff is sitll totally wet and won't cure. I contacted the chemist that worked for BONDO (the comany that made fiberglass resin) and he set me straight, and confirmed what all the other people we contacted at marine places, etc. has said. Fiberglass resin is highly water-resistant, but not waterproof, it is finicky to work with, and will NOT cure over any painted surface, only bare wood or metal. I can save my enclosures however, I need to remove all uncured areas with acetone, and the epoxy the entire surfaces. This will seal with reamaining fiberglass resin and any stripped areas as well... phew! I'm not sure what I may have said in my previous posts regarding any of this, so I am passing this info on to correct any misinformation shoudl there be any, to forewarn anyone that has successfully worked with this that they were very lucky, and to anyone considering these procedures, so they do not make the same mistakes :) Take care.

[stkkts]

I find it hard to believe fiberglass resin cant be made to be waterproof. A couple of summers ago I used to work for a company that fiberglasses existing concrete pools. We would lay down big sheets of fiberglass, and coat them with a couple of layers of the resin. the typical pool had 20,000 gallons of water in it. If you dont think thats water proof, I dont know to tell you. This was definately fiberglass resin we were using. At the end of the day we had big vats of pure acetone to dip our arms in to get the stuff off.

[BoidKeeper]

Acetone is nasty stuff Linds make sure you work in a well ventalated area like outside if possible.
Trevor

[Linds]

Its highly water resistant (this is what the chemist for the manufacturer said, straight from his lips... he made the stuff not me). You can also not apply fiberglass resin in humid conditions. He told me that I needed to use marine epoxy (I thought this was the same stuff, but I was wrong). A friend also sent me an article when I mentioned my problems... its been weeks since my enclosures were done with fiberglass and some parts are still as wet as the moment it went on :( ), click <a href="http://www.ststephenboatworks.ca/fibreglass_epoxy.htm"> here</a> to read it. I don't want this to turn in to a debate, I'm just stating facts, and warning everyone so they don't end up in the same unfortunate mess I did :(

[jwsporty]

Fibreglass is highly water resistant, WHEN applied correctly. I used to build sailboats for a living. What you were experiencing were wet spots of resin that were not mixed thoroughly with the catalyst. Agreed fibreglass is in fact not water proof until a gel coat or marine enamel is applied on top. However the time line for it to breakdown is quite long and it has to be exposed to sunlight and a constant source of moisture. (like a boat sitting in water for a couple of seasons with out any form of protection on the exposed surface). In an enclosure the amount of moisture generated from soak tubs, and misters is definitely not enough to damage the fibreglass. For future reference, wet spots remaining in laid fibreglass can be cured out by applying a second coat of resin/catalyst mixture to the affected area. The trick is making sure to add a couple of extra drops of catalyst at the time the resin is being mixed. And yes fibreglass can be laid under humid conditions and extreme temperatures as long as the mixture ratio of the resin/catalyst is adjusted to match.

Jim

[Edwin]

Linds, thanks for sharing.

Here is a story of someone who used fiberglass and plywood to make an aquarium for his fish.

http://article.dphnet.com/cat-02/monster.shtml

[Linds]

Thanks for the input Jim! Perhaps you may have helped salvage my enclosures, as I was unable to remove the uncured resin with acetone. It just made it gunky. I have another problem perhaps you can help me with??? Are you familiar with OSB? The fiberglass resin isn't able to get in to all the nooks and crannies like the paint does. What can I do about this? These have to be 100% sealed as some will be holding dirt, some will be holding a bit of water, etc.

Edwin,
Thanks for the article :)

[jwsporty]

Hey Linds,

If you mean Particle Board or FibreBoard, yes there is something you can do. First off you will have to go to a fibreglass/plastics specialty shop. you are looking for stiffening foam. this stuff comes in sheets and it has tiny holes perforated throughout. It is normally 1/8" to 1/4" thick and the stuff we used was white. It is used in conjunction with fibreglass layup in areas where the product needs a little extra strength. What you can do is cut strips of the appropriate length and about 4" in width. Lightly sand the contact areas and wipe down with acetone. Sanding just gives a better bonding surface. Now paint the area to be applied with properly mixed fibreglass resin. Prep your foam strips with fibreglass resin on both sides. Now lay down the foam so that you have a two inch lap over at the joint. Lay it on heavy as the foam with soak it up. Now brush the foam with more resin and then lay down your layer of fibreglass. Use Fibreglass Mat as opposed to Woven (it absorbs the resin better, and is easier to profile and contour. Now using a metal roller or a stiff paint brush, work the air out of the wetted fibreglass and foam. When this dries it will be very strong and paintable. Now finish off with your Marine enamel and you should be set. We used to use this method if someone wanted extra bulkheads in sailboats or areas where they wanted to install PU foam for more bouyancy. The glassing job is just like caulking a bathtub but much more permanent.

Hope this helps, if not drop me a PM

Jim

[NiagaraReptiles]

Hey Linds, you are actually right around the corner from a very good paint supply, Niagara Protective Coating just off McLeod Rd. and the QEW in the falls. You can see thier building on the East side of the highway there. NPC makes what they call <a href="http://www.niacoat.com/Specifications/epoxal3-1.htm"> Epoxal 3:1</a>. Fantastic stuff, especially for wood and will hold water. I have a friend that used it for his croc tanks, and floors/walls in his reptile unit. It only seems to hold up for five years with the crocs, but on wood lasts forever. Here's their website <a href="http://www.nia-coat.com">www.niacoat.com</a>. I know it doesn't solve your current problem but maybe something to think about for down the road :)

Best wishes,

[Linds]

Thanks John! We contacted them about putting that stuff over top of my existing disaster (and had I know about it before would have saved my the trouble of painting since it is already tinted :rolleyes: ). My neighbour works for a big ship company and has to travel all around the world to take care of business, etc. He's away now and said he would ask the people that build those huge cargo ships what would be the best option. He called us this morning from wherever he is and said they said my best would probably be to apply marine epoxy over the entire thing and it should fix up everything. Here's to hoping!

[oOSpOOkYOo]

I had to join just to reply to this message. I collect boas and have built my own cages, I have never used fiberglass resin as a water sealant, BUT... My family has owned a fiberglass company since the end of WWII (Halon Industries Cleveland, Ohio). To get cash before going away to school I worked in the factory using everything from chop guns to hand laying glass (fiberglass). I have laid glass on paints, woods, metals, other glass, cement, card board, etc. The way resin cures is through heat. You mix resin with a chemical (can't think of it now, I wanna call it "K" for some reason) and depending how much K is in there, is how fast it will heat and cure. This is very dangerous because too much K will cause the entire batch to smoke and burst into flames, i've done it on accident and have seen it happen. Now the only reason this resin shouldn't of cured is unless the resin was defective (highly unluckly), or the "tech" did not put enough K in the batch. I did not read the entire post, so i'm sorry if im repeating, email me if you have questions, oospookyoo@hotmail.com

-sTEVE

[oOSpOOkYOo]

P.S. Resin's only enemy is... ACETONE. You can buy it by the gallon from autozone, it is the only thing that will "uncure" resin, or devower uncured resin, just scrape it all off and your done. -sTEVE

[Linds]

The part you mix it with is a catalyst. I totally believe you when you say it will burst in to flames, when we were using it it would get so warm when you mixed it up!

[Linds]

Well, the chemist from Niagara Protective Coatings finally got back to us the other day, and it looks like the Epoxal 3:1 will work out. So wish me luck this time!