I'm curious about the time it will take to apply the sealant on this whole setup. Keep track. I'd be interested to see where it ends up at and compare it to other materiel applications and sizes of tanks.
800g ply catfish growout tank
- Thread starter garhog
- Start date
Muni;3750218; said:
I don't agree on comparing by time. It will take a lot longer to apply Epoxy resin and Fiberglass matting, not to mention all the extra prep time in getting all your external corners rounded off and your internal corners filleted out. The sanding in between coats (only if the last layer has cured fully) is enough to put most people off but if one can endure this and has the skill required for such materials, the rewards will be great. Sure other products will seal and are easier to apply but none have the strength of Epoxy resin with fiberglass matt. IMO, if you want it to last, there is no other substitute.
greenterra;3750285; said:
well said. but for the heck of it I will keep time so you can have an idea of how much work I have in it I am hoping to do it all in one shot with beer breaks inbetween coats. lol . I don't want to have to sand inbetween. I not sure how long you have to apply the next layer to get a chemical bond as opposed to mechanical but I know its measured in hour dependent on temp. so as soon as one layer gels up on with the next just hope I can keep pace if not I just have to sand not that big of a deal. so anyway probably got 4 hours in filleting and sanding with the filter section still to go
I meant it more so we can do a comparison on cost, time, effectiveness, work required of different methods.
It's of course an apples to oranges comparison. But could be useful non the less.
It's of course an apples to oranges comparison. But could be useful non the less.
Muni;3750609; said:
yeah I understand and I will let you all know what's involved. I will do my best to photo and document as much as I can to help any of few who choose this route . as far as cost it will have to wait till it is done as I don't really know how much resin I will use hopefully I will have some left for my next build. its going to be high I can tell you that but as with most things high quality products demand a high price. also must note that there are other resins for fiberglassing that are more cost effective but they require a bit different teqnique and are nastier to work and don't perform as well and may need topcoats depending on the product. I chose west system because its regarded as one the best in frp boat race car and aircraft constuction. the tech support is great and I have used it to build and repair parts for offroad trucks and drag cars that I build for myself and anybody else with $ it may not really make a diff in this app but I feel comfortable with the product nonetheless
Gread built mate,
Thanks for the solar heater link. I'm especially looking forward to seeing your solar heater. Subscribed.
Thanks for the solar heater link. I'm especially looking forward to seeing your solar heater. Subscribed.
I'd think pond armor would give the epoxy resin and fiberglass matting some neck and neck competition as far as durability is concerned.
In my case, after seeing Joe Salvatori's 1700 shark tank build and the countless hours he put in fiberglassing that tank, and my lack of fiberglassing skills, it wasn't an option.
Pond Coat liquid rubber's ease of application and long lasting durability track record steered me completely away from even considering Pond Armor or Epoxy/Fiberglass matting for my tank. Not to mention, I have no desire to sand 300 sq. ft. of tank surface once, much less multiple times.
I admire your craftsmanship, but it seems like a lot of unnecessary time and effort spent on sealing the tank.
In my case, after seeing Joe Salvatori's 1700 shark tank build and the countless hours he put in fiberglassing that tank, and my lack of fiberglassing skills, it wasn't an option.
Pond Coat liquid rubber's ease of application and long lasting durability track record steered me completely away from even considering Pond Armor or Epoxy/Fiberglass matting for my tank. Not to mention, I have no desire to sand 300 sq. ft. of tank surface once, much less multiple times.
I admire your craftsmanship, but it seems like a lot of unnecessary time and effort spent on sealing the tank.
nolapete;3754998; said:
I know epoxy isn't the only way to seal a tank and that's a good thing as it would limit ply tank build to people with fiberglass experiance and would also raise the price a bit but as you have no fiberglass experiance I don't have any with rubber coating so epoxy/glass was a natural choice for me. but as far as unnecassary that's only an opinion as building huge aquariums isn't necesarry to most but to you me and all the great folks on mfk it deffinitly is. with epoxy/glass you could actually build the whole tank out of it so all the wood could be considered unecesarry. but anyway your tank is looking truly awesome and I'm sure all the products you have chosen will work great as will mine
well the weather Is supposed to be nice somewhere in the seventies this weekend and I got three days off all my materials are here so its looking good. Im hoping to get most of the fiberglass work done. now just need to get a buddy over here to help
here is the progress from this weekend wasnt able to get as much done as i wanted to because i ran out of epoxy before i could do the floor and filter area but still managed toknock out a substantial amount of work. i started at about 10 am finishing the prep work started applying epoxy at about noon and went at a steady pace till about 7pm with a few breaks inbetween. after that i had to wait between coats for the epoxy to gel with the final coat going on at about midnight. then i put the heater in covered it for the night the next day i uncovered it at about 11 and it looked beautiful it all cure well there was a few runs and sags since i didnt stay up to squeegy them of but can be sanded for visual purposes all in all i am very happy with the results thus far.
the tank all preped and ready for fiberglassing
here is the drain epoxied in place i beveled the ply sanded the pvc and flamed it with a propane torch just a little not enough to melt anything to aid in adheasion.
here is the first coat of epoxy
2nd coat after first started to gel
some of the precut pieces of 10oz fiberglass woven cloth
here is a friend helping out wetting the first layer of cloth tape applied to all corners and seams
here is the cloth going up on the walls this piece was very tricky to get on without wrinkles due to its size you can notice the cloth dissapear when it is fully saturated with epoxy
all the cloth on the walls applied and wet out
second layer of cloth tape applied to all corners and seams followed by two more coat of resin.
the tank all preped and ready for fiberglassing
here is the drain epoxied in place i beveled the ply sanded the pvc and flamed it with a propane torch just a little not enough to melt anything to aid in adheasion.
here is the first coat of epoxy
2nd coat after first started to gel
some of the precut pieces of 10oz fiberglass woven cloth
here is a friend helping out wetting the first layer of cloth tape applied to all corners and seams
here is the cloth going up on the walls this piece was very tricky to get on without wrinkles due to its size you can notice the cloth dissapear when it is fully saturated with epoxy
all the cloth on the walls applied and wet out
second layer of cloth tape applied to all corners and seams followed by two more coat of resin.
