Re: Fiberglass tape weigh

Posted by Laszlo on Jan 22, 2008

Darren,

Yes, it will be quite a bit heavier and use a significantly larger amount of epoxy. It will be stiffer, too, but that doesn't really make much difference for a C17.

In a professional-quality layup the glass is about 1/3 the weight, with the epoxy being the rest. So with 6 oz tape it should weigh something like 18 oz per square yard (sorry, don't have the time to make it metric). The same amount of 15 oz will come in at a whopping 45 oz per square yard, of which 30 oz is epoxy vs. 12 oz for the lighter tape. Amateur builders typically use substantially more epoxy on their first builds.

Since this is about a pint of extra epoxy per square yard, the costs will add up very quickly. Check the costs at your supplier, but my guess is that the cost of buying the lighter glass will be more than offset by the reduced epoxy quantities.

Even if the price is close, the pound and a half or more per square yard weight reduction might be worth some money to you.

Good luck,

Laszlo

In Response to: Fiberglass tape weight by Darren on Jan 21, 2008

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