Yes, should add . . .

Posted by DaveW on Aug 31, 2004

I had some problems with the Silvertip in extra high humidity (90%). See the previous post about silvertip blush, and the newer one from a gentleman who had problems recoating with the silvertip. Note that one of the folks responding to the latter post had problems and was using the MAS slow, so it may have just been a really bad weekend for epoxy work. As Lee pointed out, I did have problems with the Silvertip in high humidity conditions even though System Three advertises it as being just fine in those conditions. I'm sure they have run plenty of tests, but in extreme conditions (90% or higher humidity) their results didn't hold up very well, although I'm not sure any brand would do any better.

My initial impressions of the Silvertip are _relatively_ positive. However, I probably should add a couple of caveats. The Silvertip sets up considerably faster than the MAS. I was relatively slow the first time I built a boat, and am probably not a whole lot faster now. If this is your first time around, or if you like some extra time to work, you should consider going with the MAS. If you are relatively confident and work at a fairly steady pace, the Silvertip should work fine.

One time the Silvertip is at a definite disadvantage is if you apply epoxy to the wood then lay the fiberglass down on the wet epoxy, whether it is on a bare wood surface or over fillets. It sets up pretty quickly in 80-90 degree temperatures and you will not have much time to rearrange the cloth. I applied glass to the underside of a woodstrip deck after using Silvertip thickened with cabosil to fill gaps between the strips. Temps were in the low to mid-80s and I was working in direct sunlight. The Silvertip was a bit too fast for me, even with an experienced person helping to smooth out the glass. I had used the Silvertip on deck glass and on a double layer of 4 oz. glass on the hull with no problems on the initial application. In those cases I was laminating the glass to dry wood, as opposed to laying it on top of previously-applied epoxy.

For what it's worth . . .

In Response to: Re: zsilvertip epoxy by LeeG on Aug 31, 2004

Replies:

• Re: Yes, should add . . . by Terry Mcadams on Sep 1, 2004
  • Re: Yes, should add . . . by DaveW on Sep 1, 2004
• Re: Yes, should add . . . by Laszlo on Sep 1, 2004
  • Nice tip - thanks! by DaveW on Sep 1, 2004
    • Re: Nice tip - thanks! by Laszlo on Sep 2, 2004