"Carl Byrns" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 06:50:10 GMT, "Ed Huntress"
wrote:


There are a few other points: The epoxy you want for this job is not the
laminating or repair epoxies made for boats. You don't need their
adhesion
quality and you don't want their high exothermic rates. I don't have a
source to send you to but look for *industrial* sources of casting
epoxies,
not laminating epoxies such as WEST System or System 3. You'll save a
bunch
of money, besides.

Gougeon Bros says WEST System can be cast (I've done it myself) and
mentions a Formula SAE car built with a carbon fiber intake that was
formed using the lost wax process (using WEST Sysytem epoxy, natch).
Gougeon Bros sells slow hardners to keep the curing temps from getting
out of hand.
But it ain't cheap.

Carl, using WEST system resin with a slow hardener for casting is like using
a Ferrari to haul trash to the dump. You can do it, and Meade and Jan would
love you for doing it, but it's not in your best financial interest. g


Another point: commercial polymer bases
are built on shake tables. I've never handled a stone-filled epoxy mix
myself but it sounds like you have to shake it pretty good, more than
you'd
want to try shaking regular concrete, to get good wetting.

Epoxy already has good wetting- I'll bet they shake the mix to remove
any air bubbles.

At least one that we talked to said it was to wet the stone. I thought it
was to compact the aggregate, actually, but the response was that it was for
wetting.

Regardless, they shake that thing.

Ed Huntress