Eze Kote

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

Gents, question.  I have just tried to make a feed tank out of a 1/6th scale 3D printed model of a 200l (55G) oil drum.  Added all the fittings and pipework, painted it up to look like a rusted drum and fitted it.  Filled it with water and found it wasn’t watertight.  The air was blue.

So start again.  The lid is loose when you receive it so I’m thinking of painting the insides with Eze Kote to seal it.  So my question is, can Eze Kote be submerged in water?  I know some use it on the outsides of their hulls but that is only temporary, using it to line a feed tank will require it to be under water for much longer lengths of time.  Or maybe I should empty the feed tank when the model is not actually in use?

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Richard give it a coat of bitumen paint, cant beat the old ways 🙂

Regards Ray

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Richard,

I wouldn’t use EzeKote for that application, for one thing it may not adhere very well to the 3D print material. On its own it would need several coats to build up a useful thickness and would still be brittle.

I would suggest a thin coat of epoxy resin. If you don’t have laminating resin then you could thin out some epoxy adhesive with a small addition of methylated spirits.

Fuel proofer such as Deluxe Aerokote would also work but be an expensive solution if you have to buy it for that purpose only.

Others may have alternative suggestions.

Colin

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

How would epoxy resin compare with David’s Fastglas resin?  This is what I have used in the past for coating and sealing.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Richard. I have found polyester resin will melt some plastics, certainly expanded  polystyrene or styrofoam. My go- to now is an epoxy resin…but beware as some cheap epoxy resin I bought in small tubes smelt very odd and .melted the foam I was using…so perhaps they are not all equal….?

How about good old fashioned varnish…yot varnish or polyurethane types…ir even just Humbrol enamel?

Ashley

[John W EParticipant @johnwe]

hi there Richard

My experience with Ezekote resin is that I left some in a pot after using it for about 3-4 days and when I added water the hardened stuff in the pot, as I was using the same pot to wash brushes in – I noted that the Ezekote had turned to a white jelly.

Polyester resin is not waterproof.   After a length of time it will absorb water and become very porous.   Even though real boats are built with it – they do have a barrier of gelcoat between the resin and the water.   Your best bet would be to use Z-Poxy and that is 100% waterproof.   Dilute the first coat with meths and then finish off with just a pure coating of Z-Poxy.

John

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

Thanks Ashley, I hadn’t realised the polyester resin could react with plastics.  I don’t want to have to buy a third drum!

Many thanks for your help John, I guess Z Poxy looks like the best bet.  Does it matter whether it is the 5 minute, the 15 minute, the 30 minute or the Finishing Resin?

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

The 5/15/30 versions are adhesives. The finishing resin is for laminating and coating. I’ve just bought some for the inside of my Silver Mist. Prices are all over the place though, I got mine for £13.79 delivered. Most shops are asking £20.

The Finishing resin flows more easily and gives an even finish.

As Ashley says, there is a good chance that polyester resin could affect the 3D print material.

Colin

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

Many thanks for all the input gents, very much appreciated.  Colin, where did you get it for £13.79, everywhere I’ve looked it is around £20.00 plus?

Don’t worry, I found it for £16.66 including tracked shipping at £4.99 from the Model Shop Leeds.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Richard,

On Ebay but when I just looked it is now out of stock!

You could try one of these. Model Shop Leeds is a good supplier I have used them several times.

https://www.modelshopleeds.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=18744&srsltid=AfmBOooXJbTSyXz5RvqBpeoalzj0QMZjsOFa-2vWhxWh_Cz5DGXiABi6

https://www.hyperflight.co.uk/products.asp?code=PT41&name=zap-pt41-z-poxy-finishing-resin-epoxy

https://www.rcworld.co.uk/acatalog/ZAP-PT41-Z-POXY-Finishing-Resin-113g-4oz-PT41.html

https://www.jadlamracingmodels.com/products/zap-pt-41-z-poxy-finishing-resin-4oz-5525788-1?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=18863439803&gclid=CjwKCAjw2brFBhBOEiwAVJX5GGWqgOiC6nG9G2fOanrnQ5-bQjzJpUy_wqim6lkDS4s7lGVnmtb9XRoCuIcQAvD_BwE

Colin

[Tim CooperParticipant @timcooper90034]

I have just used Jadlam Models for the first time. Good service and kept me informed of how the order was progressing.

I ordered a replacement aerial for a Radiolink receiver. Didn’t realise they were easy to replace and buy. For a fiver I now have a working receiver again. Just need a boat to put it in.

Tim

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

Well the Z Poxy arrived yesterday so I’m just waiting for the new oil drum to give it a coating.  I’ll be glad when I can start putting things back together again.  I’ve given the boiler a good pickling with Citric Acid and removed some limescale deposits from the fittings.  After only a few short runs that wasn’t expected.  So time to switch to distilled water for this model at least to keep things nice and clean.

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

Well got the new oil drum, got the Z-Poxy, got a 100ml disposable measuring jug, disposable paintbrush and a coffee stirrer.

Fitted the filling bush on a drilled penetration first and glued it in with Stabilit Express, a staggeringly expensive way to glue a small item in but superb glue.  Then mixed up 40ml of Z-Poxy and poured it into the oil drum.  I spread it around with the disposable paint brush then rotated it in my hands for around 20-30 minutes while the resin cured.  Nice neat internal coating.  Tomorrow I’m going to fill it with water and see if it leaks.  If it does I’m going to stamp on it on the workshop floor and drop kick it over the nearest hedge!

I’m cautiously optimistic.  If it holds OK for a couple of days then I will glue the end cover on and give it a quick paint job.  So the boiler has been thoroughly cleaned out, the engine has had the problematic screws Loctited in and the stiff old steam oil cleaned off so things are slowly moving in the right direction.  I might actually start putting it back together soon.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Z Poxy should be OK Richard. I intend using it for the interior of my Silver Mist and  recently bought some as mentioned earlier. However, I still have some left over from another project which is several years old and I mixed up a test sample yesterday which has set perfectly well.

Colin

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

Filled it with water, looked good after half an hour so the end has been glued on and its just having a paint job now.  Thanks for the recommendation Colin.  Z-Poxy gets my vote.

[Stephen GarradParticipant @stephengarrad28964]

I posted recently about finding the plans for Margoletta, Ray Woods broads cruiser from 2005 & got hold of a copy of the magazine & plan. I have decided to go ahead with the model for grandson. Ive not done a model like this or of this  construction before.

Reading the article which Colin kindly put on features it says that the hull is finished with a couple of coats of dope or sanding sealer before painting.

From what I’ve read over the last couple of years on the forum it seems more common practice these days to use Eze Kote and a fibre coating on the hull. Is that right? Is there somewhere I can read up on this please?

Finally, I’ve tacked this on the end of Richards thread as I cant find the button to start a new thread, what have I missed, or have I been blocked for some reason.

Stephen

PS Ray, did the Porter & Haylett plans you wanted ever turn up in reply to your request?

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Stephen,

There are various options for finishing off the exterior of a hull. You can use the traditional way of sealing the wood with sanding sealer and painting over that and that is still OK.

As you have noticed another way is to give the hull a toughened coating by covering it in lightweight glass cloth which is fixed in place with resin, either water based EZe Kote or alternatively epoxy finishing resin such as Z Poxy. Whilst the epoxy gives a tougher finish, it is messier to apply and for a cruising boat like Margoletta Eze Kote is more than adequate and a lot nicer to work with although it requires more coats to fill the weave of the glass cloth before applying primer and top coats.

Fibreglass cloth 1oz 1m2

On my current Silver Mist build I have used Eze Kote and glass cloth to seal the hull and it all looks good.

Basically you just put a coat of resin on the hull and drape the glass cloth over it and smooth it out whist applying extra resin. You will get some overlaps but these are easily sanded out with a bit of patience.

Colin

 

[Stephen GarradParticipant @stephengarrad28964]

Thanks very much Colin, I wasn’t sure which weight of cloth to use so thanks for the link. You say “more coats”, I presume that’s coats of Exe Kote rather than cloth. I’m looking forward to making Margoletta as I particularly enjoy working with wood & this will be something different.

With your other hat on did you have any idea where my “start new topic button has gone?

Thanks

Stephen

[Dave ReedParticipant @davereed72029]

In the forums menu, click on the forum you want to create in (eg “All things floating”) and the New Topic button should be near the top

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Stephen, yes, more coats of Eze Kote. It is quite thin and water based so it doesn’t have much ‘body’ and thickening it is not recommended. It does however dry very quickly so you can put several coats on in the time it would take one coat of epoxy finishing resin to cure.

Colin

[Stephen GarradParticipant @stephengarrad28964]

Thanks very much Dave & Colin for your answers & help, its all becoming clearer now.

Stephen

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Just another point Stephen, you will inevitably get some overlaps with the glass cloth and the occasional wrinkle but they can be easily sanded smooth. If you inadvertently sand through the cloth you can add a patch and feather the edges with sanding and it will all blend in.

It is usually best to do one side of the hull at a time. Start with a coat of Eze Kote and then drape the cloth over it and pat it down with a stiffish brush. It is fairly flexible in adapting to curves but you will need to slit folds and overlap the two sides of the split. They will blend in when you add the first top coat of resin. Then it is a case of just adding further coats with light sanding between until you fill the weave of the cloth. If necessary add further coats to cover blemishes etc. Once you have got the hull smooth you can switch to primer paint for the final finishing.

With Margoletta, much of the hull is flat sheet so getting a decent finish shouldn’t be too difficult. Silver Mist with its curves and planking needs a bit more effort!

Colin

 

[Stephen GarradParticipant @stephengarrad28964]

Thanks Colin

Having not built a model like this before it would appear that Margoletta is a good one to start with, especially as grandson is such a fan of Swallows & Amazons as its for him. I’m looking forward to it. SLEC order is on its way.

Stephen

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Stephen,

I’m glad your building Margoletta as she was my first published design 20 years ago !!, although freelance I tried to add the character of the older wooden Norfolk Broads Cruiser, not sure if you had the free plan and magazine, she still gets on the water a couple times a year 🙂

The Swallows and Amazons books series by Arthur Ransome is where it all started for me .

Regards Ray

[Tim CooperParticipant @timcooper90034]

I use Spraymount, just a light dusting over the hull then lay the glass cloth gently on that. Just keeps it in place whilst you put the coating on.

That’s what Dave M recommended.

Perhaps it’s not needed with Ezekote, I use Zpoxy.

Tim

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