EF1 Black Epoxy Repair Filler

No, we wouldn’t suggest Epoxy Resins for lining a fuel tank. In general, epoxies have good resistance to petrol and many of the chemicals and additives found within pump fuel however the ethanol in fuel is known to cause problems over time and so specialist tank lining resins (often novalac vinylester based) should be used instead. One such product is GTS 1750 which is sold by Caswell Europe.

No, this epoxy in common with other epoxies does not attack expanded polystyrene

We have not specifically saught FDA (or similar) approval for this resin system so if you were to make these plates commercially then you would either need to make a plate using this resin system and then have it tested and approved safe for food use or use a different resin system that has specifically been approved for food use. Mixed and cured fully and properly the resulting plastic should be stable and non-toxic but testing would be required to prove this. Regarding being dishwasher safe; a dishwasher is a very harsh environment (abrasive, high temperatures, caustic) and so I think it would be quite hard on any resin system. By all means conduct your own tests but I would strongly recommend that a carbon fibre plate was not marketed as 'dishwasher safe'.

Although generally cured epoxies are non-hazardous, none of the products we have are certified food safe and thus we cannot recommend their use with food products.

We recommend Acetone. The brushes must be cleaned before the resin has cured. If you can’t get hold of acetone it’s also possible to use methylated spirits or neat alcohol.

In really simple terms you can think of 1kg of the Epoxy Resin as being 1L. If you want to be really exact (for example if you want to mix the resin and the hardener by volume and not by weight (which we don't recommend because it's unnecessarily complicated) then the relative density of the resin and the hardener, and the mixed product, can be found on the technical datasheet.

We can send any quantity of resin to Portugal. We would use a TNT Road service. To find the shipping cost for any item, simply add it to your basket and then click the 'Estimate Shipping' button on the basket page. The price will then be shown once you chose your shipping country (Portugal).

Unlike other resin systems such as polyester or vinylester, it's very important to get the mix ratios accurate with epoxies. If you get the mix ratio wrong by a small amount (let's say a couple of grams on a small mix) then the resin will still cure but the mechanical properties won't be quite as good as they would have been if the mix ratio had been exactly right. However, if you were to be out by anything more than a few grams then you might find that the resin would not be properly hard when cured and/or may have a tackiness to the finish. This would result in a much weaker repair and needs to be avoided by careful measurements.

Above the HDT of a resin system it will soften slightly and its mechanical properties will start to fall away however a thermosetting plastic (like epoxy) is NOT a thermoformable plastic so it will not start to flow again such that you could melt it out of your part. It's more likely to become slightly soft and then possible more brittle again before eventually starting to burn if you too the temperature high enough. It sounds to me like you need a thermoformable plastic (aka a thermoplastic) with a relatively low melting point. I'd suggest something like PCL.

An elevated temperature post-cure is not required for parts made with epoxy resin however, post curing parts will improve the mechanical properties of the resin (and therefore the part) and so if you have the means to do it then it's certainly recommended. One major advantage to post-curing epoxy is that you will raise the HDT (heat distortion temperature) of the part meaning that it's less likely to soften or distort in higher temperatures. This can be particularly important for parts like a vehicle panel (i.e. hood/bonnet) which could get very hot in the sun. Without a post-cure there is a good chance that the part would effectively post-cure itself 'in situe' when it's in direct sunlight which can cause the resin to soften, sink and then re-harden. When this happens to a fitted part it's likely to distort the surface finish. A part that had been post-cured prior to installation would not have this problem.

Epoxy resins have very little odour and so it's quite viable to use them indoors (i.e. in your house) without upsetting anyone. The resin is almost completely odourless and the hardener has an amonia smell which doesn't really carry or linger.

In this respect epoxies are very different to polyester and vinylester resin which has a very strong smell and cannot realistically be used indoors. As always, you should still follow safety precautions and ensure adequate ventilation of your work area.

Uncured resins are classed as dangerous goods and would need to be disposed of correctly. For domestic users, usually your local council recycling centre will have a disposal service for such chemicals or containers.

Because cured resins are inert and safe for disposal it's often easiest to mix un-needed or out-of-date resin and hardener together to cure them. Once cured they can be disposed of with general waste.

Epoxy is sensitive to low temperatures so we would not attempt to try and cure the resin at very low temperatures such as below 15 °:C. At those temperatures, the cure time will be lengthened considerably.

One of the most significant problems caused by low temperatures (much below 20°C) is that the resin will be considerably thicker which affects its ability to self-degas after pouring.

Also, curing epoxies are hydroscopic so the low temperature environment may well leave the resin vulnerable to absorbing moisture, especially if the environment is relatively damp or high in humidity as can be found in some outdoor workshops or home garages.

As a result, for best results we always recommend working in an environment that is 20°C or above.

The B stage of the cure is when the resin has cured enough to be firm but still tacky. When touching with a gloved finger, the resin should feel tacky but not leave any residue on the glove.

Yes, for non-structural cracks and voids, the Black Filler is ideal to fill the damage. Once cured it can be sanded to match the level of the surrounding material and then polished to a high gloss.

No, IPA is NOT a release agent and as such would not work to stop a gel or resin from sticking. A high quality easy to use chemical release agent would be our Easy-Lease Chemical Release Agent.

...Can I use this to glue in an aluminium insert that has come loose on my carbon bike frame? I am looking for a suitable adhesive to use, if this filler is not suitable can you advise of something else please? I am thinking of something like a two part epoxy glue.

It would be possible but our Black Epoxy Filler would not be our recommended method of bonding a fastener back into a carbon fibre frame. Instead, we would recommend our VuduGlu VM100 which is an MMA adhesive, ideal for this application. MMA's have similar bond-strength to epoxies but they provide quite an aggressive etch into the carbon which makes a strong bond more reliably achieved.

Yes, this filler can be sanded level with the surrounding area then painted over for an invisible repair.

yes this filler can be used on parts exposed to water and sunlight. Take care to ensure the resin is fully cured before exposing it to water.

If it's just some de-lamination of the existing fibres (i.e. the fibre is still there but it's started peeling away from the surrounding material) then you don't need the filling properties of this epoxy filler and you'd probably be better just using some epoxy resin or adhesive. I think I would suggest using our ET500 Epoxy Structural Adhesive and tightly wrapping it with some Composites Shrink Tape whilst it cures.

The correct mixing ratio is 100 parts filler to 33 parts hardener by weight.

Being epoxy based, our Black Repair filler will form a good mechanical bond to the vinylester resin, especially in a non-structural cosmetic application such as this. The filler will fill the pinholes once worked into place and when cured, can be sanded back level with the surrounding surface and finally polished to give as close a match as possible.

The Repair filler will stick to steel no problem. For the best adhesion, we recommend you key the surface and fully clean and degrease it prior to applying the filler.

This filler can be applied in much the same way as any other filler. A plastic or wooden spreader is perfectly suitable. Once it's cured (which is quite quick) it can be easilly sanded and polished to get a good finish.

Yes, sort of. You should take a look at the notes on the colour of the filler. It is black but there are different types of black. We intend the filler to match the colour of carbon fibre which is, to be precise, very dark grey, rather than true black. The filler will polish up nicely and when polished can be glossy and very dark grey/black.