: I've already glassed my amas with expoxy.

: Can you put polyester over epoxy?

: I know you can cover polyester with epoxy.

We had one person do this, but darn if I can remember exatly who. As i recall he was following the advice of a surfboard builder who used epoxy with the glass that was laid on the foam core fo the surfboard. This was then covered with polyester, which was more durable and had better UV resistance.

I'm not sure if the cloth's weave was filled with epoxy or the polyester, but I suspect there were three coats of epoxy and the weave well filled before the final coat(s) of polyester.

Don't expect a chemical bond between epoxy and polyester resins. Sand the underlying base with a coarse paper to fough it up, and rely on a good mechanical bond.

While polyester is not going to form the strongest of bonds with epoxy, it will still adhere very nicely. Remember that you are applying it here as a coating -- like a paint or varnish coating -- and it should certainly hold on to the epoxy at least as well as our commonly used varnishes.

I'd consider it as a durable, tough outer coat, covered perhaps with a layer of gel coat for a really shiny finish. The polyester should set up faster than a lot of varnishes, too. Depending on temperature and the amount of catalyst you mix, you should be able to put on two coats in one day, and even finish up with gel coat, if you start your day early enough.

Oh, and the proice can be a big factor. First time I saw polyester on sale for $14 a gallon I snapped up a can. That includes the catalyst, so no extra charge for a hardener. I've seen more sales at that price since then, and it is commonly found at $18 a gallon, if you do some shopping. For REALLY big projects you can get deep discounts by buying a 55 gallon drum.

PGJ