: I've worked with System Three regular resin for more than twenty
: years and I'm very confortable
: with flawless application of that resin.

: So, silly me, I decided to try some MAS epoxy when someone here
: posted, it was on sale, last year.

: The System Three regular resin with slow hardener has a slight
: yellow cast and the MAS is supposed to be clear
: so, I wanted to try MAS with some of the clear Captain's Varnish on
: a light colored boat.

: I found little bubbles flying out of the mixing cup when I mixed
: the MAS epoxy. Odd.
: And there seemed to be much more foam and bubbles in the mixed
: resin than I was accustomed to.
: Plus the weird smell. Smells like those deodorizer pucks they throw
: in urinals!
: Is this why it was on sale?

: I did a seal coat with slow hardener and then wet-out my glass with
: resin and slow hardener and was somewhat
: surprised that MAS with slow hardener, set-up in about half the
: time of System Three regular resin with slow.
: Everything seemed fine.

: It was when I came to my fill coats I noticed an increased tendency
: for the MAS to hold onto bubbles.
: Again, the MAS with medium hardener set-up in about half the time
: of System Three. I applied a fill
: coat to my deck with a foam brush and tipped it off and I thought
: it looked good and smooth.
: I came back a couple hours later to find the deck covered with
: hundreds of tiny holes where bubbles
: had burst as the resin set! Ouch!!!

: Next I worked in cooler temperatures hoping that might allow more
: time for any bubbles to rise and break.
: I rolled on thin fill coats on the hull and found huge amounts of
: very ting bubbles even after tipping off with
: a brush. Then I remembered Nick talking about using a heat gun to
: get rid of bubbles with MAS, so I did that.

: Is this what other users of MAS are experiencing?

: Now I'm wondering if I will see tiny bubbles trapped in the glass
: too.

: Wow. I can't believe what a difference there is in the
: resins/hardeners between the brands.

: The slower set-up of the System Three regular resin allows any
: bubbles or foam to totally dissipate and leave
: a smooth surface. No I'm not paid by System Three, wish they would
: though.

: Most of all, I want to let people reading this BB to know just how
: different materials can be from brand to brand.
: This makes it very difficult to know, if when people ask about
: problems on this BB, are the problems because of inexperience,
: or because a brand has qualities which are different from the
: experience of people suggesting help.

: Probably few people will notice the difference unless they have
: worked with various brands.

: So, be aware that different brands of epoxy may handle and act very
: differently. Read the directions carefully
: and do a few test panels.

: This falls under the heading of "The Devil is in the
: Details" because very small differences in how a material
: handles can make a big difference in success or failure.

: When I searched for a varnish or finish for my boats I tried
: everything, and when I finally tried Captain's varnish
: it seemed so much easier than other finishes.

: I don't think I will use MAS again.

: Rob

Hey Rob,

Need to build a few boats using polyester resin in the middle of the summer time, you'll learn to put on glass "VERY" quickly ;)

Bill H.