Aerodux 500 users?

[Ron Linton]

Have been using Aerodux 500 for gluing frames and bulkheads for Stambaugh's Windward 24, and it has worked very well so far. I am considering using it (rather than epoxy) to glue scarfed plywood sheets and also to glue/laminate two layers of 1/2" plywood for the bottom of the hull, for a total of 1" thickness. With such higher volume use, I'm worried about higher volume of waste, and wonder if anyone out there has used Aerodux this way and whether you have any experience using a notched trowel to spread the product. If so, do you have any suggestions on notch size? or any other suggestions on scarfing or laminating sheets of plywood?

[Jim H]

I have only used it on scarfed solid lumber, chines, stringers etc, but it worked well. I would be concerned with getting enough pressure throughout the glue line to get a good bond, especially when laminating two sheets of ply back to back (if I understand you correctly). The e-mail I have for Dynichem in the UK is:

bill.joy@eu.dynoasa.com Bill was a great help and I'm sure that if the e-mail still works he'll answer. If you want to drop a dime (well OK, maybe a little more than a dime) the phone number on the fax he sent me is 01352 757657.

The address is:
Dynochem UK Ltd
Alyn Works
Denbigh Road
Mold
Flintshire
CH7 1BF

Good Luck,

Jim

[Ron Linton]

Jim,

Thanks for the tips... yeah, the issue of adequate pressure when laminating sheets is going to be tough to deal with. Since I'll be using epoxy for the Dynel or fg treatment to the external of the hull, I'll probably just use epoxy for the lamination too - minimal pressure requirements is one of epoxy's selling points. (But within reason, I just want to maximize use of Aerodux and minimize use of epoxy.) Emailing Bill at Dynochem will be my next step.

Thanks again,

Ron

[Peter Jacobs]

Ron:
I'm thinking of using Aerodux 500 to glue up the backbone pieces for my 25' Folkboat. Can you tell me where you purchased yours, and was it a lot more $ than epoxy?

Thanks!

-Peter-

[Ron Linton]

Peter,

You can order online, if you like, at http://www.custompak.com/
and a gallon kit (one gallon of a'dux and one gallon of hardner) cost me $168.81, inluding freight. Haven't researched cost of epoxy, but my sense is that a'dux is at least a bit less expensive.... maybe other forumites can compare.

Ron

[Jim H]

Ron, let us know what they say.

Peter, back when I bought it tha cost was approx. the same. The advantages are that you will not have to add filler to it (like epoxy) to use it as a glue and clean-up is with water.

good Luck,

Jim

[Cecil Nickerson]

It's eight dollars more than the equivalent amount of West System epoxy from Lee Valley i.e. $258Cdn for the Aerodux and $250Cdn for the West stuff. I've heard that the shelf life of the Aerodux is surprisibly short, somewhere around 12 months. Any 'cousins' in the old country know anything about this?

Regards, Cecil

[Peter Jacobs]

Thanks gentlemen. For some strange reason I was under the impression it was a lot more. Certainly sounds like what I'll be using below the water line.
As for the short shelf life .. I'll get my ducks lined up before ordering ... nothing like having a little incentive to keep going smile.gif

-Peter-

[Carlsboats]

CP Industries (Custom Pack) which sold me my Aerodux 500, says in their literature that "shelf life...is at least one year..." Understand that the 500 adhesive does not require as tightly mated a joint as the older formulations --but you still want to use some pressure. Suggest you try to reach Jeff Pitcher at CP. He was very helpful to me. Ask him or others at CP to send you their data sheets-- useful stuff. Their number (as of a year ago, anyway):
800-454-4583. Carlsboats

[Cecil Nickerson]

Don't ya just hate it when your math abilities come up short (I blame it on the metric/imperial mess). The price for 32oz. of resin and 7oz. of hardener at Lee Valley is $62.50Cdn. making the Aerodux a huge bargain.

Redfaced, Cecil

[Ron Linton]

Jim, I’ve been away from my keyboard a bit and have just emailed Bill at Dynachem – will let you know what he says.

Carlsboats, yeah, I got the spec sheets some time ago from Custom Pack, and happily read about the significantly long pot life of this product. It’s a joy to work with.

[Ron Linton]

Jim,

The email attempt to Dynochem failed, so I contacted Brian at CustomPak (bpitcher@custompak.com). He agrees with concerns above that the larger the glue area the more difficult it will be to generate adequate pressure. (Epoxy applications work best with low pressure and Aerodux applications work best with high pressure.) He also suggested a 3/32" notched trowel for spreading. I asked him to list the most common errors that occur when people use Aerodux (and other resorcinol products). His list:

1. Inadequate open assembly time, particularly for applications involving white oak. Allow the glue to sit on the surfaces for 5 - 10 minutes before assembling and applying pressure. (The maximum open assembly time for Aerodux 500 "Medium" is approximately 1 hour at 86 degrees.)

2. Failure to apply glue to both gluing surfaces.

3. Failure to apply adequate pressure to the assembled pieces.

4. Failure to adequately mix the hardner (fillers tend to settle to the bottom).

5. Failure to recognize that temperature affects pot life and to adjust gluing procedures accordingly. (Pot life for "medium" ranges from approximately 7 hours at 59 degrees to approximately 2 hours at 86 degrees.)

So, I am now convinced that epoxy is the better of the two products for plywood scarfing and laminating.

Thanks guys!! (Brian welcomes any other inquiries about the Aerodux 500 product, and other forumites have mentioned Pardey's discussion of this product in his book "Details of Classic Boat Construction - The Hull".)

[Jim H]

Ron, thanks for the follow-up. I recently found the tech data sheets that Bill Joy at DynoChem faxed, if you want them I'd be happy to fax them to you - approx. 9 pages.

Jim