microballoons?

[flypdx]

My manual is missing the section on epoxy and microballoons... I spent the morning fitting the door angles and now I'm ready to epoxy.

How much of the microballoons do I add? How much should I mix up to do this job?

Thanks!

[HighWing]

This is not necessarily from the book, but I have used a lot of micro in the past several years - Lancair IV and major mods to my current Model IV and other projects and these are my opinions.

Micro is a light weight thickener for resin. How much you add will depend on what you want to do with it. If you are using it as a slurry over foam, it should be slightly runny so it will flow a bit. If you are using it like bondo to fill voids and to give a sanding surface to finish for paint, it should be stiffer so it won't run. I like the consistency of peanut butter - as you mix it will peak in the container without much sag. I like to use the little two ounce containers that you fill with catsup at the fast food place. They are available at Sam's Club and I think Costco. They will mix enough that you won't have to throw much away in the Summer when it begins to cure before you use it all. I also like to use a single edge razor blade as a squeegee to level it as it will minimize tedious sanding. I also plan on applying it in sevaral thin layers - sanding in between - for the perfect undetectable finish. A tip on mixing. If inhaled, the micro can irritate your lungs and is in fact mostly silica and over time can trigger a lung disease called silicosis. I tried this method and it was verified by another Lanciar builder - mix while walking around your shop. The breeze ceated by your movement will waft the micro dust around and behind you so it will not drift up to your nose, which it definitely will do if you stand and mix in one spot.

Lowell

[Dorsal]

I second the mixing technique, don't breath the stuff.

[flypdx]

Great! Thank you.

[Paul Z]

Don't Breath the Micro Ballons and don't eat the Peanut Butter!