Resins And Gelcoats

[Joe C.]

Yesterday I came across an article that details moisture intrusion and paint blistering problems for marine applications, with glass/resin hulled boats. Much of this info can be directly applied to Corvette bodies that have been subject to prolonged exposure to moisture.

However, there are some terms in this paper that I am unfamiliar with, and if there are any chemists out there, maybe you can help me here. Here are some questions:

1. What is vinyl-ester resin?
2. What is isophthalic resin?
3. What kind of resin is "gelcoat"?
4. What kind of resin (polyester) is used in the composite substrate of Corvette bodies?
5. What is neopentyl glycol based gelcoat?

The article is located at www.resinnavigator.org/html/permeation_barrier.htm

It is extremely detailed and deals with moisture permeation through the gelcoat, and into the substrate. Now, I realize that Corvettes were not originally gelcoated, but most aftermarket panels are gelcoated as a moisture barrier. Sermersheim gelcoats his front and back, and Corvette Image used to coat his front only. Some of these panels STILL blister from excess moisture, and this article addresses that. Original Corvette panels can also absorb moisture, but only under the most extreme circumstances, to which, most Corvettes will never be subjected. I have had this problem, and need some help in interpreting this article. I may want to use a "vinyl ester" barrier if I can understand just what it is.

Thanks in advance.

Joe

[Tracy C.]

Re: Resins And Gelcoats

Joe,

Just type these terms into your internet search engine and you will learn everything there is to know.

However comma

Don't know about your 85, but the body panels your 65 shouldn't see a moisture problem. Out in the back lot, I have bare unpainted floor section chunks from a 63 that have been fully exposed to the weather (4 seasons of KS) for the last 15 years and they are still as solid as when they left St Louis.

tc

[Chuck S.]

Resins??!! Is That Some Kind of Dried Fruit?...

Joe, what are you doing looking at boat sites? Are you planning to float your Corvette? I think moisture problems are a little simpler with Corvettes; you leave the bare glass outdoors when the sun is shining, and you put it indoors before it starts to rain...after a few months of that, you paint when the relative humidity is over 70% and the temperature is over 50-60 degrees.