E-Z LAM black epoxy gel coat

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#1

If anyone is looking for a good low cost / high quality epoxy based tooling / surface coat product, this E-Z Lam black surface coat from ACP Composites gets my double thumbs-up.

I haven’t found any other epoxy gel coat-type product that is even close to being comparable to this one. I have tried som truely awful epoxy gel coats lately. Max GPE white gel coat was the worst one ever btw…

The texture of E-Z Lam is perfect. It spreads easily, clings to vertical surfaces, never fish-eyes, sticks to you cf, fiberglass or epoxy putty mold-making materials. It releases easily from both plug and cf parts. It cures at room temp but can withstand up to 350 degrees, so you have the flexibility to use it for wet lay-ups or heat cure pre-pregs (if the rest of you tool holds up).

Unlike most other epoxy based products I have used, this one polishes easily to a mirror finish (with the right product and buffing gear) after imperfections are sanded out. It sands easily enough too but holds a polish for a long time.

It comes in large gallon containers, or quarts size tins for as low as $35 and a quart of this stuff goes a long way. It has lasted for dozens and dozens of molds for me.

If anyone has found a better epoxy based mold surface coat / gel coat product, I would love to hear about it so as can give it a try but for anyone still looking, maybe I can help save you some time with this recommendation.

I don’t know much about ACP Composites except my positive experience with this product but I plan to try more of their resins very soon.

#2

I assume you can use this like a polyester tooling gel? Did you spray it or did you brush it on?

Also if you do use it as a tooling gel surface what backing would you use?

I wonder if this stuff shrinks less then polyester. I have a pretty critical part I want to make but hesitant since it’s quite large, like 5x4 foot and I need it to not warp or shrink so trying to research items.

#3

Ive used it and like it. It self levels well and sands relatively easy. Ive ised it to seal edges where core material was exposed. It dries super shiney.

Although I have only ever used this and regular gelcoat from Fiberglast.

#4

It’s too thick to spray on. It has a thick honey-like consistency. When you mix in the hardener it temporarily becomes thin enough to spread on and self-level but not so thin that it won’t adhere to vertical surfaces. I spread it on with my (gloved) fingers, or a soft brush (so I don’t disturb the mold release under it).

I use it as the surface layer on my molds and as a surface / gel coat on black glossy parts.

I have used it with a variety of mold making materials including carbon fiber, fiberglass and epoxy tooling putty. It works well with every material I have tried. It adheres to the mold material as it should and it accurately replicates fine detail for your mold surface.

My current prefered mold-making materials are this e-z lam surface coat over carbon fiber strands and then backed with woven cf. This produces as strong mold that will last for a large number of parts. I use epoxy putty for molds for one-off parts.

Cf molds with this surface coat are superior to anything else I have tried for two-part molds - especially for longer parts. The key reason is that it produces no noticeable shrinkage or warping. Those can both be problems for me with fiberglass and epoxy putty molds (for longer parts).

I hate it when I find that my two-part mold suddenly doesn’t fit together properly after a few parts are made, or when I start noticing curves on surface that are meant to be flat etc.

There is no reason not to use this epoxy based surface coat instead of a polyester gel coat imo. It has all the advantages (apart from curing speed) and none of the disadvantages. There is no stinky Mek to worry about or compatibility issues etc. It’s a lot stronger too. It takes longer to polish but then it holds it’s shine longer. It doesn’t scratch easily at all.

#5

You recommend using this as the surface coat and then also use the same resin and reinforce the mold and build thickness with carbon? I’m confused haha what did you use as a reinforced backing and what was your process to get things to stick. Usually for regular poly tooling gel and iso poly resin and csm I let things tack and cure and then keep building up.

#6

The E-Z lam black surface coat is used for the mold surface / gel coat layer only. It is not a resin to be used to wet out the cf. It’s far too thick for that.

You spread the E-z lam black surface coat onto your plug (with mold release on the plug). When the e-z lam has become tacky, you add your mold making material on top. This could whatever you use normally. I like to use either carbon fiber (wetted out with regular laminating resin) or, for one-off molds, I use epoxy putty.

Fiberglass also works although I find that it tends to warp with long thin molds or molds of parts with long flat sides. Adding a layer or two of cf or Kevlar over the areas that could warp will help.

The E-z lam can also be used as a plug coating or as a gel coat for a part you want to be black.

I use a marine polish to buff the black surface coat back to a shine if I had to sand any areas.

#7

Could you supply a part number for this EZ lam black surface coat and do you have their phone number?

#8

Google acp composites.com

Its the only black tooling gel coat they list

#9

I’m guessing this is the stuff?

https://store.acpsales.com/products/2274/black-surface-coat-et-01-

#10

Yup that’s the one.

A little tip for anyone thinking of trying it: I sometimes use it with the fast hardener from my composite envisions resin if I need an extra fast cure. It works really well. The hardener it comes with is fairly slow. That’s usually good as it gives you plenty of work time on larger parts but not so great for repairs when you don’t want it to run. It’s nice to be able to choose. The fast hardener from CE makes it cure to the point where it is dry to the touch in less than 10 minutes and quicker if the room is (too) hot.

Give it a try. I can honestly say that I know of no other epoxy coating product that is as easy to use, or any others that can produce comparable results.