US Gel Coat / Expoxy Suppliers

General Composites Discussions Composites Talk
#1

Hey guys,

I am new to the forums. I am planning to start making a few fairings for my motorcycle out of carbon fiber. I have been looking for a means to purchase the various hardeners, gel coats, and epoxies needed to create a mold but it seems all of the suppliers are from the UK. Are there any suppliers in the states? Seems that if you order the supplies from the UK you wind up spending more in shipping than the materials are worth.

This is an example of what I was looking at.

http://www.easycomposites.co.uk/products/starter-kits/epoxy-mould-making-starter-kit-large.aspx

Otherwise, are there any stores that would sell the materials instead of ordering them online? Not really sure where to look.

Thanks for any help. I am new to this so I am trying to find the best way to approach this. Sorry if this question has been asked before. I tried to use the search feature but didn’t have any luck finding a similar post.

#2

There is a list of US suppliers in this forum. I went to Freeman Supply. I actually live close to this business which worked out for me.

Um, I actually used short hair 3M bondo for my molds as a reinforcement backing. Its fairly cheap and does the job. You will want to use fiberglass though and get the know how on how to use fiberglass.

You will want to play close attention to your gel coat because of the heat produced by the resin when you make your part. If you get the wrong gel coat, it could melt or become soft in the curing process due to this heat.

#3

Check out the online stores for Fibre Glast Developments or US Composites. Composites One should also carry any of the products you may need but they don’t have a fancy online store so just give them a call.

#4

US Composites - http://www.uscomposites.com/
Aircraft Spruce - http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/cm/index.html
Soller Composites - http://sollercomposites.com/
Freeman Supply - http://www.freemansupply.com/
Fiberglast - http://www.fibreglast.com/
CST sales - http://www.cstsales.com/
ACP - http://www.acpsales.com/OnlineStore.php
Adtech Polymers - http://www.adtechplastics.com/c-20-epoxy-surface-coats.aspx
Aeromarine Products - http://www.aeromarineproducts.com/

#5

Gurit US- www.gurit.com
Northern composites- www.nfgsales.com

#6

Applied Vehicle Technology www.avtcomposites.com :smiley:

#7

Soller tends to have a resonable price and good selection.

#8

Thanks for all of the input guys, those sites look like very good suppliers, and sorry for the slow response.

I am trying to custom build my own kit but was curious as to if you guys could look it over to make sure I am not making any big mistakes. I am pretty new to this.

The part I am trying to create is a plastic motorcycle fender (About 18" by 5" by 6"). I tried my best to prep the part to ensure that it is smooth and polished.

From my understanding the first step is to secure the part using modeling clay, and then apply mould release wax.

http://www.fibreglast.com/product/Parting_wax_1016/Mold_Releases

Next, I should mix my gel coat and hardener and apply this to the part. Below is the gel coat and hardener that I was able to find:

http://www.fibreglast.com/product/Orange_Tooling_Gel_Coat_just_gel_coats_188/Gel_Coats

Finally, I should mix my hardener and epoxy resin and use that to reinforce my mold once the gel coat reaches a tacky state. This is what I was thinking about for my epoxy resin:

I was curious as to if you guys would be able to take a glimpse at the materials I plan to order to see if they would work well together and if I am correct with my process. This is my first mold so any input would be greatly appreciated.