SternWake said:Check into Sikaflex products for this. highly respected in the boating world. not sure which of their products would be best for this intended application
Sometimes it is hard to get things to stick to fiberglass. While the inside of the roof should be the inside of the mold, and have no leftover mold release agents, who knows what might have accumulated on that surface since it was pulled from the mold.
A scotch brite pad in one gloved hand, backed with a few paper towels saturated with acetone, and clean paper towels in the other hand can prep fiberglass for secondary bonding. Just do not leave the acetone in continuous contact with the fiberglass. it evaporates quickly so one needs to lift any contamination with the clean paper towels within a second of wiping with the scotchbrite pad or similar. nitrile or latex gloves are not the best for this task as they will last only a minute or two before shredding. Get the thicker dishwashing gloves.
Secondary bonding issues are always a nightmare, so properly prepping the surface can save a lot of cursing later. With the different expansion and contraction rates of wood and fiberglass , the adhesive bond is very important, making surface prep just as important as the product chosen for it.
It could be a good idea to seal the wood on the fiberglass side too, with a polyurethane, and it is usually beneficial to thin the first layer of polyurethane with appropriate thinner, on application to fresh wood so it can penetrate deeper and seal better and be harder and stronger
Dry wood might absorb the good stuff in a sikaflex type product causing the bond to fail, and the polyurethane will prevent this, and will reduce the chances for moisture to contribute to lots of expansion and contraction which will work to break the adhesive bond.
speedhighway46 said:I have been an E6000 user for years! It will basically glue anything to anything: wood to plastic; metal to glass; etc, etc. With the consistency of tooth paste it can also fill minor voids and fill-in when needed. It doesn't try very fast so it gives you a chance to carefully align the parts for a perfect. In a few days; the parts are almost impossible to get apart.
About the only application I don't use it for is gluing wood to wood; good old Elmer's; or Gorilla glue, is best for that.
4GNomad said:Anyone recommend a good adhesive that is safe for fiberglass. Would like to mount wood pieces to my high top so I can insulate in between and have something to screw into for the paneling over the insulation.
Thanks!
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