Fiberglass work/Nav lights Wings

Hey All,

I'm working on my wing tips...i. e. the fiberglass nav lights portion. Plans say to use "flox/epoxy" to the fiberglass. I've checked Van's Store...where the heck do you find this stuff. And...how much do you wind up using?

Ric

Flox/Epoxy

Try Aircraft Spruce or any local Marine supply store.
Suggets you do not use the polyester mix.

Phantom30 said:

Hey All,

I'm working on my wing tips...i. e. the fiberglass nav lights portion. Plans say to use "flox/epoxy" to the fiberglass. I've checked Van's Store...where the heck do you find this stuff. And...how much do you wind up using?

Ric

Click to expand...

"Flox" is flocked cotton fibers; you mix it with epoxy or sometimes polyester resin to yield a structural filler. When cured it is hard but with reasonably good tensile strength. Aircraft Spruce has it in one-lb and 5-lb bags.

Other common resin thickeners are:

Cabocil or Aerocil are fumed silica; when added to epoxy they thicken it and make it thixotropic--that just means that it resists running or sagging on vertical surfaces. When cured it forms a very hard mass with with high bearing strength that is somewhat brittle and also hard to sand.

Glass microspheres or microballoons are just like they sound; tiny hollow glass spheres that combine to look to the naked eye like a light fluffy powder. When mixed with epoxy or polyester they form a lightweight and easy-sanding non-structural filler for contouring or bodywork. It's basically bondo for airplanes.

Edit to add: As for how much to use, that's kind of hard to describe, and is different for different applications. "Wet flox" is where you mix in enough so that the thickened epoxy still acts like a liquid; "dry flox" is where there's so much flox that it forms an awkward hairy lump that doesn't want to change shape. My usual suggestion is to look for a mix that is slightly runnier than bondo; that might be a good place to start.

Thanks, Bob K.

Phantom30 said:

Hey All,

I'm working on my wing tips...i. e. the fiberglass nav lights portion. Plans say to use "flox/epoxy" to the fiberglass. I've checked Van's Store...where the heck do you find this stuff. And...how much do you wind up using?

Ric

Click to expand...

Not much for the wing tips. But you'll need more for the canopy.

ACS is the best source....or if you have a local West Marine, they should have it in stock.

I recommend getting the west system and pumps - that seems to be the easiest. You can leave the pumps in as well once you get it set up.