[TowerTalk] Fiberglass life expectancy

[Patrick Greenlee]

Not all fiberglass (AKA GRP Glass Reinforced Plastic) is created equal.  
Some is made with Acrylic resins, some with various epoxy resins and so 
forth.  Some have UV stabilizer(s) in the mix and some don't. Comparing 
anecdotal "evidence" of environmental robustness is essentially futile 
unless the nitty gritty of the chemistry is also known.  It is like 
saying, I have a bag of stuff and it is pretty heavy and when exposed to 
the weather in Minot, ND during a really cold winter it didn't catch 
fire.  Now compare that to your bag of stuff in a meaningful way.

Painting fiberglass?  Is it contaminated with mold release?  If yes, 
then what kind, silicone, water soluble, or what. Many variables to 
consider when painting fiberglass. Clean is good. Lightly abraded to 
foster tooth is good.  Well proven coatings successfully employed on 
fiberglass boats with exposure to sunlight and foot traffic are good 
candidates for fiberglass coatings exposed to the weather in many ham 
applications.

Patrick        NJ5G



On 7/30/2017 12:41 AM, Wes Stewart wrote:
> I was thinking about building an LPD antenna and purchased some 
> Strongwell 2" square fiberglass tubing about 7 years ago.  I never 
> finished the project and the tubing has been kicking around the yard 
> in the AZ sun since then.  I see no signs of degradation and it had no 
> treatment whatsoever.
>
> Contrast that to the fiberglass military mast sections that turn to 
> hazardous waste in a year or so.
>
> Wes  N7WS
>
>
> On 7/28/2017 6:27 PM, Rudy Bakalov via TowerTalk wrote:
>> Hi folks,
>>
>> Does anyone have first hand experience to share? What can I expect 
>> from primed and painted UV resistant fiberglass?
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> Rudy N2WQ
>>
>> Sent using a tiny keyboard.  Please excuse brevity, typos, or 
>> inappropriate autocorrect.
>>
>
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