An Alternative to Polyester and Epoxy Resins for Glassing By James Goss      In the past I have used polyester resin for fiber glassing a model with good and bad results. Sometimes the resin would kick off and other times it would never get hard enough to sand. It became a dreaded task each and every time I had to use the stuff. A few years back I started using epoxy resin instead of the polyester resin. I haven't regretted changing to the epoxy resin at all. It is so much easier to work with and above all it is easier to sand. Two or three coats and you have a really nice looking surface. Polyester resins will not kick off when applied over certain materials such as we use in modeling. I had to learn this the hard way by digging the gooey mess out with a knife. The epoxy resin will kick off no matter what is under it. I would recommend the epoxy resin to anyone wanting to get a good finish the first time around. I use both finishing resin and 30-minute epoxy; I actually like the 30-minute epoxy better. I thin it 50% with alcohol and there are very few craters that form when it cures. I hate those craters that form when the epoxy does not flow to a smooth finish. It takes a lot of primer to fill them and a lot of sanding as well. Epoxy resin and ¾ oz cloth will produce a beautiful finish on your model.      I have been completely satisfied with the epoxy finishing method and was not looking for a better way when I came across this method. It is called polycrylic and is made by Minwax. It produces a clear satin finish and comes in a ½ pt can. You can buy it at the local Wal-Mart store at a very reasonable price. You can use the same technique as with epoxy resin for applying it. There is no mixing, do not shake the can at all. The product looks like milk and is very thin, and when you finish, cleanup is with water. That is a really good feature of this system; I just throw my brush into a vat of water until I need it again. Here is how I use this method of finishing. I use 3/4-ounce cloth and saturate it with the polycrylic by brushing it on the cloth. It soaks into the balsa and cloth and in only two hours you are then ready for the next coat. Do not sand the first coat, and apply the second coat. In two hours you can lightly sand the second coat and apply the third. Two hours later you can sand again and keep going like this if you really want a smooth surface, or let the third coat be your last. If it is humid it may take a little longer to cure. You can do all of this in only one day instead of five or six as is usual for other systems because of the curing time required. I haven't checked yet, but I am sure the weight will be a lot less than with epoxy resin.      This seems to be another great way to finish your plane if you want to use the traditional glassing and painting. At this time I am not sure about the longevity of this method, but it appears that it will be as good as the epoxy resin method.  With the super easy cleanup, I know that I will use this method on many projects down the road. Anytime you can do a complete glass project in one day while maintaining quality work; it has got to become very popular with us modelers.      As a matter of fact I have even used it on top of epoxy resin as the third and fourth coat. This project was already in the making when I found out about the polycrylic so I decided to complete the project with polycrylic and see what happened. It works fine and really fills the small craters, dents, and pin holes that the epoxy produces. I am sold on this technique and look forward to my next fiberglass project so I can use it again. What is it that they say about trying to invent a better mousetrap?