Fiberglass Kit with Epoxy Resin for Beginners (Composites 101)

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Fiberglass Kit with Epoxy Resin for Beginners (Composites 101)

SKU:SK-EDU101

$55.95 USD

$55.95 USD ~~USD~~

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Size: Single Student Kit

Single Student Kit Classroom 10-Pack

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A beginner fiberglass kit with epoxy resin: the materials for a first hand layup, from measuring and mixing epoxy to wetting out real woven fiberglass and pulling a finished flat laminate panel you keep. It started as our Composites 101 class kit, the same lesson sequence intro composites courses run at community colleges and technical high schools, and it works just as well for a first project at home.

What is in the kit:

1 yard x 38" of 6 oz woven E-glass fiberglass cloth, enough for a multi-layer practice panel plus spare
24 oz two-part epoxy kit: 16 oz thin clear resin plus 8 oz slow hardener, mixed 2 parts resin to 1 part hardener by volume. No styrene smell and no separate catalyst to dose
2 graduated pint mixing tubs, a 2" chip brush, a plastic spreader and a pack of wooden mixing sticks
The step-by-step first-panel exercise below on this page

You supply: nitrile gloves, a flat work board covered with packing tape or release film, scissors, and paper towels.

Classroom 10-Pack: materials for ten students in one box: 10 yards of 6 oz cloth to cut into 1 yard pieces, a 96 oz epoxy kit (64 oz resin plus 32 oz slow hardener) to share, 20 pint mixing tubs, 10 chip brushes, 10 spreaders and 50 mixing sticks. One line on your PO. Running a bigger program or need a different mix, more cloth, carbon fiber, or vacuum bagging? We kit custom packs for schools; ask through our Wholesale Pro program, which also handles tax-exempt purchasing.

The epoxy resin is not regulated for transport. The hardener bottle is a limited quantity corrosive, so kits ship by ground to the lower 48 rather than by air. No special handling is needed to receive or store them.

Specifications

Package size14 in x 10 in x 4 in

Specifications

Resin: 24 oz epoxy kit, 16 oz resin plus 8 oz slow hardener, 2:1 by volume. Epoxy on purpose: no styrene ventilation and no MEKP
Reinforcement: 1 yd of 6 oz woven E-glass cloth, 38" wide
Also in the kit: 2 graduated pint mixing tubs, wooden mixing sticks, chip brush and spreader. You supply nitrile gloves
Contains no chopped strand mat, whose binder needs styrene to break down
Classroom 10-pack: 10 yd of cloth, a 96 oz epoxy kit to share and tools for ten, as one purchase order line
The hardener is a regulated corrosive, so kits ship by ground to the lower 48

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How to use this kit

One student, one complete hand layup, one finished laminate panel.

Safety: Epoxy resin and hardener are skin sensitizers: repeated contact can start a permanent allergy, so students keep gloves on the whole time and wash with soap and water, never solvent. Cutting cloth releases glass fibers that itch, and sanding cured laminate makes respirable dust, so sand outdoors or with extraction and eye protection. Ventilate the classroom. No open flames.

What is in the kit

1 yd 6 oz woven E-glass fiberglass cloth, 38 in wideenough for a multi-layer coupon panel plus spare
24 oz Two-part epoxy kit16 oz resin plus 8 oz slow hardener, 2:1 by volume
2 / 1 pk Graduated pint mixing tubs, wooden mixing sticks
1 / 1 Chip brush, plastic spreader

You supply: nitrile gloves, a flat work board, packing tape or release film to cover it, scissors, a marker, and paper towels.

Mixing epoxy (2:1 by volume)

Ratio	2 parts resin to 1 part hardener
One panel	2 oz resin + 1 oz hardener
Full kit	16 oz resin + 8 oz hardener

Measure by volume in the cups. Epoxy has no separate catalyst to dose, so the only variable is the ratio, and off-ratio never fully cures.

Stir 2 minutes scraping sides and bottom, then re-pot and stir again. This double-potting step is worth teaching explicitly.

The job, start to finish

1

Prepare the board

Cover a flat board with packing tape or release film so the panel will pop off when cured. Epoxy does not stick to packing tape, which makes it the cheapest release surface in a classroom. Mark the fiber direction you plan to use.

2

Cut the plies

Cut three or four squares of cloth about 6 by 6 inches. Cut two with the weave running straight and two at 45 degrees. Comparing them at the end is the point of the lesson: fiber orientation, not resin, is what carries load in a composite.

3

Mix a batch

Measure 2 parts resin to 1 part hardener by volume. Stir 2 minutes scraping the sides and bottom, then pour into a second cup and stir again. Unmixed resin clinging to the first cup wall is the most common reason a student panel stays soft.

4

Wet out the layup

Brush epoxy onto the board, lay the first ply, and stipple with the brush until the weave turns from white to clear. Add each ply the same way, alternating orientation. Squeegee gently to a wet, not flooded, surface. Excess resin adds weight, not strength.

5

Cure and evaluate

Leave it overnight. Pop the panel off the tape, trim the edges, and have students compare stiffness in each direction, look for white dry spots and trapped air, and weigh it. A heavy panel means too much resin, which is the classic beginner result.

Works onIntro composites labs at technical high schools, community colleges, makerspaces and STEM programs. One kit per student.

Not forUnsupervised use by young children. Epoxy is a sensitizer and requires gloves and ventilation.

If something goes wrong

Panel stayed soft or greasy

Off-ratio or under-stirred. Teach the re-pot step: stir, pour to a second cup, stir again.

Panel is white and patchy

Dry glass. Stipple until the weave turns clear, then it has strength.

Panel is heavy and glossy

Too much resin. Squeegee to wet, not flooded. Excess resin is weight without strength.

Would not come off the board

The release was missed or torn. Packing tape must cover the whole area.

Cure crawled overnight

Room under 60 F. Epoxy stalls in the cold. Warm the room, do not add hardener.

Classroom 10-packs and custom school packs with carbon or vacuum bagging are available through our Wholesale Pro program, which also handles tax-exempt purchasing.