Anyone knows of some UK resin producers? (not resellers)

GregOddity

GregOddity

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I was trying to find some smaller resin companies, drew a blank and my eyes glazed over at all the resellers and Chandleries. I did look into the link of one, but administration is all here is to see. So I was wondering if you guys know of any still in existence.

In another thread I did ask the names of UK resin suppliers but here I’m just wondering if there is any other alien life out there in the matter as it would be interesting to see what they got and what prices.
 
Glasplies in Southport lancs, East coast fibreglass, have been the best & cheapest suppliers i have used. Good luck finding small manufacturers i doubt you will find any. Resin is made by the big boys. To save money think buying a 45 gallon drum, prices drop markedly when you buy quantity. Also bear in mind that a 45 gallon drum in a busy boatyard will tend to "leak a gallon" every time you turn your back.
 
The bulk resin is produced by large chemical companies, but that's bulk - tanker loads. I think that to get smaller quantities you have to deal with a reseller who repackages it into more convenient sizes.

This from Wikipedia: "Claims of discovery of bisphenol-A-based epoxy resins include Pierre Castan[4] in 1943. Castan's work was licensed by Ciba, Ltd. of Switzerland, which went on to become one of the three major epoxy resin producers worldwide. Ciba's epoxy business was spun off and later sold in the late 1990s and is now the Advanced Materials business unit of Huntsman Corporation of the United States. In 1946, Sylvan Greenlee, working for the Devoe & Raynolds Company, patented resin derived from bisphenol-A and epichlorohydrin.[5] Devoe & Raynolds, which was active in the early days of the epoxy resin industry, was sold to Shell Chemical; the division involved in this work was eventually sold, and via a series of other corporate transactions is now part of Hexion Inc.[6]."

In other words, the raw resin is only supplied by a few very large chemical companies.

Further down the page it says "These commodity epoxy manufacturers mentioned above typically do not sell epoxy resins in a form usable to smaller end users, so there is another group of companies that purchase epoxy raw materials from the major producers and then compounds (blends, modifies, or otherwise customizes) epoxy systems from these raw materials. These companies are known as "formulators". The majority of the epoxy systems sold are produced by these formulators and they comprise over 60% of the dollar value of the epoxy market."

Formulation includes such things as additives to regulate setting time etc.
 
Keith 66 said:
Glasplies in Southport lancs, East coast fibreglass, have been the best & cheapest suppliers i have used. Good luck finding small manufacturers i doubt you will find any. Resin is made by the big boys. To save money think buying a 45 gallon drum, prices drop markedly when you buy quantity. Also bear in mind that a 45 gallon drum in a busy boatyard will tend to "leak a gallon" every time you turn your back.
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Yeah, it's a BIG boys game. I'm just trying to build a more accurate view of what’s going on with amateur boat repair/refit/ building and what’s available. Sifting through the rumours and things like boat amateur boat building is dead and what facts and resources are there. A lot of saying and everyone scrapping hulls at the same time. Essentially were back to where we were when wooden boats cost a mint and fiberglass gave rise to the market.
 
AntarcticPilot said:
The bulk resin is produced by large chemical companies, but that's bulk - tanker loads. I think that to get smaller quantities you have to deal with a reseller who repackages it into more convenient sizes.

This from Wikipedia: "Claims of discovery of bisphenol-A-based epoxy resins include Pierre Castan[4] in 1943. Castan's work was licensed by Ciba, Ltd. of Switzerland, which went on to become one of the three major epoxy resin producers worldwide. Ciba's epoxy business was spun off and later sold in the late 1990s and is now the Advanced Materials business unit of Huntsman Corporation of the United States. In 1946, Sylvan Greenlee, working for the Devoe & Raynolds Company, patented resin derived from bisphenol-A and epichlorohydrin.[5] Devoe & Raynolds, which was active in the early days of the epoxy resin industry, was sold to Shell Chemical; the division involved in this work was eventually sold, and via a series of other corporate transactions is now part of Hexion Inc.[6]."

In other words, the raw resin is only supplied by a few very large chemical companies.

Further down the page it says "These commodity epoxy manufacturers mentioned above typically do not sell epoxy resins in a form usable to smaller end users, so there is another group of companies that purchase epoxy raw materials from the major producers and then compounds (blends, modifies, or otherwise customizes) epoxy systems from these raw materials. These companies are known as "formulators". The majority of the epoxy systems sold are produced by these formulators and they comprise over 60% of the dollar value of the epoxy market."

Formulation includes such things as additives to regulate setting time etc.
Click to expand...

There are still a few that do try and penetrate the market, its the same thing on Silicones. There's the BIG boys then not many others out there, but there are some deeply hidden and sometimes hard to find.
But yeah Tanker load is the thing this days.
 
Noticed an outfit that sells polyester for pond projects( in UK), the larger volume kits sounded quite reasonable per kg. and they sell the stuff loose as well, So prob a 200lt drum would work out better. Locally, I was quoted something like €250 for one of the more waterproof types.

Epoxy is always pricey. By chance, I won a drum of it, with assorted hardeners, so will keep me going for the current project, including the sheathing.
 
DownWest said:
Noticed an outfit that sells polyester for pond projects( in UK), the larger volume kits sounded quite reasonable per kg. and they sell the stuff loose as well, So prob a 200lt drum would work out better. Locally, I was quoted something like €250 for one of the more waterproof types.

Epoxy is always pricey. By chance, I won a drum of it, with assorted hardeners, so will keep me going for the current project, including the sheathing.
Click to expand...

I got me a 200L drum as well but its sadly 17 years old, in a shed and across an ocean a few k mikes away. Never had the time to even open the thing. Life, kids, work all the minor things that got in the way.
I'm going to need some Epoxy, got a lot of things I need to make sure stick to the old Polyester. bit of a choice for peace of mind. I've approached a few places like that, only one would consider selling as most use it themselves for one thing or another. But never give up is the name of the game.
 
In 30 years in the boat trade i found all resellers are similar on price, the two i mentioned eartlier were about the best. Our local one CYB was sometimes good as well. Believe me i hunted the best deals. You just have to shop around. The market for Kit boats collapsed years ago with the introduction of the RCD & this made the market for materials smaller. Our local chandler at Dauntless sells a lot of end of line & bankrupt stock materials including a lot of epoxy but to be honest its often nigh on the same price as buying new. Resins, Timber it costs money thats the way of the world!
 
Keith 66 said:
In 30 years in the boat trade i found all resellers are similar on price, the two i mentioned eartlier were about the best. Our local one CYB was sometimes good as well. Believe me i hunted the best deals. You just have to shop around. The market for Kit boats collapsed years ago with the introduction of the RCD & this made the market for materials smaller. Our local chandler at Dauntless sells a lot of end of line & bankrupt stock materials including a lot of epoxy but to be honest its often nigh on the same price as buying new. Resins, Timber it costs money thats the way of the world!
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Yeah, a sad truth it seems. Some end of line is being offered at not only the same price but sometimes even more expensive. (just a couple of cases I found for some other stuff) You do need to do a lot of hunting and seem to end up with always the very same options. Next boat? steel or alu. easier. Except the epoxy paints and here we go again lol
 
Hayling Yacht Co in Hampshire sell it at a better price than any Chandler's they use gallons of it, don't think they make it though. I was told that it's the hardener that's expensive, not the resin it self.
 
Unless you want to buy in large quantities, and commit to that with money up front, then East Coast Fibreglass are about the cheapest. We use GRP sporadically, loads for two months, then nothing for a year or three. So we pay what the general public pays minus a tiny amount. Realistically how much will you need, and what will the delivery cost of a larger amount offset against buying locally. If you could get a ballpark on that you would have a good basis for calculation.
 
solent clown said:
Unless you want to buy in large quantities, and commit to that with money up front, then East Coast Fibreglass are about the cheapest. We use GRP sporadically, loads for two months, then nothing for a year or three. So we pay what the general public pays minus a tiny amount. Realistically how much will you need, and what will the delivery cost of a larger amount offset against buying locally. If you could get a ballpark on that you would have a good basis for calculation.
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we’re working on that very same problem. trying to see how much were going to use and what quantities should we order to see if we get a better price. So far buying locally seems like the option. Problem with an “older” lady is that you need to expect a surprise or two exactly when you least expect it.
There was the lonely company in Dorset or Cornwall that went into admin anyway, or at least we have not found any others.
 
Lots here

IMG_0640-800x600.jpg
 
savageseadog said:
Lots here

IMG_0640-800x600.jpg
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Hehe, ok I’m going out on a limb here, but you may have found the wrong resin for my boat. That one does not stick to the hull, it sticks you in a hole. (The amount of sticking is directly proportional to the amount used.) the Blue Catalyst is also hard to get around and it seems it can’t be bought this days.
:encouragement:;)
 
If there was a way of getting large quantities of cheap resin, the dumspter diving Cherub Class would have been onto it years ago. My own home built boat's nationals winning mast had fallen off an RS600 and sat on the bottom of a lake for years until the tide went out and it was "upcycled". Matrix Mouldings and ECF tend to be the cheapest. However, if you have no experience of using epoxy as I think you mentioned in your post (apologies if wrong) go on a course or spend time with someone who knows what they are doing and buy them many beers for their expertise, you will spend far less on courses and beers than you will with wasted epoxy. And I certainly would not be learning to use epoxy on a yacht you intend to take across the pond.

Epoxy, additives and good quality cloth (not crap CSM mat) are murderously expensive, and probably for a good reason. You are going to see a significant chunk of your budget dissapear on that. Cost me probably a couple of hundred quid in materials just to redo two small bulkheads on my Sabre 27. Running a good radiused fillet eats epoxy and additives at an alarming rate, and you have tens of metres of them to do.

No doubt you don't want to hear that, so I'll leave you with this, rumour has it that peel ply is exactly the same stuff that tailors use to line suits, so you may be able to save a few quid there.
 
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