Pro Hints & Watch-Outs
Pro Hints & Things to Watch Out For
Pro hints
- Slow hardener is mandatory. Pouring ~1 gallon of epoxy into a tight space creates a massive exothermic reaction. If you use fast hardener, the resin will boil, turn milky white, and ruin the panel.
- Batch pouring. If you need to pour more than 32 oz at once, pour it in two batches spaced 15 minutes apart. This spreads out the heat generation and prevents flash-boiling in the bucket.
- Drill bit sizing. Make the drill holes for the bus bars slightly oversized. Flat bus wires have sharp corners that can chafe against the fiberglass during thermal expansion. A slightly larger hole prevents this.
- Size for the loosest channel. The R1T bed channel width is not consistent — it can measure anywhere from 54 15/16” to 55” along its length. A panel built at the wide end of that range will bind where the channel narrows. For any future or replacement panels, build to 54 3/4” × 13 1/2” × 1/2” to guarantee clearance across the full channel. The current build stays at 54 7/8” × 13 1/2” × 1/2” (ground down from 54 15/16” to fix a ~1/16” narrowing at the back of the channel); any specialized or replacement panels will use the new 54 3/4” dimension.
Things to watch out for
- Amine blush. If you skip washing the cured fiberglass back skin with soap and water before pouring the flood coat, the invisible waxy blush will act as a release agent. The flood coat will peel off the back skin later.
- Sulfur in clay. Double-check the packaging on your modeling clay. Sulfurized clay (often used for standard sculpting) will emit gases that stop epoxy from curing for a 2-inch radius around the hole, causing a permanent leak.
- Steel short circuits. Ensure no tabbing wire or cell edges are resting directly against the bare steel frame before you pour. Tape the inside bottom edge of the frame thoroughly.
- Resin shrinking. Epoxy shrinks by about 1-2% as it cures. Pouring slightly under the steel frame lip (the 1/16” gap) accounts for this shrinkage perfectly and prevents the panel from looking under-filled.
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