Yeah, kinda agree... UV does need to be considered.. What you call a problem... I call a feature... It's called 'patina'. It's only with 'clears' this is an issue. I've never seen an epoxy that gives the absolute water clear finish, like on your 'terminator' handles- they are top notch 'special'- not knocking your work- I love it! The answer to the uv issue is achievable (not perfectly) with absorbers, and correct finishing. Floorboards should be finished with a clear polyurethane and then if kept 'waxed' as a maintenance schedule they can last, well, till the polyurethane wears through- and then urethane should be re-applied.... With care a floor can easily last hundreds of years with only the natural darkening of the timber under the coating and a deep 'patina' and character being developed.... There is no such thing as a 'maintenance free' finish is there? With Polyester it's failing is that throughout it's life, it (constantly) continues to absorb water and break down... Blistered gel coat and what the ignorant boatbuilding industry call 'osmosis' is not a 'sickness' as is commonly purveyed- but rather a predictable feature/failure of a shitty product. When Polyesters cure their molecules (in simple layman terms) form into long chains which spiral around each other and are inherently weak and brittle- almost glasslike in character compared to epoxies which whilst curing form into more of a a cross-linked matrix with multiple cross-links on each molecule... A much superior matrix that allows epoxies to be formulated into much more flexible, tougher, stronger, etc product than a Polyester will ever be able to be. That's the great strength and weakness of epoxy- because it can so readily be formulated to maximise certain requirements or characteristics by the Industrial Chemist formulating it- each formulation will have a comparatively more specialised application. You can see this with West brand epoxy where there are various different 'hardeners' for the same resin- each one emphasising certain characteristics... Heat: Even garden grade epoxies only begin to soften at 60C... It's anecdotal but proves a point that Araldite is an epoxy formulation that has been used by countless urban and bush mechanics for many years to 'glue' the pot handle back on the pot, or the exhuast bandage, etc, etc, etc.... My point is that in the application being discussed the (practical temperatures being discussed) are a non-issue. Just like the strength issue is a non- issue, because even though polyester resins are weak and brittle by nature- they are still 'strong enough' for the casting of accessory coffee machine handles.... Anyway, it's your poison you choose to use and you can use it any way you like.... As to your throw away line about the Ol Timer shapers still being around... Be careful there because for every one you can show me that is still around... I'm absolutely certain I can show you 10 more who have taken an early dirt nap..... Question is which group would you rather be in? Anyway, clearly I know much more about epoxy resins than I do about coffee- but given this is a coffee forum I will now shut my cake hole and allow the thread to remain/go back on topic....
