Gold Coast supplies?

[Nicholasd]

The Sika ppm 48/19 are in short supply still (17/03/2023) and one shop can get the product for $50 + $50 small order fee from Sika and $20 postage! $120!

Is there an alternative? Can I use hemp or sisal natural rope fibers?

[david s]

I get mine from Bradfast Townsville who are our local Sika supplier. Try online perhaps, through EBay. These pp fibres are normally used in concrete to reduce early shrinkage cracking, but have the quality of melting at a low temp (160C). I have tested this in a conventional oven to confirm the result. Other fibres like sisal probably won’t work at such a low temp, but you could test them. Also maybe test human hair, easily obtainable from a barber, or dog hair from a pet groomer. CAUTION, make sure your wife is not around when you test them in your kitchen oven, hair really stinks when it burns. Use a proper oven thermometer rather than the oven thermostat. You can get them for less than $10 at kitchen shops, accurate and measure the actual oven air temp.
Also remember that the smaller the fibre, the greater the difficulty in dispersion evenly in the mix.