HELP!!

[Sir Adam]

HELP!!
by Aargh
I did some patching on my Viper today, and despite being extremely careful to mix the resin and hardener in the correct proportions, the stuff is not hardening. It's been six hours and it's only slightly tacky.

Now what? Do I have to get it off? How?

Posted on Jul 6, 2002, 3:23 PM

Fun with Resin:)
by Sir Adam
Greetings...

Let it sit another 12 hours and check again...if it's still only tacky, pull it all off, clean it off with acetone (also known as fiberglass resin thinner:) ), sand it back down and try again. After some experiments with Polyester and Vinylester Resin, and West Systems Epoxy, I'm almost solely using epoxy now-with the minipumps it's a no-brainer to mix, and is HARD. Just watch the fumes as always (Drain Bamage, as usual).

Good luck!
Sir Adam
P.S. It will kick significantly faster in a warm area....
Posted on Jul 6, 2002, 4:16 PM

Humidity
by Silent Bob
Even if its warm, the stuff seems to cure more slowly when the humidity is high, although that is more of an issue with polyester than with epoxy.

I've been building a drift boat lately and I've been using epoxy by the gallon. Even with the little pumps, some batches seem to cure much more slowly than others. I have learned that the "20 minute pot life" does not mean that it sets in 20 minutes, it just turns to unworkable jelly but will not harden for several hours.

Some epoxies do not get genuinely hard for quite some time. They will cure to a rubbery consistency and then gradually harden completely over the course of a few days to a week. Keep that in mind if you plan on using the boat right away.

I have to agree with Adam, leave it overnight and if it still hasn't started to set, rip it out and try again. The creative use of profanity may be helpful.

-good luck
Posted on Jul 7, 2002, 7:03 AM

Read, measure, mix
by Roy
First off, read everything the maker of the resin system writes about your resin. Most of the resin folks have tech help phone lines. Some expoxy resins have very long cure times, some require high temperature cures.

Next, measure. Note a few systems can only be measured by weight. Many specify the mix in "parts per hundred" which is different than ratios expressed in "percents." Do exactly what the mfg tells you to do regarding ratios. You can't approximate or adjust like you can with VE or PE resin systems.

And, finally mix it for a bazillion times longer than would seem necessary. I mix epoxy for five minutes by the clock. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the container well while mixing.

Posted on Jul 7, 2002, 7:50 AM

Thanks
by aargh
I took Sir Adam's advice, and let it sit another 12 hours. Nothing. Still very tacky. But had no time to strip it off, so put the boat in the sun for the afternoon. Tonight, tackiness gone. May have turned the corner.

Thanks to all for the good advice.

Maybe the best advice is, as the book says, "relax, have a homebrew" when working with epoxy.

Aargh
Posted on Jul 7, 2002, 8:00 PM