EPOXY BLUES

I’m building my craft under difficult conditions.   Here in the sub-tropics it’s hot (high 70°s to mid 80°s F daily) with high humidity ranging from 60% to 80%.   It's bit like Florida in summer, I believe.   I have made the usual small number of mistakes in this project (all correctable!) but the biggest by far is starting to build at this time o’ year!   Never again.   I guess it’s the opposite of you winter-bound North Americans, working in your freezing lofts, basements, garages. I do wonder if these conditions are contributing to the issues of the epoxy taking so long to fully cure – it’s still tacky two or three full days after applying: and there is a very considerable amount of amine blush wax over the surfaces.   It’s almost as if I’d taken a white wax candle and deliberately melted it and smeared it all over.  I’ve been able to remove this (I hope!) by scraping and washing-down with various things, but it’s huge problem that I’d like to avoid in future. 

Are there any thoughts on these factors?   I am using a reputable brand epoxy produced by a specialist small boat-building supply company, and the ratios should be spot-on with the dispenser pumps I am using.   I am, of course, mixing thoroughly after dispensing, so all those variables seem taken care of.

I will start my next build - probably the Shearwater 17 S&G - mid-year, our 'winter', that being a comparative term.   Temps then in mid to low 20's (70 - 75 F): next to no humidity: water temp here in the sheltered and shallow Bay about the same!   Bliss.

Would appreciate any views and guidance on this issue.

Lol from Oz

6 replies:

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RE: EPOXY BLUES

Are you sure you are using the right pump for each component? The larger volume pump should be for the resin and the smaller volume pump for the hardener. Are the pumps supplied by the epoxy manufacturer? If not they could be mixing the wrong ratio. I have never heard of high temperatures keeping the epoxy from curing. High temperatures will make it cure faster. Generally if epoxy is not curing it is because the mix ratio is off or it is not mixed well enough.

RE: EPOXY BLUES

I have finally got the supplier to admit that "just before Christmas" they received a faulty batch of hardener which delays the usual rate of curing - mine would probably have come from this - story of my life!!!!   He tells me that it does set as required "eventually" - the big question being - "what does eventually mean?".   Stuff I have assembled/ coated earlier, say several days ago, is now cured OK, but it's been very frustrating.   I, too, would have expected the heat to have expedited curing, but wasn't sure about the impact of the excessive humidity.   The supplier is prepared to give me a replacement kit of epoxy and hardener (value $101 Oz), and taking the point above I'll also demand new pumps as the originals are clearly contaminated.   I guess if this was the litigous USA, or elsewhere, I'd be demanding money back plus compensation for all the materials used to date, hours worked, stress and suffering, and so on!   It's been pretty frustrating, but I can and will now proceed with the new stuff - but I'll trial it first.

Thanks for input -no more responses sought unless soothing words - Lol from Oz 

 

RE: EPOXY BLUES

If you have access to MAS epoxy, it won't blush.

I would be happy that bad batch didn't ruin the boat. At least is DID eventually cure.  :-)

RE: EPOXY BLUES

Hi,
This is max from canada. I am a newbie of this site and i think this site has a lot to provide to the visitors.
onlinev
[url=http://www.talkingcamping.com]Camping[/url]

RE: EPOXY BLUES

Hi,
This is max from canada. I am a newbie of this site and i think this site has a lot to provide to the visitors.
onlinev
[url=http://www.talkingcamping.com]Camping[/url]
<a href=http://www.talkingcamping.com>Camping</a>

RE: EPOXY BLUES

Fishbuster - yeah, it has eventually cured - and those bits that are still tacky will get there.   I laminated the cross-beam about two (2) weeks ago and left it in the jig to REALLY set hard, given that this is a fairly important structural member.   Getting down to removing the oozed-out excess epoxy today, it was like rock or glass - in  fact I had to use the angle grinder on it.   At one point a large chunk of cured epoxy came off - if a decent diamond-cutter had got his hands on it he could have turned it into a cut gem that Liz Taylor would have been proud of.  

I also drilled out some decent-sized holes in the sides of the hulls to install the footbrace/ rudders today - the resultant 'cores' off the drill bit were given a gynaecologically-close examination - they were also rock-hard so I have no inhibitions about structural integrity - it's just taken too long to get there!

Cheers and the best from Lol from Oz

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