Hi there, What’s the best way to speed up the cure time of epoxy lamination? I have considered the metal halide but it 'll emit UV. I have an idea to put a electric heater in the glassing room. By increasing the temperature to speed up the cure time. Do your guys have any experience or recommendation? Thanks for your attention. Regards, Crabie
Hi there, What’s the best way to speed up the cure time of epoxy > lamination? I have considered the metal halide but it 'll emit UV. I have > an idea to put a electric heater in the glassing room. By increasing the > temperature to speed up the cure time. Do your guys have any experience or > recommendation? Thanks for your attention.>>> Regards,>>> Crabie Crabie, you should call Clyde Beatty Products in Santa Barbara Ca. They are the masters if epoxy, & have been doing them longer than anyone I know of. there #(805) 965-3180 Ray
Thanks Ray,
I use a small cooler full of hot water. Put your resin contaner (the one you mix your batch in) for about 5 to 10 mins (depending on the outside temp.). Pull the bucket out then throughly mix in your hardner. This will thin the viscosity of the resin and speed the kick time.
Thanks Mike, Does it speed up the pot life or the cure time or both? Cos I read from the Epoxy Hand book, it says that it can only helpful to speed up pot life. Theoritically, higher temperature will speed up both, but the hand book just mention the pot life. And I would like to seek for your recommendation to see how fast it could help.>>> I use a small cooler full of hot water. Put your resin contaner (the one > you mix your batch in) for about 5 to 10 mins (depending on the outside > temp.). Pull the bucket out then throughly mix in your hardner. This will > thin the viscosity of the resin and speed the kick time.
Thanks Mike, Does it speed up the pot life or the cure time or both? Cos I > read from the Epoxy Hand book, it says that it can only helpful to speed > up pot life. Theoritically, higher temperature will speed up both, but the > hand book just mention the pot life. And I would like to seek for your > recommendation to see how fast it could help. Good point. I’ve read accounts from vaccum baggers. They use extremely slow-kick epoxy so they have enough time to laminate, bag, and pull a vaccum before the resin kicks. In cool weather, some of them use electric blankets to set the lam resin. Peter Rijk? Mrs. Crabie probably wouldn’t like sleeping under an epoxy blanket, so I’d be careful. -Noodle
kakakak Mr. Noodle, Its Crabie from Hong Kong, here’s not so cool and dont need a electric blanket.>>> Good point.>>> I’ve read accounts from vaccum baggers. They use extremely slow-kick epoxy > so they have enough time to laminate, bag, and pull a vaccum before the > resin kicks. In cool weather, some of them use electric blankets to set > the lam resin.>>> Peter Rijk?>>> Mrs. Crabie probably wouldn’t like sleeping under an epoxy blanket, so I’d > be careful.>>> -Noodle
In my limited experience (and I am no epoxy expert), it has done both. Obviously you will notice and have to be most aware of the pot life, since the temp will be greater in the pot (because of the fact that the pot is holding the heated resin and the heat from the reaction of the hardner and resin in a confined space). The pot wil always kick faster, compared to a thin layer (as I am sure you are aware of). Be VERY CAREFUL. Unless you are glassing in cold weather, I would not heat the resin. Be patient. That is what I would do. I only heat the resin for the sanding layer, because it flows better. You can use poly hotcoat, but you have to be sure to prep the board really well (or it won’t stick ((bannana peel effect)), and the poly resin will MELT your eps core if exposed). Noodle does his like this, I am sure he can give you some pointers. I like to use epoxy resin for the sanding layer because compared to poly resin it is way stronger and it won’t melt my eps core. It is always best to let your lam. sit. A buddy of mine, who has been doing epoxy for over 10 years, says that he wil let his lamed board sit for up to a week and that as the lam cures, the board will become lighter. I believe this is because you are not trapping the gas put off by the curing layer by putting on your sanding layer right away. I have tried to get him to post some info on the BB, but he is too busy (so he says). If you are use to doing poly boards, waiting sucks. The last poly I did, I was able to lam and hot coat the whole thing in just a few hours (with UV additive it can be way faster). But I would rather wait and net a much lighter, Much Stronger board. Just make sure your ratio is always 2:1 and you mix it really well (if you don’t, it will never set and be like rubber cement) and that you prep the board between stages to ensure the resin will bond. Epoxy resin does not bond well to itself (compared to just about anything else). I think you will be totally stoaked with the eps/epoxy set up. Good luck.
Thanks Mike, I prefer to use hot water to speed up the cure time rather than electric heater. Its much safer. And I 'll never try to use poly resin in eps board. Do u have any experience in hand lay carbon fiber? I m planning to have another project to use carbon fiber on my skimboard. I dont have a vaccum bag and actually dont have any experts (in H.K.) can help me using it. so I 'll consider to use heat for speeding up the cure time. As what I have remember, heat is an alternative to evaporate water from the resin which give much stiffness than natural dries up. Do u agree with that? Regards, Crabie > In my limited experience (and I am no epoxy expert), it has done both. > Obviously you will notice and have to be most aware of the pot life, since > the temp will be greater in the pot (because of the fact that the pot is > holding the heated resin and the heat from the reaction of the hardner and > resin in a confined space). The pot wil always kick faster, compared to a > thin layer (as I am sure you are aware of). Be VERY CAREFUL. Unless you > are glassing in cold weather, I would not heat the resin. Be patient. That > is what I would do. I only heat the resin for the sanding layer, because > it flows better. You can use poly hotcoat, but you have to be sure to prep > the board really well (or it won’t stick ((bannana peel effect)), and the > poly resin will MELT your eps core if exposed). Noodle does his like this, > I am sure he can give you some pointers. I like to use epoxy resin for the > sanding layer because compared to poly resin it is way stronger and it > won’t melt my eps core.>>> It is always best to let your lam. sit. A buddy of mine, who has been > doing epoxy for over 10 years, says that he wil let his lamed board sit > for up to a week and that as the lam cures, the board will become lighter. > I believe this is because you are not trapping the gas put off by the > curing layer by putting on your sanding layer right away. I have tried to > get him to post some info on the BB, but he is too busy (so he says).>>> If you are use to doing poly boards, waiting sucks. The last poly I did, I > was able to lam and hot coat the whole thing in just a few hours (with UV > additive it can be way faster). But I would rather wait and net a much > lighter, Much Stronger board.>>> Just make sure your ratio is always 2:1 and you mix it really well (if you > don’t, it will never set and be like rubber cement) and that you prep the > board between stages to ensure the resin will bond. Epoxy resin does not > bond well to itself (compared to just about anything else). I think you > will be totally stoaked with the eps/epoxy set up. Good luck.
Sorry, I have no experience with carbon fiber. As far as the vacuum bag thing, I know Peter Rijk has posted a pic of this technique on this site. From what he says, it is not complicated (I have not tried it). As far as your last question, I am in no way qualified, or intelligent enough to address it. Noodle seems to be really into structural theory/engineering concepts and could probably give you feedback on that. I just know enough to make what I like to ride. I know enough to know that there is much I have to learn. Good luck with your projects.
hi Crabie, is ‘kakakak’ in Hong Kong like ‘ha ha ha’ over here? also, does Crabie rhyme with ‘crabby’ or with ‘baby’? i’m sorry i don’t know anything about epoxy, but i was curious and had to know. regards, ramon (ramon doesn’t rhyme with anything - here anyway)>>> kakakak Mr. Noodle, Its Crabie from Hong Kong, here’s not so cool and dont > need a electric blanket.