Resin flow and wetting laps

Sometimes you’ve just gotta make do under the conditions at hand.

Here south of the equator (Melb, Vic, AUS), we’re just  heading towards winter, so realistically there won’t be any more 25C days until probably October. I don’t have a shed, just an outdoor covered area, and I’ve got two boards I’m trying to finish before the depths of winter. I lammed yesterday at 15C (warmed board and resin). By the time I got to tucking the laps (about 5-6 minutes in), the resin was already going fairly gummy with the cold. Once I was sure there were no drips, I brought it inside the house to cure. It came out fine. Today is 20C (most of the past week has been around 12C), so I layed down a hotcoat. Later this arvo when it starts to get chilly, I’ll bring it inside to cure overnight. Hopefully tomorrow (forecast 21C), I’ll hotcoat the other side. Conversely in summer, I’ve done epoxy work in 42C heat (fantastic for an epoxy gloss coat, flip time is about 45mins!)

When you’ve got other demands on your time (work, kids, etc), you’ve just gotta take board building time when you can get it, and if that means less than ideal conditions, then so be it. With careful planning and preparation, it works out fine.

But Ray, for those new to epoxy, I agree your recommendations are spot on.

Cheers
Paul

Ray your right its not ideal but its a long time till summer here. It is breaking your epoxy rules and if it all goes wrong i will only have myself to blame. Not recomending it  at all

yep winter is comeing here to dark by 6pm and only getting colder  we won’t be seeing 25 till mid  late november     have had highs of 15 for most of the last two weeks  and frosts a few mornings.

Its just not practical to heat my shed at the moment its got a lot of holes for the warm to leak out of.

McDing I can see how a foam roller could lose bits into the lam the mones I’m useing are smooth and almost shiny for finishing with oil based paints not he softer more porous ones that look kinda like a sponge. I will have a look for some cotton ones next time to compare