I just opened a new delivery of RR epoxy and both cans(1L) of the resin are solid and the hardner is ok. I heated 10mls of the resing in a microwave and it went to liquid ok. Should I send it back or just heat it. The temp in the room is 10 C (50 F)
Any help appreciated
Doesn’t sound too good to me. I’ve had RR resin get thick at 50F but never solid.
greg’s been around lately, so maybe he’ll chime in…
the resin’s main component is BPA-diglycidyl ether; the actual “epoxy” in the resin. It’s a crystalline solid dissolved in other reactive components that keep it in viscous liquid form. It’ll crystallize out, over time, usually at lower temperatures like those you get in Ireland.
It’s essential that the resin be uniform in composition in order to obtain the physical properties designed in to it. I’d suggest leaving the resin in a bath of warm (not hot) water. Remember, the components in epoxy are reactive…heat expedites chemical reactions dramatically, also decomposition of reactive intermediates. Nuking the whole thing until it’s hot is likely a bad idea; warm bath, extended period, lots of stirring and shaking to bust up the solids is the way to go. Once it’s clear and uniform, lam away; should be fine. I’ve done this with my stuff that has solidified previously.
hth
Thanks Guys,
I heated the resin in water.
I lammed the bottom and it worked as normal.
Was it solid of just very thick? At 50F it should be quite thick. Warm it up and it should be fine.
It was solid, well past gel stage
Greg
Is there an approved way to bring the resin back to liquid state. I have had 3 diff batches go to solid state. This usually happens after the resin has been around for 6 plus months. The resin is stored in my shed which gets a bit chilly in the winter. I warmed one batch up in some hot water and while it went liquid for a few days it went back to an even more solid state about 7 days later and had to be discarded.
Thanks
Christian
I have been exchanging messages with Greg and he is looking into the issue. My only solution is to melt in boiling water and store somewhere over 65degrees such as an airing closet. At 60 degrees it starts to solidify again.
I HATE having chemicals in the house with kids around though.
that is very strange. I’ve been freezing my chip paint brushes to avoid using a new one when I flip the boards for the fill coat. No problems. After a few minutes the brush is pliable and the resin looks the same.
I have even used Benny1’s trick of freezing strips of resin saturated glass for repair work with no problems. Can’t see why 50 degree weather would be different. Is moving to Florida an option for you? Other than the language barier? I mean, we have screwed up the English language so much. ha
Hi Burnsie,
I’ve kept my RR down the shed in same temps, it goes quite think and can be a pain measuring out a small glob for repairs and waiting for it to come out the end of the bottle can give you arm ache,
I just stick the little cups on the heater for 5 mins and its liquid again. the add F goes on the heater at the same time, then I mix the resin up and place the heater under the board. resin is sandable in about 2 hours.
its more like a thick lump than a hard solid though. the resin is pritty old as I save the dregs from glassing full boards to use on the repairs/fins and small projects and get fresh resin when its time for a new board.
Once I got the caps mixed up and that was a pain, never done that again.
I get a lot of white residule form around the harner caps which I wipe off periodically.
Hey Greg,
My latest batch of RR resin had gone really thick and the best way to describe it is partially ‘crystallized’. It squeezes out of the bottle kinda like sausage partially a thick gell and partially small solid ‘crystals’. It’s summer and warm here in NYC and my studio is kept in the mid-low 70’s F. So just wondering what this might be.
Maybe it’s just old? I’ve had this batch for maybe 6 months or so.
Thanks
Rick.
I had 1/3 gal go gooy on me really thick
I just pitched it
aint dickin with it
it was a year old
I have just had that same thing happen to me… The RR is fairly old and has been kept in my garage for awhile (in the Pacific Northwest)… however, the idea of wasting all the epoxy just seemed a little expensive… (maybe i am just cheap)… anyway, the extreme thickness of the resin made pouring and measuring hard, but the glassing turned out fine in the end. I wouldn’t worry about it too much, unless it became completey solid… warming sounds like a good idea to me.
mine wouldnt even pour out the jug
that would make measuring hard… mine is nowhere near that bad… just very thick… if i couldnt even pour it out i would discard it too… Solution= store somewhere warmer??
The stuff is pretty thick at 10C Heating it is the right move.
RR is pretty resistant to crystalization but it can happen. Heating it will reconsitute.