Hi,

I just had a goof with West System. While doing the 'weave-fill' coat on a glassing job, I didn't notice until it was too late that my very old pump on the hardner can wasn't extending all the way up after I depressed it to dispense the liquid. Consequently, the mix ratio was screwed up and the resin hasn't cured past tacky after two days of direct sunlight. Since this stuff normally sands to powder after a few hours in direct sunlight, I'm guessing this isn't going to cure all the way.

Have any of you ever had this experience and, if so, what did you do? I thought about maybe trying a thinned-down harder brush-over to see if it might retro-react and finish off the cure, but then I realized that the idea happened to come to me while watching a re-run of "The Three Stooges" so I'm suspicious of the relative wisdom of it. Ideas?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Hmmmm...

It sounds like you were too LIBERAL with the mix ratio. Maybe if you try to be more CONSERVATIVE with the next batch, it might balance out.

Ba ha ha ha ha ha!

Beave

I'd call West or someone (boat dealer/manufacturer) that deals in the product heavily...IMO!


www.westsystem.com Technical Assist: 866-937-8797 9 to 5 EST or these folks are good: www.jamestowndistributors.com

Rex

Try going over it with a Hair dryer just don't leave it in one place for too long. You want the surface to get warm not hot.

This should add enough "catalyst" to the process to get it to cure.

Bob

Here are the West System Tech numbers.

Technical Services: Toll free 866-937-8797 / 989-684-7286 / Fax 989-684-1287


I would call them as they have been very helpful to me in the past on boat projects.

You can also find them at :www.westsystems.com

Shaun I screwed up a few weeks ago using US Composite epoxy. I was mixing 36 grams of resin at 4 to1. I should have put 9 grams of hardener in and only put 3 grams in. I read on line that if you wait it will harden up. It took about two weeks but it did finely get hard, I was glassing wings when I screwed up, but it all worked out. George

EDITED

REASON FOR EDIT: That was too cruel, even for BEAVE

Shaun

I did this similar thing back in 04 when I was building my PCM109.

instead of going 5:1 using the pumps, I went 25:1 as I didnt realize
the pumps made up the 5:1 difference

anyways, the epoxy did kick off finally................it took over a week.

I was patient with it, but it did cure, and sanded out OK.

todd

Hi,

Thanks for the input, guys. I'll give them a call, but it does feel encouraging to know the stuff might kick off eventually.

Heating will accelerate the cure. If the piece is small enough to fit into the oven, then putting it in there with the temp. set as low as you can go will work. For larger pieces, we built a "hot box" with wooden sides and a transparent top and set it outside on the blacktop. Temps inside easily reached 140-150 F and that cured the epoxy in no time.

Doing that should help your issue. I've thought about the "brush on harder" approach when I've done that before, but I was always worried about making a bad situation worse, so I never tried it...

Bob

+1 Heat it!

HI, I did the same the other day, just a tad less hardener and will not cure.
Best solution is to get MEK or lacquer thinner, remove as much as possible and grind the rest off. Start fresh or you will have a losing battle.
Rcpete

Pete...what are you fixing now

I did the same thing in June of '97... I forgot to put any hardner in it. I'm still waiting !!!!!!


I couldn't pass it up !!

Danno

HI Rich, these are my transport stands, 3 made so far, 8 to go.
Rcpete

Hi,

Thanks again, everyone. Your heat theory turned out correct! I thought about that earlier (even the oven method), but I had a bad experience doing that with another sheeted-foam structure. What I ended up doing was using a "hot box" of sorts. I put the parts (there were 12 parts in all) in a parked car with the tacky side up (fortunately, this only happened to one side of the parts ) and let it sit there all day from sun-up to sun-down. No more tacky! You can bet I won't be making that mistake again...

Yea, there is definitely too hot! Also, I think that UV rays help too, so the "hot box" seems to be one of the best ways to do it...

Bob

If it happens again, another little trick that works most of the time, is to put some acetone into a paint gun and spray a light coat over the fiberglass. Not wet, but not quite a dust coat, kind of an in between coat. I don't know why, but this allows it to flash off within a few hours. I don't remember where I heard this, but I've used it on automotive parts and it's worked great with both polyester and epoxy resins.

Another great tip Jeremy... I'll have to remember that one also.

Pete, your stands look great

Not laughing at anyone person but that is funny! I hope you get your problem fixed! You come to the right place for answers but I am not able to answer being never had happen to me, What to do what to do?