[bolger] Re: "The Epoxy Mishap" or "The Humbling of Charles"
> Before I make the same mistake:Oswald:
>
> Shouldn't the order of mixing be:
> mix (Resin + Hardene ), then add additives (spheres, cabosil, wood
> flour, etc)?
That is generally how I do it. In addition, I try to establish the ratio of
additives needed in a batch by measuring what I use in a small ( one or two
ounce ) trial run. Then I premeasure the additives into a separate
container and dump them into the mixing bowl with the resin and hardener and
stir everything at once. Once the consistency is smooth ( usually about a
minute ) it is ready to use.
Chuck
That's right - another technique is to smear it around the inside walls of
the cup, instead of leaving it in a hot 'ball' in the bottom.
Gregg
At 09:52 AM 9/28/1999 EDT, you wrote:
the cup, instead of leaving it in a hot 'ball' in the bottom.
Gregg
At 09:52 AM 9/28/1999 EDT, you wrote:
>Charles,collection
> I have had at least my share of epoxy mishaps and have a nice
>of small "sculptures" and "bookends" to show for it, each made up of epoxythat
>with a mixing stick stuck in the top.
> I second the advice of the writer who suggested that the pot life can
>be increased by spreading the mixture out in a pan, so that the heat
>dissipates and does not accelerate the reaction. Here in sunny Florida,
>is an almost essential technique.and
> In the book that comes with System 3 epoxy, there is the following
>paragraph "This is a correct sequence for the addition of filler materials:
>1) correctly measure and mix resin/hardner 2) Add fiber fillers, if any
>mix well 3) Add bulking agents, if any, and mix well. 4) Add thixotropic
>agents and mix well"
> Hope this is helpful. Best regards, Warren
>
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>
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>
>
>
>
Charles,
I have had at least my share of epoxy mishaps and have a nice collection
of small "sculptures" and "bookends" to show for it, each made up of epoxy
with a mixing stick stuck in the top.
I second the advice of the writer who suggested that the pot life can
be increased by spreading the mixture out in a pan, so that the heat
dissipates and does not accelerate the reaction. Here in sunny Florida, that
is an almost essential technique.
In the book that comes with System 3 epoxy, there is the following
paragraph "This is a correct sequence for the addition of filler materials:
1) correctly measure and mix resin/hardner 2) Add fiber fillers, if any and
mix well 3) Add bulking agents, if any, and mix well. 4) Add thixotropic
agents and mix well"
Hope this is helpful. Best regards, Warren
I have had at least my share of epoxy mishaps and have a nice collection
of small "sculptures" and "bookends" to show for it, each made up of epoxy
with a mixing stick stuck in the top.
I second the advice of the writer who suggested that the pot life can
be increased by spreading the mixture out in a pan, so that the heat
dissipates and does not accelerate the reaction. Here in sunny Florida, that
is an almost essential technique.
In the book that comes with System 3 epoxy, there is the following
paragraph "This is a correct sequence for the addition of filler materials:
1) correctly measure and mix resin/hardner 2) Add fiber fillers, if any and
mix well 3) Add bulking agents, if any, and mix well. 4) Add thixotropic
agents and mix well"
Hope this is helpful. Best regards, Warren
>As this batch was setting up I started mixingBefore I make the same mistake:
> another batch, just the resin and the thicking agents, cabosil, and
> microspheres. I was attempting to get the second coat on before the
> first coat got past the gel stage. Well, after adding what seemed to
> be alot of the microspheres, I started to see some thickening. So I
> thought I would wait until I added the hardener before adding the rest
> of the spheres and cabosil.
>..
> I think "What Happened"?
Shouldn't the order of mixing be:
mix (Resin + Hardene ), then add additives (spheres, cabosil, wood
flour, etc)?
> Boy I'm glad someone mentioned to have a ragbetter
> soaked in vinegar ready for cleaning up a mess. Oh brother, the whole
> thing is a mess.
>
> What an experience. Certianly an education. I will try to plan
> next time. All I could think about is writing everyone about myin
> humbling experience as I cleaned up some of the mess. Well its 1:17
> the A.M., I need to go off to bed, just thought I'd give you a chuckle
> for the day.
>
> Hoping no one has epoxy trouble like me,
> Charles.
>
>
>
Thanks Charles,
I bet you triggered fond memories of everyone's first epoxy
"brushcicle" or in your case "trowelcicle!" Basically smaller batches
and spreading out thin after mixing to dissipate heat seems to help.
Thanks for the grin.
david beede
cpcorreia@...wrote:
a small area of my Folding Schooner, roughly an area 6" X 9", where I
dug out some wood of questionable character.
So its, Monday night at about 10:00, my husband duties at an end, so I
figure that I'll slip out to the garage and take care of this minor
epoxy job. Oh man, it makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time
to think of the arrogance of that thought. I of course have never used
epoxy, though I've read a good deal about it.
What a steep learning curve. Well, I set everything up, thanks to some
good advice here on the group, I had vinegar ready, tools laid out,
gloves, mask, etc. I started with a small batch, 1/2 cup, of
unthickend epoxy to wet out the area to build up. No problem,
everythings goes well, except I mixed to much epoxy. So a little
waste, but not bad for the first batch. Obviously I'm going to be good
at this. It took a bit longer to set up than I thought but it wasn't
very warm out there tonight so I figured a bit longer on time do to
lower temps, mid 60's. As this batch was setting up I started mixing
another batch, just the resin and the thicking agents, cabosil, and
microspheres. I was attempting to get the second coat on before the
first coat got past the gel stage. Well, after adding what seemed to
be alot of the microspheres, I started to see some thickening. So I
thought I would wait until I added the hardener before adding the rest
of the spheres and cabosil.
Well, at about the right moment I added the hardener and started
stirring, by hand, and began adding spheres. It was at this point that
I realized things were starting to get out of hand. First, the mix
wouldn't get to the thickness of peanut butter, and second, time was
slipping away, and third my wrist was begining to ache. Well this went
on for some twenty minutes, and finally in frustration, I grabed the
container of shperes and poured a bunch in the batch. Finally, its
getting thick! I look up at the clock, oh no, I'm going on 25 minutes,
and I'm about ready to do permanent damage to my wrist. I can't stir
much longer, and it still needs to be thicker. Oh no, there is no room
left in the container for more spheres, so I pour half into another
container and keep adding spheres. For several more minutes I try to
keep both batches going, oh what an idiot. Finally, I realize that I
have to let one cup of stuff alone (very painful for Mr. Frugal) and
concentrate on tring to get one of the containers on the boat. It's
now been thirty minutes, and finally its getting real thick, and boy is
it hot. So I start to trowel it on, force it into the cavities, and
I'm trying to work fast boy. Trowel then smooth, trowel then smooth,
oh no its not working, its to far gone and is not sticking to the boat,
oh no, oh no, oh no. It won't smooth, and the last pass over what I've
already laid out pulls it up. NIGHTMARE! No wonder its thick, its
thick because its setting up!!!
Finally, realizing that the game is lost, I start trying to get the
partially set up epoxy off the boat, fortunately it comes off easily.
I think "What Happened"? Boy I'm glad someone mentioned to have a rag
soaked in vinegar ready for cleaning up a mess. Oh brother, the whole
thing is a mess.
What an experience. Certianly an education. I will try to plan better
next time. All I could think about is writing everyone about my
humbling experience as I cleaned up some of the mess. Well its 1:17 in
the A.M., I need to go off to bed, just thought I'd give you a chuckle
for the day.
Hoping no one has epoxy trouble like me,
Charles.
Simplicity Boats (mirror sites - if one doesn't work...)
http://members.tripod.com/simplicityboats/
http://members.xoom.com/simpleboats/
Here's my latest boat:
http://members.tripod.com/simplicityboats/featherwind.html
Quasi esoteric musical instruments
unicornstrings.com
I bet you triggered fond memories of everyone's first epoxy
"brushcicle" or in your case "trowelcicle!" Basically smaller batches
and spreading out thin after mixing to dissipate heat seems to help.
Thanks for the grin.
david beede
cpcorreia@...wrote:
>Just a short note to bring everyone a laugh. Well, I need to build up
> Hi Everyone,
a small area of my Folding Schooner, roughly an area 6" X 9", where I
dug out some wood of questionable character.
So its, Monday night at about 10:00, my husband duties at an end, so I
figure that I'll slip out to the garage and take care of this minor
epoxy job. Oh man, it makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time
to think of the arrogance of that thought. I of course have never used
epoxy, though I've read a good deal about it.
What a steep learning curve. Well, I set everything up, thanks to some
good advice here on the group, I had vinegar ready, tools laid out,
gloves, mask, etc. I started with a small batch, 1/2 cup, of
unthickend epoxy to wet out the area to build up. No problem,
everythings goes well, except I mixed to much epoxy. So a little
waste, but not bad for the first batch. Obviously I'm going to be good
at this. It took a bit longer to set up than I thought but it wasn't
very warm out there tonight so I figured a bit longer on time do to
lower temps, mid 60's. As this batch was setting up I started mixing
another batch, just the resin and the thicking agents, cabosil, and
microspheres. I was attempting to get the second coat on before the
first coat got past the gel stage. Well, after adding what seemed to
be alot of the microspheres, I started to see some thickening. So I
thought I would wait until I added the hardener before adding the rest
of the spheres and cabosil.
Well, at about the right moment I added the hardener and started
stirring, by hand, and began adding spheres. It was at this point that
I realized things were starting to get out of hand. First, the mix
wouldn't get to the thickness of peanut butter, and second, time was
slipping away, and third my wrist was begining to ache. Well this went
on for some twenty minutes, and finally in frustration, I grabed the
container of shperes and poured a bunch in the batch. Finally, its
getting thick! I look up at the clock, oh no, I'm going on 25 minutes,
and I'm about ready to do permanent damage to my wrist. I can't stir
much longer, and it still needs to be thicker. Oh no, there is no room
left in the container for more spheres, so I pour half into another
container and keep adding spheres. For several more minutes I try to
keep both batches going, oh what an idiot. Finally, I realize that I
have to let one cup of stuff alone (very painful for Mr. Frugal) and
concentrate on tring to get one of the containers on the boat. It's
now been thirty minutes, and finally its getting real thick, and boy is
it hot. So I start to trowel it on, force it into the cavities, and
I'm trying to work fast boy. Trowel then smooth, trowel then smooth,
oh no its not working, its to far gone and is not sticking to the boat,
oh no, oh no, oh no. It won't smooth, and the last pass over what I've
already laid out pulls it up. NIGHTMARE! No wonder its thick, its
thick because its setting up!!!
Finally, realizing that the game is lost, I start trying to get the
partially set up epoxy off the boat, fortunately it comes off easily.
I think "What Happened"? Boy I'm glad someone mentioned to have a rag
soaked in vinegar ready for cleaning up a mess. Oh brother, the whole
thing is a mess.
What an experience. Certianly an education. I will try to plan better
next time. All I could think about is writing everyone about my
humbling experience as I cleaned up some of the mess. Well its 1:17 in
the A.M., I need to go off to bed, just thought I'd give you a chuckle
for the day.
Hoping no one has epoxy trouble like me,
Charles.
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> [click here]
> Click Here!
> eGroups.com home:http://www.egroups.com/group/bolger
> www.egroups.com - Simplifying group communications
Simplicity Boats (mirror sites - if one doesn't work...)
http://members.tripod.com/simplicityboats/
http://members.xoom.com/simpleboats/
Here's my latest boat:
http://members.tripod.com/simplicityboats/featherwind.html
Quasi esoteric musical instruments
unicornstrings.com
Hi Everyone,
Just a short note to bring everyone a laugh. Well, I need to build up
a small area of my Folding Schooner, roughly an area 6" X 9", where I
dug out some wood of questionable character.
So its, Monday night at about 10:00, my husband duties at an end, so I
figure that I'll slip out to the garage and take care of this minor
epoxy job. Oh man, it makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time
to think of the arrogance of that thought. I of course have never used
epoxy, though I've read a good deal about it.
What a steep learning curve. Well, I set everything up, thanks to some
good advice here on the group, I had vinegar ready, tools laid out,
gloves, mask, etc. I started with a small batch, 1/2 cup, of
unthickend epoxy to wet out the area to build up. No problem,
everythings goes well, except I mixed to much epoxy. So a little
waste, but not bad for the first batch. Obviously I'm going to be good
at this. It took a bit longer to set up than I thought but it wasn't
very warm out there tonight so I figured a bit longer on time do to
lower temps, mid 60's. As this batch was setting up I started mixing
another batch, just the resin and the thicking agents, cabosil, and
microspheres. I was attempting to get the second coat on before the
first coat got past the gel stage. Well, after adding what seemed to
be alot of the microspheres, I started to see some thickening. So I
thought I would wait until I added the hardener before adding the rest
of the spheres and cabosil.
Well, at about the right moment I added the hardener and started
stirring, by hand, and began adding spheres. It was at this point that
I realized things were starting to get out of hand. First, the mix
wouldn't get to the thickness of peanut butter, and second, time was
slipping away, and third my wrist was begining to ache. Well this went
on for some twenty minutes, and finally in frustration, I grabed the
container of shperes and poured a bunch in the batch. Finally, its
getting thick! I look up at the clock, oh no, I'm going on 25 minutes,
and I'm about ready to do permanent damage to my wrist. I can't stir
much longer, and it still needs to be thicker. Oh no, there is no room
left in the container for more spheres, so I pour half into another
container and keep adding spheres. For several more minutes I try to
keep both batches going, oh what an idiot. Finally, I realize that I
have to let one cup of stuff alone (very painful for Mr. Frugal) and
concentrate on tring to get one of the containers on the boat. It's
now been thirty minutes, and finally its getting real thick, and boy is
it hot. So I start to trowel it on, force it into the cavities, and
I'm trying to work fast boy. Trowel then smooth, trowel then smooth,
oh no its not working, its to far gone and is not sticking to the boat,
oh no, oh no, oh no. It won't smooth, and the last pass over what I've
already laid out pulls it up. NIGHTMARE! No wonder its thick, its
thick because its setting up!!!
Finally, realizing that the game is lost, I start trying to get the
partially set up epoxy off the boat, fortunately it comes off easily.
I think "What Happened"? Boy I'm glad someone mentioned to have a rag
soaked in vinegar ready for cleaning up a mess. Oh brother, the whole
thing is a mess.
What an experience. Certianly an education. I will try to plan better
next time. All I could think about is writing everyone about my
humbling experience as I cleaned up some of the mess. Well its 1:17 in
the A.M., I need to go off to bed, just thought I'd give you a chuckle
for the day.
Hoping no one has epoxy trouble like me,
Charles.
Just a short note to bring everyone a laugh. Well, I need to build up
a small area of my Folding Schooner, roughly an area 6" X 9", where I
dug out some wood of questionable character.
So its, Monday night at about 10:00, my husband duties at an end, so I
figure that I'll slip out to the garage and take care of this minor
epoxy job. Oh man, it makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time
to think of the arrogance of that thought. I of course have never used
epoxy, though I've read a good deal about it.
What a steep learning curve. Well, I set everything up, thanks to some
good advice here on the group, I had vinegar ready, tools laid out,
gloves, mask, etc. I started with a small batch, 1/2 cup, of
unthickend epoxy to wet out the area to build up. No problem,
everythings goes well, except I mixed to much epoxy. So a little
waste, but not bad for the first batch. Obviously I'm going to be good
at this. It took a bit longer to set up than I thought but it wasn't
very warm out there tonight so I figured a bit longer on time do to
lower temps, mid 60's. As this batch was setting up I started mixing
another batch, just the resin and the thicking agents, cabosil, and
microspheres. I was attempting to get the second coat on before the
first coat got past the gel stage. Well, after adding what seemed to
be alot of the microspheres, I started to see some thickening. So I
thought I would wait until I added the hardener before adding the rest
of the spheres and cabosil.
Well, at about the right moment I added the hardener and started
stirring, by hand, and began adding spheres. It was at this point that
I realized things were starting to get out of hand. First, the mix
wouldn't get to the thickness of peanut butter, and second, time was
slipping away, and third my wrist was begining to ache. Well this went
on for some twenty minutes, and finally in frustration, I grabed the
container of shperes and poured a bunch in the batch. Finally, its
getting thick! I look up at the clock, oh no, I'm going on 25 minutes,
and I'm about ready to do permanent damage to my wrist. I can't stir
much longer, and it still needs to be thicker. Oh no, there is no room
left in the container for more spheres, so I pour half into another
container and keep adding spheres. For several more minutes I try to
keep both batches going, oh what an idiot. Finally, I realize that I
have to let one cup of stuff alone (very painful for Mr. Frugal) and
concentrate on tring to get one of the containers on the boat. It's
now been thirty minutes, and finally its getting real thick, and boy is
it hot. So I start to trowel it on, force it into the cavities, and
I'm trying to work fast boy. Trowel then smooth, trowel then smooth,
oh no its not working, its to far gone and is not sticking to the boat,
oh no, oh no, oh no. It won't smooth, and the last pass over what I've
already laid out pulls it up. NIGHTMARE! No wonder its thick, its
thick because its setting up!!!
Finally, realizing that the game is lost, I start trying to get the
partially set up epoxy off the boat, fortunately it comes off easily.
I think "What Happened"? Boy I'm glad someone mentioned to have a rag
soaked in vinegar ready for cleaning up a mess. Oh brother, the whole
thing is a mess.
What an experience. Certianly an education. I will try to plan better
next time. All I could think about is writing everyone about my
humbling experience as I cleaned up some of the mess. Well its 1:17 in
the A.M., I need to go off to bed, just thought I'd give you a chuckle
for the day.
Hoping no one has epoxy trouble like me,
Charles.