i am getting close to doing my first infusion…and reading the instructions again for my infusion resin.but i am a little unclear on cure and post cure. i am going to use infared heat lamps to provide the heat. “cure” is right after the infusion correct? that is when i want to add my first stage of heat? and post cure is adding the heat for the second stage…is that with the piece is still in the mold? or after the piece is demolded?
take it easy on me boys…ive never done this before…
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What resin do you have data sheets
yes i do but it dosnt go into detail about “when” to apply the heat…they just say “what” the cure temp and post cure temp are… i need to know “when”
Got a link? Some resins like the heat right after infusions, some like the heat after normal cure, and some like the post cure with the part demolded. If your resin doesn’t talk about when to start the post cure I would start it when the infusion is done. If they don’t go into detail on when to start the post cure don’t be to worried if you start it right after infusion or 3 hours after. As long as you give it the heat it needs it will reach the tg and properties it’s rated for.
When reading this part it seems that you let it cure before applying the heat. “Allow the applied resin system to cure at room temperature until for 18 to 24 hours and if possible, expose heat cure it in an oven or other source of radiant heat (220°F to 250°F) for45 minute to an hour.”
hmmmm… i didnt catch that part. on the technical data sheet that came with the resin it says…heat cure 2 hours at 80 degrees celcius PLUS 1 hour at 100 degrees celcius… that must be after 24 hours of ambient temp right?
Yeah the wording is alittle wierd and hard to understand. I think that’s the longest ebay page I’ve ever seen. I would just try some test panels so you don’t waste materials by doing the mold. Maybe steal the wifes mirror? :rolleyes: Small hardware stores usually have scrap glass that can be bought for under $15. Tape it to a flat surface to give it strength cause they arn’t tempered and will break.
i know i know about the length of the page. sheesh. good idea about doing some test pieces. i will do that tomorrow…now the million dollar question… how much resin do i mix up? i know it impossible for you to answer, is there any rule of thumb?
I always mix more than needed, write down my layup write down my volume of resin an weigh it then infuse untill the part is fully wetted out etc then weigh whats left over subtract the 2 and thats how much resin youve used so next time you infuse a part of the same size you got all the data you need to know. Its handy for production
Are you using this resin for your carb hats?
If you already bought this resin ok but if you didn’t yet I suggest you switch to a vynilester room temp resin. Might not even need an infusion grade resin as your parts are small and your gonna only use two layers of fabric. A gallon is a lot to start with. I would deffinately advise you not to go with a post cure resin as your first project for two reasons.
One you are adding another variable in the quest for surface quality and a good part.
And two your now committing yourself to a gallon of this stuff.
Plus ve is about half the cost opposed to epoxy.
HOly ebay page batman.
In short:
the resin will take 4-7 days to cure at room temp.
You can speed the cure by raising the temp to 100c for 2hr.
I think you can post-cure AFTER your initial cure at 120c(max) for an hour.
Layer it says it cures 24hr at room temp. Not sure, test it out on a small plaque/fabric plate. Wait 24hr, see if it’s cured and cracks.
I do see them saying 35% resin for a VARTM or wetlayup is pure BS. 50% is normal for VARTM!! Uni-prepregs which are the lowest resin content materials are 35%.
(Total Weight of Fabric divided by 60%)X( 40%)= weight of mixed resin needed is what they mentioned. I would go up from there a tiny bit. plus, if doing infusion, count in any tubing and flow media volumes!!