problems with clear epoxy laminating resin

General Composites Discussions Products Talk
#1

http://www.icancomposites.com/product_info.php/cPath/32/products_id/67

i tried using this a few months ago and was very unhappy with it. it didn’t fully cure and still felt ‘soft and gelly’ and never really lived up to it’s price. i have a lot of this stuff sitting on the shelf and don’t want it to go to waste, so does anyone have any tips w/ this stuff?

i used it as a 2:1 ratio which i assumbed because it came w/ 3 bottles, 2 x a bottle and 1 x b bottle (which i assumed was the hardener). is this the wrong ratio?

#2

You must be accurate in measuring the recommended ratios. You must mix the components thoroughly. 99.9% of the problems people have with epoxy resins are user error.

Just my opinion & everbody’s got one.

#3

very very ture! but I have gotten a bad batch before, I have used probally 10 bottle of that stuff and I think my 8th bottle I got I did everything as normal and I would consider myself an experianced user of it just for the fact I have use a lot of it and I had bad results with the 8th bottle just for the fact I think it was a bad batch or just too old

#4

hm it might be a bad batch, but it’s most likely user error.

is the ratio for this item 2:1? it wasn’t mentioned anywhere when i received mine.

#5

i use a different brand but have used both, your best bet is to call the manufacture and ask

#6

what ratio do you guys use?

#7

I weigh out my components. I always get the product spec sheet off the manufacturer’s website & follow it to the letter when it tells the ratios to use. Also, by volume the ratio maybe 2:1 but by weight it is always different so check the product spec sheet.

#8

It’s a 2:1 by volume. I agree with Rob here… 99% of the time it’s operator error. If you’ve never used epoxy before then you are not used to the strict requirement of mixing epoxy. Why is it different from polyester? Here’s a quick explaination.

Polyester and Vinyl Ester already have the resin and hardener mixed together @ the correct ratio. All you have to do is add catalyst to that mixture to get the chemical reaction going. More catalyst = faster reaction time and vice versa.

Epoxy, on the other hand, comes with resin and hardener separated. You are required to mix them to the exact ratio as specified by the manufacturer. Too much of one or the other and you’ll get a resin that won’t cure properly. You should also mix epoxy for at least 3-5 minutes thoroughly.

EMI - It would be super rare to get a bad batch. Resin, made by batches, are always tested before being packaged. You could have gotten an old batch of resin… but I don’t think you’ll ever get a bad batch.

#9

you are probally right, they were all bought at different times and I did call the manufacture about it and he said the same thing, must have been just a old batch