Thursday, October 9, 2014

Surprise Results

While I've been figuring what I need to tent off the work area (how much plastic sheeting, lumber, etc), I've been doing a few bits of epoxy work with surprising results.

Temperatures in the barn have been in the mid-50s (outside temperatures in the upper 50s) when I filled a couple of spots between the sheer and adjoining planks. Twenty-four hours later (with an overnight low in the high 30s and outside temperatures again in the upper 50s) the epoxy was soft but not tacky. Eighteen hours after that, the epoxy appears to be cured. I'll let it sit for awhile longer before trying to sand it but I am pleasantly surprised by this result. >br>
The area needs some sort of enclosure and heat but I know work can continue until improvements to the space can be done.

2 comments:

  1. Yes, sounds right. Do be cautious (especially moving large parts around the shop), as from the way I understand it, the epoxy may not have attained it's full strength properties until fully cured and that takes not only time but temperature as far as I remember.

    Probably worth contacting your epoxy supplier on the details.

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    Replies
    1. That is my understanding, too - time and temperature factor in to the curing of epoxy. Thanks for the reminder not to move uncured epoxied parts and components around. Fortunately, the current epoxy work is on the hull which will not be moved until at least the end of the month (weather permitting epoxy and paint between now and then) or, perhaps, next spring.

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