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Great thread, but it got me wondering. Since all Hardener's turn to some degree, would storing all of those in the Regrigerator like Ralph suggest with Supreme - slow down or reduce this nasty phenomenon? Or is it only the stuff that LS uses in it's hardener that is effected by temperatures?

What exactly causes all the other Hardener's to turn, or is each brand different?

Billy,
I just checked my finishes and my Aftcote has turned a little darker. I just got a new kit in and compared the two and the older hardner is a little darker. BTW, Aftcote is some GREAT stuff! My favorite by far! I have some Classic Coat and it has turned darker. I guess it's inherit in all of them. But I don't know if keeping it in the "Regrigerator" will make any difference....LOL

All the others are going to darken no matter what you do. Put them in the dark, put them in the cold, put them in your pants pocket and dance a jig. They'll turn brown over time no matter what you do.

Billy,

The hardener is an amine resin. With time, the amine oxidizes. Heat speeds up the reaction as does keeping the bottle open any more than you have to. If you put it in the fridge, it will slow it down. However, I've never had a problem using darker hardener (unless I mix too much hardener into the mix).

Thanks,
Rick

I have been using the American tackle hardener that is dark and it still comes out clear on the wraps. But I think that all you can do is try putting it in the refrigerator as I think I will do the same and see what happens.

Neal
Neals Fishing Products

Neal - that's what I'm doing. Half of my Hardeners are in the Fridge, half not. All are about teh same color right now. I was wondering if anyone has tried this before.

For what it's worth - at the NERDs gathering in Massachusettes, we applied 6 diffrent epoxies over WHite NCP. All went on clear eceptfor teh one with the dakest Hardener. That stick is in the sun and we'll be checking it out every few months to see what changes occur.

It doesn't have to be in the sun. They'll all darken even in a dark closet except for LS Supreme. However it is when it goes on the rod is about how it'll stay.