When I was active in building rods I bought and tried a lot of thread coats etc. Well it has been about 3 to 4 years and I have a bunch of stuff still left some of which has crystallized. I recall that microwaving can refresh the resins but I don't recall the method well. My basement is below 60 right now so everything not crystallized is slow to pour. I noticed that most of the hardeners have turned med to dark brown. I don't feel like throwing everything out if it is useable. So the question is what would be considered a useable shelf life if opened or if unopened. I am testing some rod bond and LS now to see if it is OK. I have a repair job to do and possibly a new rod. I am getting interested again and I will see how the mag eyes works on the rod wrapping. Of course now I have to find all of the stuff I accumulated.

John
God bless the troops and USA

I can understand your dilemma but I don't think I would take a chance. Just my 2cents.

John,

I'd warm those bottles up in the microwave to the point they felt pretty warm to the touch, then I'd sit them in a HOT water bath until the water cooled to room temp. Then stir a bit and test each one. I suspect they will be just fine.

DR

Epoxy doesn't go bad. There is no shelf life. It will outlast you, open or not.

Heat the resin until it returns to normal consistency. Set both bottles inside at room temp for an hour before using them and you'll be fine.

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Thanks for the information. I did see some references on the trondak site. It seems like the only thing which will expire or deteriorate is the water based color preservative. It is surprising how dark the accelerator gets even if in a dark (not in direct sunlight in a glass cabinet) storage area. it is reassuring that I am not wasting my time in testing the thread coatings.

John
God bless the troops and USA

In a thinner layer, it will not appear nearly as dark.

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John,
Although I suspect that the bond will be all right with the very dark hardner, I don't like either the look or the possible chance of failure.

I don't know what area you are located, but if you are in the Wi, or MN area, there is a lumber yard called Menards.
Menards carry various types of epoxy in 1 lb tubs. It is very inexpensive - $9 for the 1 lb tubs of epoxy.

I have been using this epoxy for many years and have never had a failure - or a bad cure.

I get the type that is called the 30 minute pro epoxy. I then use large syringes - with the tips cut off and 3/16th holes drilled into the end of the syringes to extract the epoxy from the tubs and mix it.

Works well and never have to worry about cleaning the syringes as long as you keep the syringes separate.

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In prior years when I used epoxy paints for model and car work, I would find that the hardner would turn dark after about a year. As a result, I tried to minimize the amount of hardner inventory. When a can of hardner turned dark, I would pitch it and purchase a new container of hardner.

Take care

Roger

There is absolutely nothing at all wrong with his epoxy. All hardeners turn amber to yellow to brown but that has zero affect on their ability to do their job. It will be just as good 100 years from now as it was when new.

And remember, the hardener continues darkening, even after it's been mixed and cured. So a fresh batch of hardener is also going to turn darker, either before you mix it, or after. It's just a matter of time.

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Somebody on this very website once mentioned that beer is amber looking through a glass full of it. But spill some out on the floor or counter and it's clear as a bell! Has to do with the thickness you're looking through.

Well I checked on the test samples today. Yep they cured up just fine --just a little yellower but will be fine for repairs and the rod bond fine for handles.