Howzit guys.
I started having a issue with my epoxy curing to fast. really fast, setting up in just a few minutes.
I warm my epoxy in hot water and mix even parts like ive done 100 times and now for some reason im having issues.

Maybe i got it to hot?

Almost sure that is the problem! Unless it is very cold, there is little reason to warm it. Some do to thin it, but heat does accelerate the curing.

the Question I have when it cures it is a process of heat action / chemical . The question I have now is how hot do
you let your get ??? if it is over 75 deg that could be speeding up your setting time , this is a 2 part epoxy ? [ 50/50 ]
if it is a epoxy that you put drops to it? I know you can mix it hot , an smoke will come off it . [ did it one time ]
I think you got it to hot ,

William Sidney
AK

yes, I got it to hot. I got some fresh epoxy and was careful not to get the water to hot and had zero issues :)
Thanks guys.

even the old epoxy, still be used just don't get ant it warmer than pee water warm before mixing, About 70 DEG works great some people want it about 80 Deg. but I work slow

William Sidney
AK

The epoxies we use are formulated to work well at about 70 degrees. You can go up to about 80 and cut the time in half (for every 10 degrees F cut the time in half). Keep in mind that 80 degrees F is almost 20 degrees cooler than human body temperature so if you warm you epoxy until it feels "warm in the hand", it might be about 110F which is a full 50 degrees above the designed temperature which means you've cut that cure time in half - 4 times... This would mean a 4 hour cure time would be less about 15 minutes, with a setup time less than that, and a pot life less than that.

For future reference, it's about 18F up or down that halves or doubles the cure time.

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I had a problem and someone on this forum told me to micro wave it for 10 sec. before use. I did that in it helped a lot. In fact the finish is better and I have plenty of time before it starts to cure. For me it was great advise. Phil Ayers

If the finish, usually the resin, is a bit thick due to cold temps, you can give it a brief hit in the microwave. Or, set the bottles of epoxy in a warm room about 30 minutes to an hour before starting work. But you don't want to get the notion that simply warming or heating the finish for the sake of warming or heating it is a good thing. It's something you do if it needs to be done, not as a matter of course.

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Tom is correct ,

Temperature for Tuesday, Mililani Hawaii High 76, Low 69.

If you live in the higher elevations in Hawaii, there may be a need to warm the area to cure the epoxy. I would prefer using a lite build and having a slower cure time.

Don Becker

Or even turn on some air to cool the place off

Bill - willierods.com

If you do have to work in conditions that are warmer than optimum and or if the epoxy is warmer than optimum, just mix very small batches so that the work that you do in the two or three minutes of working time can be well spent without the finish curing. It might mean that you only coat one or two guides, and or perhaps just a butt wrap.

Working this way, will let you still do a great job on applying finish to the rod under these adverse conditions.

Be safe

No need to warm the epoxy

Bill - willierods.com

Bill,
That depends on whether you have to warm the epoxy or not.

If you happen to be up on the cold country, and the epoxy is sitting outside where it is -50 F, I suspect that it would be a great idea to warm the epoxy.

You just need to know the current temperature of the epoxy. Certainly if the epoxy is between about 65 and 75, it will go on really well. If it is colder than that, there will be problems. If it is hotter than that, it will cure very quickly. But, if you work like lightning, you can use the warmer epoxy as well.

Good rule of thumb is to coat a complete rod in 2-3 minutes and you should be good under most situations with epoxy finish.

Be safe

He said it is drying to fast High temps Why warm it
Either thin it or use a light build finish

Bill - willierods.com

I think Bill's got you there Roger... he was responding to the original poster.

/smile

if some of the epoxy has crystals in it ? it needs to be warmed up some , at least get the crystals out of it , As I live in Alaska an the basment is cool I have to be carfull of the temp, but 65 to 75 works real well for me, some times I let it set in warm water not hot water to take out
the crystals , a box with a light bulb in it works well also , don't get it to hot, as it will speed up the curing time to much,
I work slow ,

William Sidney
AK

Yes, if the resin has started to crystalize you need to heat the resin until it re-liquifies, completely. But, that generally takes a good bit of heat and you should allow the resin to cool down a bit before mixing your finish. That much heat can result in the epoxy mix hardening within minutes, rather than hours.

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What are you mixing the epoxy in? If you mix Rod Bond or some of the other paste epoxies in certain plastic mixing cups, it will go into super cure mode, and get real hot real quick, and almost cure before it is used. Also found out the hard way, not to put LumiSeal into plastic cups... Oops...