Humidity is pretty damn high in the Northeast at the moment. In general, at what percent humidity in your rod building area do you start to worry about amine blush Or other humidity-related problems?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/2020 04:47PM by Eric Roach.

Eric,
I think it was Ralph O’Quinn who researched Amine Blush and determined the phenomenon was caused by precise ratio amounts of both humidity (moisture) and CO2 in the atmosphere. Moisture alone will not necessarily increase the chances of Amine Blush.
Most thread finish epoxies must have been formulated to minimize or eliminate AB as evidenced by the extremely rare cases reported. Polyester (fiberglass) resin is available in “laminating” and “finish” types with a wax included in the “finish” resin to eliminate the sticky coating left on “laminating” resin after cured. While polyester resin and epoxy are definitely different, I suppose the chemists could formulate thread finish to counter AB. Virtually all structural epoxies suffer from AB when left in open air to cure no matter the atmosphere conditions. This is usually eliminated due to the composite being sealed in a vacuum bag while curing.
My advice is to not worry about AB and carry-on as usual. In the rare event AB occurs, it can be easily and thoroughly removed with simple warm water and dish soap on a soft rag with no need for harsh chemicals.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Thanks, Mark. I average about 50% humidity in my basement building area this time of year, which seems reasonable. I was just curious.

Eric,
If you are concerned about humidity that is too high, either install a dehumidifier or an air conditioner to reduce the humidity.

Here in the midwest, we will often have humidity up in the 60-70 number. I remember years ago, when first moving here from the west, my wife and I found it virtually unbearable. We were in an apartment with no air conditioning. So, at night we would use only a sheet for bed cover, and in the morning, we would shower and launder the soaked sheets from the high heat and humidity. Thank goodness, we have had central air for many years in our home . This also includes our lower level work shop.

Certainly high humidity is a tough situation and it can certainly affect some rod builds when it comes to finish work.

If nothing else, keep a good amount of air moving through the work shop to help minimize the effects of high humidity.

Best wishes.

Hey, I live in the South where it is always humid, and never had a problem with Amine blush. I think the only time I have seen amine blush is when the finish actually gets wet, for example when left out in the rain our after it been over board.
Norm

I've seen it only on rods that had been left out in the rain for a few days.

Humidity has no effect on epoxy set or cure time. It can partly result in amine blush, but a certain amount of CO2 has to be present in the room at the same time for it to result.

If you're working inside in climate controlled conditions, all the humidity stuff is out the window anyway.

............

For those interested, Amine Blush only occurs during the curing cycle, not after cured. It results in a thin, sticky, waxy film on the surface yet is quite clear. On the other hand, many CURED epoxies will develop a milky appearance on the surface if left in contact with water but will usually clear-up if allowed to thoroughly dry-out = dry warmth.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

In that case I have never seen amine blush. So in my opinion no need to worry about humidity.
Norm

You are correct, Norman.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.