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Re: Strip: Potential disaster?
By:John Abercrombie
Date: 4/15/2012, 1:38 pm
In Response To: Strip: Potential disaster? (Andrew T)

: So I may have done something really really really dumb :(
: I put the first layer of glass on my deck and it wet out fine cured
: up good no tack or anything. so far so good.
: Was doing the first fill coat the next day and was a bit distracted
: by a squirrel that apparently made it's home in my garage and
: was running all over the place. While being distracted I was
: mixing up a batch of epoxy for this fill coat. Put a thin layer
: on the deck looked to be good..

: About an hour later I had this sinking feeling that while being
: distracted I may have only put one pump of hardener in my mix
: instead of the two pumps it needs.... I keep thinking I remember
: putting in the two pumps, then I remember only one pump ... I
: just don't have a clear memory :(

: I only used the one batch to put a single thin layer so the whole
: coat would be this potential bad mix. It's been on the deck for
: a little less than 20 hours and is still pretty tacky, not
: complete liquid, but sticky. It' hasn't been super warm.. was
: about 65 when I put it on, sat overnight in colder temps and
: back up to 70 today.

: Curious what my options in a situation like this are (if I even
: have any)?
: Should I wait a few more days and see if it cures up?
: If it doesn't...
: wipe a thin layer of straight hardener over the tacky stuff in
: hopes it will kick it off?
: Put a good mix over top of the old and hope it cures someday?
: Try to heat and scrape off the tacky stuff (is this even possible?)
: and put on a new batch - my second to least favorite option?
: Scratch the past 2 years and start over - my absolute very least
: favorite option :(

I wouldn't try adding straight hardener- any mis-match in the mix ratio will result in an incomplete reaction of epoxy. Extra hardener is just as bad as extra resin.
The idea of 'kicking off' works in the polyester resin world where the 'hardener' is just a catalyst to enable the resin to cure. With epoxy, it's two reactants combining.

What epoxy are you using? What's the normal 'cure time' to hardness at the temperatures you have there? Was there anything left in the mixing container? And is it also not hard?

If the epoxy is still sticky, I'd try:
a) Applying some heat- think hair dryer not heat gun - to see if it will harden. Try a small area. If heat does the job, time and possibly a plastic tent over the boat with an electric heater will do the trick.
b)If it won't harden, and is still sticky enough, I'd probably try a solvent and a scrub brush, after trying to scrape any obvious excess. (Acetone, denatured alcohol 2nd choice.) If it is a fill coat, scraping probably won't get it all.

I wouldn't put any more (correctly mixed) epoxy over the problem, till it is solved.

As a last resort, you can always remove the glass with heat and a putty knife, re-sand and glass again.
Nick shows how here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHNHXD-g2N0&list=UUE4SrExIQ2h7tK_dUCXy4Fw

Messages In This Thread

Strip: Potential disaster?
Andrew T -- 4/15/2012, 1:13 pm
Re: Strip: Potential disaster?
Etienne Muller -- 4/15/2012, 1:29 pm
Re: Strip: Potential disaster?
John Abercrombie -- 4/15/2012, 1:38 pm
Re: Strip: Potential disaster?
Rob Macks/Laughing Loon CC&K -- 4/15/2012, 2:21 pm
Re: Strip: Potential disaster?
Andrew T -- 4/15/2012, 4:18 pm
Re: Strip: Potential disaster?
Andrew T -- 4/15/2012, 6:31 pm
Re: Strip: Potential disaster?
Etienne Muller -- 4/15/2012, 6:37 pm
Re: Strip: Potential disaster?
Sean Dawe -- 4/16/2012, 7:47 am
Re: Strip: Potential disaster?
mark vander horck -- 4/16/2012, 1:26 pm
Re: Strip: Potential disaster?
Al Edie -- 4/18/2012, 1:00 am