Glad to hear that there is some hope. OK, I will wait a week or two to
give it a chance. Meanwhile, I can always work on something else or go
fishing on a rental boat. If after two weeks my finger nail still can
make a dent on the epoxy, I will remove it.

Also thanks for the suggestion of using a surface grinder. I will look
for it in home center.

Jay Chan


Ron Magen wrote:
Jay,
I'd say the epoxy has finally reached the 'green stage' . . . about 10 days
late, but better then never. True, you really can't *properly* sand it yet -
but it proves that the chemical reaction IS progressing. What a lot of
people don't realize is that because the epoxy 'curing' is an 'internal
conversion' chemical process {as opposed to the 'catalyst additive' of
polyester}, a actual 'FULL CURE' can take several months. It's a geometric
progression so that after about 72-hours {if everything is done 'per
instruction'} it doesn't matter to the typical user. Additionally, because
the reaction is rather temperature dependent it can be somewhat controlled.
That is sped up or slowed down to almost a 'hibernation' point . . . I've
used it as low as the mid 30's, which supposedly you can't do.

If time is NOT a problem, and the surface is horizontal {so there is no
slippage or 'curtaining'} I'd just wait. Especially as the weather is
warming up. When it gets to the point you can't dent it with a finger nail,
give it a couple of swipes with some sandpaper. If it still gums up, wait a
bit longer and use a 'regular nail' for scratch testing. Use the time to
make some small 'test batches' so you get comfortable with mixing {BE
THROUGH - this is the MOST prevalent cause of problems}and application.

When physically possible, sand and proceed, or sand and 'paint on' a thin
cover coat of unthickened fresh epoxy and continue the project.

If not this . . . then get yourself a stack of filter masks, a Tyvek suit, a
couple of Surform tools & extra blades, belt sander & 'Planer' belts, a
4-1/2in surface grinder, and have at it.!!

Regards & Good Luck,
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop
{PS - I understand that MAS is quite a bit over-priced for what you get . .
. and it's formulated relatively close to where I live}
.
wrote in message
oups.com...
I would like to get some opinions on whether I should remove partially
cured epoxy in one large area of my deck.

Due to my failure to follow instruction in mixing epoxy and failure to
do a test batch before using a new type of hardener, I had not
thoroughly mixed the epoxy long enough when I installed the core
material onto the deck. The result is that the epoxy cures very very
slowly:

- After one day, I felt that the epoxy was still wet.

- After three days, I still could use my thumb to dent the epoxy.

- After ten days (today), it is solid enough that I cannot use my
thumb to dent it; but I still can use my finger nail to dent its
surface. And I definitely cannot sand it yet.

What should I do?

Should I wait another week or so to see if it may completely cure? I
can afford to wait because I can do something else while I wait; but I
am not sure if the epoxy will be strong enough even if it is seemingly
cured.

Should I remove everything and start this over? Unfortunately, this
will be very labor intensive to remove the partially cured epoxy.

The epoxy is from MAS and the hardener is MAS slow hardener. The brand
name may or may not matter.

Jay Chan