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#1
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Need Advice on Fiberglass
I installed several pieces of fiberglass yesterday and did not use enough
hardener. It is still soft and sticky. Can I just brush some hardener over the surface or do I need to remove everything that didn't dry? Thanks-- Dave |
#2
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Need Advice on Fiberglass
"DAVID MC CARVER" wrote in message
... I installed several pieces of fiberglass yesterday and did not use enough hardener. It is still soft and sticky. Can I just brush some hardener over the surface or do I need to remove everything that didn't dry? What resin did you use? When epoxy, remove everything and do it again, properly. With polyester, it could help to apply some hardener.At least one person here in this newsgroup does it that way... Meindert |
#3
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Need Advice on Fiberglass
first try using heat, eg hair dryer or throw a tarp over it and stick a
heater underneath. as the man said, polyester will also cure if more hardener is brushed on. just mix up some more resin with the right amount of hardener and spread over top. be patient. "DAVID MC CARVER" ) writes: I installed several pieces of fiberglass yesterday and did not use enough hardener. It is still soft and sticky. Can I just brush some hardener over the surface or do I need to remove everything that didn't dry? Thanks-- Dave -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ William R Watt National Capital FreeNet Ottawa's free community network homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm warning: non-freenet email must have "notspam" in subject or it's returned |
#4
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Need Advice on Fiberglass
Did you use laminating resin or finishing resin. The laminating resin has no
wax in it. It will remain tacky for the next layer. Try applying wax paper to the surface and keep the ambient temp around 70 'f for a few hours it should harden off. |
#5
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Need Advice on Fiberglass
"DAVID MC CARVER" wrote in message . ..
I installed several pieces of fiberglass yesterday and did not use enough hardener. It is still soft and sticky. Can I just brush some hardener over the surface or do I need to remove everything that didn't dry? Thanks-- Dave All good suggestions so far. If you used Epoxy you will need to remove the lot and re apply. Epoxy will only cure if the correct ratio of resin and hardner is used and MIXED PROPERLY. If you used Polyester or Vinylester resin, your in luck. I build plugs and molds for various application and this has happened to me ONCE before. I say once because you tend not to forget this quickly - especially if it is in the creation of a large mold... Polyester resin will eventtually harden on its own (1-2 years). Probably longer than you are willing to wait. The danger here is that if the exterior "skin" hardens before the inner portions harden, you are left with pockets of styreen gasses released during the curing process inside the laminate. This isn't a big deal if you were simply bonding 2 pieces together (may reduce the bond strenght), but causes significant issues if you are creating a f/g part in a mold. Applying heat is the best idea if you have originally added some hardner to your mix(but not enough). Build a plastic tent over the soft area and heat it with a small cube type heater (with thermostat) for a day or so. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't get too hot - you should be able to put your bare hand on (or beside) the part and hold it for a few seconds, any hotter and you might ignite the thing. If you forgot the hardner all together, heat isn't much help as it will take too long and leave you with a "soft" cure. If this is the case (be honest!) then you might be able to mix a very "cold" batch of resin: polyester resin, 2% to 5% MEKP hardner by volume, and add 2-3% "air dry" to the mix(air dry = disolved parafin wax - available from any fiberglass shop). Apply over the area, let sit overnight and then heat up with the plastic tent. The outer coat should cure overnight and the inner laminates will cure in time. I wouldn't suggest this if the affected part is structural in any way as it will take some time to cure and will leave styreen pockets. Let us know what you tried and the results. Good luck R. |
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