Using Epoxy Resin in low temps

[Hagan]

I'm making my own footholds. I've carved out the sides of the tray, filled it will foam and carved my foot out. I've been using some 5oz e-glass and some epoxy resin (not sure which brand, but we used it on our boat in the summer!) and it seems like it isn't drying...like it takes 24 hours at least to get mostly dry. Is there anyway I can speed this process up? What epoxy resin could I use for low temps? Its about 45-50 degrees out.

Thanks, Trevor

 

[stanton]

use lights or a heater to get it to cure faster. very easy.

 

[Waternut]

At that temperature, mostly dry is pretty good to be totally honest. I had some of the fast cure 4:1 US composites epoxy resin that I was trying to cure at temperatures a little lower than that. It's supposed to be fully cured at 4 hours but at two days, it was still tacky...and yes it was mixed properly. Epoxy resins love heat and actually most will never reach full strength without it. Buy a $10 space heater keep it as a shop aid for just these kinds of projects.

 

[Hagan]

how about a heat gun? Would that work too?

 

[Motorheads5]

Cover up your ski with some plastic and just put an electric heater under it. I assume your ski is setting on a stand or something. As the other guy's already said epoxy need's heat to work properly.

 

[Motorheads5]

how about a heat gun? Would that work too?

No it's to hot

 

[Hagan]

Oh I see. Look why do I need to cover it in plastic? Yeah, its around 25" off the ground on a stand

 

[BruceSki]

I use a set of shop lights and a space heater when i do glasswork. The lights give off a lot of heat. All you have to do is get the resin to kick then it will start making its own heat and curing.

 

[Hagan]

yeah, sounds like thats what i'm going to have to do. Thanks for the help!

 

[Motorheads5]

Oh I see. Look why do I need to cover it in plastic? Yeah, its around 25" off the ground on a stand

That way you don't have to heat the whole room. Like being in a tent! ??

 

[SXIPro]

Shop lights FTW!!

 

[Waternut]

I actually put a couple small pieces of plywood on top of my tray and put the space heater at the back of tray pointing in when I was curing the footholds. Then just kept checking on it to make sure nothing caught of fire.

 

[orangefinger]

if you let it cure with heat on make sure not to be in the garage doing other stuff.....you will have a grandious headache the next day,...

 

[dirtnut99]

I preheated my garage with the turbo diesel jet engine heater, then glassed, then left the 500watt halogen work light on a stand pointing at the work area a couple feet away over night, hard as a rock the next morning.. I just finished mine last week Hagan, so I was in the same boat with the temps.. haha