Re: REFLECTOR: Old Epolite

["Al Gietzen" <alventures@email.msn.com>]

David: 

 

You can probably heat up the hardener and get it liguid and drive off some of the oxidized amines and moisture.  I think the recipe is 105 degrees F for an hour or two.  If the jug has been sealed, it will probably be OK.  If it is really dark brown, and doesn't clarify somewhat and become nicely liquid upon heating; toss it.

 

The resin is more likely to be fine; although the heat treatment would be good for it also.  You can get E-Z poxy's EZ-83 or EZ-84 hardener from Aircraft Spruce; and although it says somewhere not to mix with other brands of resin it should work fine with what you have (D.E.R. 324?).  I tossed my last half gallon of the EZ-84 that came with my kit and used the new EZ hardener with the remaining D.E.R. 324.  Did a couple of qualitative pull tests on 2 BID strip and it seemed as stong as earlier checks.

 

In getting the new hardener you may want to note that both the -83 and -84 hardeners have about the same pot life, but the -83 cures in 24 hours vs the -84's 72 hours and is a little bit stronger.  However, also note that the EZ-83 has a viscosity that is about 60% higher than the 84, which makes it very slow wetting out some fine BID.  Also, if you are doing additional layups later over the same place, the 84 gives you more time to do those and get the better bond of laying over "green" epoxy.

 

God luck,

 

Al Gietzen

 

>This weekend I went to 
open my last 2.5 gal of Epolite hardner ...
>and it was all hard. It had 
turned into a solid block.
>
>So, do I need to also toss the 5 gal 
of resin, on the assumption
>that if one went bad the other is useless 
too? Or am I lucky enough
>that I can just get some hardner? What is the 
situation with getting
>Epolite or another replacement 
now?
>
>Thanks much for the help,
>David