I have a kind of dumb question,
I did not get any information with my epoxy kit, I have slow hardner, and I have fast hardner, now for the question, How cold a temp can you use epoxy as I truly am a back yard builder, It does not get to cold here for too long but it gets down to the 30's at night in the winter 50's during the day, Should I be concerned?
Thanks for the help in advance,
Brian.
If you don't know the answer, then no question is dumb.
In cold weather you'll want to use fast hardener. Epoxy is temperature sensitive and requires specific ranges for the epoxy to cure. Manufactures realize this and offer fast, regular, slow and extra slow for those of us who insist on living in God forsaken, hot as hell places, like me and Jim Sanders.
I have super slow epoxy, that will not kick off if the temperature drops into the low 70's and fast stuff that will kick off, before I can finish mixing up a batch in 80 degree weather.
In cooler temperatures, you need to gear your epoxy use around the temperatures you'll have. It's okay if it gets too cool at night, as long as the next day will bring warm enough temperatures to cure the goo. It'll cure eventually if the temperature is within its cure range. I know builders, living in the great white north, that have to wait weeks for their goo to fully cure. Or they pull out the kerosene heaters and warm up their shops. In the summer, I do a lot of epoxy work at night for this reason and also why you may see my summer posts at 3 in the morning, because I'm chasing drips and waiting for epoxy to kick off.
Each epoxy manufacture will have a set of guide lines that indicate the temperature range their products will cure. If it hasn't cured in 24 hours, then raise the temperature or wait until mother nature does it for you and it will cure (assuming the mix is correct).
Each brand of epoxy is different and each application is different. There are no set rules for cure times, but experience with that particular product. In other words, one brands fast, may cure at 50 degrees in 24 hours while another brands fast will need 36. After a while, you'll get a feel for what your brand of epoxy will do for you and this is the ultimate guide.
Thank you paul, I appreciate that, winter will be here soon, I still have some time before that, here in S.C. the winter is pretty mild compaired to where I grew up (Boston) but it does drop down some nights.
I wish I had known about that extra slow hardener though, Because it gets super hot here, most of the summer had heat indexes of 100-110.
I almost did not make it laying up my keel, I was on my concrete driveway in the direct sun, the stuff was drying super fast.
Well thanks again,
Brian.
Brian; What I do in the winter is cover my work with heavy plastic or tarp so the boat was sealed all the way around to the ground or shop floor and put two electric heaters under the plastic or in the boat which ever got the heat close to the work area and by next morning I could continue working.
Thank you Ed I beleve that may be the plan.
Brian
Brian,
We always kept a "hot" box to store our epoxies in during the winter months. It was just a plywood wood box with some sheet foam insulation laid around the sides and on the bottom of the box and an electric light bulb hung from the inside of it to keep the temp up around 65-70 degrees on the interior. We kept the epoxies and the hardners in the box so that they were workable in the lower temps. We also used poly tarps to build small work spaces around the areas we were working with space heaters directed into those areas so that the projects were a lot nearer to the 65 degree range as well. We did the same thing with our paint lockers.
We often were working with snow and ice on the surrounding areas repairing boats or finishing up projects and the work went on.
So what you might also consider is to just keep the epoxy and hardner inside where it is nearer the 65-70 degree range. Then when the boat is warm and the epoxy is near normal temperature range you have a winning, workable combination regardless of the weather conditions outside.
Thanks Barry I really like the hot box idea, I will probubly keep the epoxys and such in my garage, I do keep it in a trunk kind of like a military footlocker and on the colder nights my garage gets cold, so I may try that hotbox thing with the trunk.
I do have a portable car port over my boat which keeps it out of the weather, and I have a gynormous tarp on the side of my house covering my plywood (on pallets), But as soon as I get my sides attached will be freed up I'm sure it's large enough to cut in half to make walls on the car port so I will have to figure out a cheap heating system. :wink:
Brian
Epoxy should be stored in a warm, dry environment, but inside the house isn't a good place. Some folks react badly to epoxy, some brands are worse then others. This sensitivity to epoxy can affect you, even if you're not actively using it. Just the dust from sanding or the odors from a near by can of hardener can make the more sensitive run for fresh air. It's also a product that can cause you to breed three headed babies and other unfortunate happenstance. Keep it at room temperature (70 degrees), but away from living spaces. I have a hot box, an old cooler really, with a 40 watt bulb inside, that is used on the few days a year it may get cold enough to warrant it. It lives in the barn, 200' from any living spaces. I'm not particularly sensitive to the stuff, but have developed some sensitivity using my custom super slow mix. This brand is known for causing reactions in people that aren't usually sensitive. One forum member saw a new couple of gallons, sitting by my garage door just inside the house, on his visit here and the expression on his face told his experience with this brand. He has developed a pretty substantial reaction to epoxy and this brand made him want out, quickly. Fortunately it was still in a sealed bag (UPS had just dropped it off) and he didn't have to worry.
Boat builders are an inventive bunch, with problem solving very high on the to do list. Most develop a "chemical area", where it's clean, dry and safe to mix and dispense. This would include solvents, paints, petroleum products, varnishes, adhesives, running water, cleaning supplies, etc. for a partial list.
This inventiveness often includes trying to control mother nature a little. Spray rooms or temporary booths, that can keep out dust, bugs and the pet cat, so your work will remain as it was when you put down the brush for the evening. A tent, tarp or other temporary shelter to keep in heat (or cool for us warm weathered friends) so temperature sensitive things can get some proper degrees. Avoid kerosene heaters. Most of the solvents, paints and goo's we use like to explode, burn or flash off around these heat machines. They do warm up a space fast, but the open flame can be a real hazard. You'll look mighty silly while explaining to St. Peter why you don't have eye brows, or lashes, maybe fingers, etc. trying to get past the Pearly Gates. If you must use one of these things, warm the space, then turn the thing off when you open the cans with the scull, cross bones and flaming human icons on the side.