|
I had the Jeffco resin crystallize on
me- I turned the thermostat down below 60 to save oil and have a more
comfortable working environment. I don't think the temp got below 50, it
certainly didn't get near freezing. The spec sheets for the resin and hardener
recommend storage temps of 65- 80 degrees. I guess they mean it. I've never
had hardener crystallize, just the resin. I do keep the containers up high
to avoid drafts along the floor since that happened.
When resin crystallizes you can see a milky
or foggy layer at the bottom of the container (1 gallon plastic). I've had this
happen with other resin systems as well and what I did was to heat the container
in a hot tap water bath until the crystals redissolved. My pump is all-
metal and I played a heat gun on it to slowly thaw the
affected areas. After redissolving the Jeffco I used it as normal
and it appeared to harden fully with good adhesion but I haven't done any
peel or hardness testing. I tried to contact Jeffco today but the phone numbers
are discontinued and the website information I had no longer works.
Hmmm.
I would echo Chuck Jensen that
Jeffco might recommend non-structural use (filler/ micro) and the best solution
would be to make test coupons as you go. A drill press can be used with a spring
scale and a dial indicator to compare hardness of epoxy samples. Just
chuck a sharp center punch, use the spring scale to pull the handle and measure
travel/penetration with the dial indicator.
Something else to think about- the containers
I have also show a "best by" date on the labels. FWIW when joining cured
fiberglass parts (as opposed to taping with BID) I've been using Hysol
instead of flox. My take on what I've read is that a secondary bond should
have some "give" to it and Hysol doesn't seem as brittle as the Jeffco.
-Bill Wade
|