How Does One Build In The Heat Of Phoenix?

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Micney

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I have been testing out how fast the resin and bondo will cure in the day time in the middle of phoenix, and it has come to my attention that i barly have enough time to put the stuff on my project let alone make it look good.

IT IS CURING TOO FAST!!!

any one got any pointers on what to do here. do I do the resin/hardener mix differently? What can i do for the bondo?

(Quick side note: it is around 90+ degrees in the shade here and i don't have a grauge to work in)
 
Hey micney

For the resin, you have options. It says 7 drops or whatever per tbsp, so if you want a long cure time, add 6 drops or less. The directions make it seem like it needs to be an exact science. You can eyeball it though. I've been using plastic party cups, and they are really convenient, especially because most cups have a ring at the bottom that marks one tablespoon. Just fool around with the hardener, add less than they recommend.

As for the bondo, you have to work in small batches with that stuff, it cures really quickly ~5 minutes. I've fooled around with that too, but it seems that regardless, bondo has a short cure time. Just work in small batches, learn what color the bondo should look like, and mix accordingly. It all comes with experience. Just keep messing with it, you'll get a feeling for it all.
 
"eyeballing" it wont get the job done in all cases, because in the end you may end up not mixing enough catalyst into your resin, and it will never fully cure.... leaving you with a semi-hard, semi-sticky mess. Stick with the directions on mixing amounts.

1. You may be using more than the recommended amount of hardener. This will cause your resin to cure faster, and become more brittle. Use the correct amount... or,

2. But better chances are I am guessing that you are leaving your Resin containers in your work space. That HOT work space of Phoenix. As in, that garage or shop that can reach 90+ degrees Fahrenheit. You left the resin container out there. That metal container heats up... and there you have it. When you mix it, it sets so fast you can't work with it. ----- easy solution. Work outside, but store your containers in a cool area. If that cool area is only available inside your air-conditioned home, but your worried about the fumes, keep your containers clean and sealed properly. They are designed to keep the fumes in.
 
Instead of trying to keep the resin cool during the day, why not just get some extension cords and lights so that you can work at night? Alternatively, just set your alarm clock an hour earlier and work in the early morning.
 
work inside in an air conditioned space with a $#!Tton of ventilation. Juliet just posted some pics of a spray booth that he set up in order to paint stuff in his basement. Putting a small table in the middle of something like that and then running some ducting hose with a square adapter to a window will take care of the ventilation as long as you have something like a computer fan blowing outside in the square mount. Then all you have to do is seal up the gap between the exhaust system and the window and you have a sealed, climate controlled room to work in without killing everyone in the house with resin fumes; something like this:

Sealedroomconcept.jpg


I forgot to add a doorknob to the door but you get the general idea.
 
when I saw the sticky tutorial on fiber glassing a helmet, it seemed as though the guide did not use the recommended amount of hardener to resin. he was using the top of the container that the resin came in, he filled the entire thing up, and it looked like he only had put in a few drops of the hardener, just mixed it super well.

he went through the entire batch pretty quickly, but I am not sure if the hardener to resin ratios are different if you are resining Pepakura, or if you are resining fiberglass.
 
sorry in advacne for not 'quoting' people correctly. my computer is being stupid

all great ideas guys. i heard somnething about mixing the resin (or bondo) ho or cold. would that work?

timonemycat- i think i will try mixing it differently like you say. i might also try working with smaller amounts so i don't waits it as fast (but then it might just cure faster... :cautious: )

Spase - i do leave my stuff outside, but in the shade where the sun never hits it directly. would it be better if i brought it in compleatly?

Yttrium - Great minds think alike. i only Resin at night. it gets down to around 85+ in the city where i live

BFDesigns - good idea,but i have no money till i find a job and i am not living in a place that would alow me to build one of those. (AKA my mom and dad would kill me)

Akademee - i'll take another look at that. i personaly use a glass mesuring cup that has ounces on the side and i mix in tinfoil in the lid

S1l3nt V1p3r - is there such a thing?
 
thanks every one. turns out that the resin (part a) was sticking to the inside of my mesuring cup makeing it so i added twice as much hardener is was needed.

simple fix for it was finding out how much was sticking and ajusting the amount that i pour in to it. now all is well :D
 
Here's a very easy tip that will double your workable time with that heat... store your resin in the refrigerator, it will take a while for it to heat up, thus giving you more time to work with it. I don't mean store the mixing cups in there, I mean the whole tin/metal container. It will be a lot thicker when you pour it, add the hardner, mix and away you go
 
Sir Blood said:
Here's a very easy tip that will double your workable time with that heat... store your resin in the refrigerator, it will take a while for it to heat up, thus giving you more time to work with it. I don't mean store the mixing cups in there, I mean the whole tin/metal container. It will be a lot thicker when you pour it, add the hardner, mix and away you go

He hit it on the nose.

I used to do alot of 'glass work when I was living in phoenix, and aside from mixing it very light (reducing the hardener by half or more) this was the only option that worked. We'd keep the gallon jug in the fridge, and pour off what was needed.
Spase also nailed it with the description of the half hard, half sticky mess. Trying to scrape something with the consistency of cold caramel off anything is a serious pain.
 
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