Hi, I have used EL2 resin with slow hardener to coat the inside of a moulding with the intention of sanding and polishing it to give it a nice finish on both sides, its been 4 days now and the surface is still not hard enough to sand.

When I have done this before with the fast hardener it is good to sand after 24 hours or so,

Is it just a matter of leaving it for longer, or have I messed up somehow?.

Any Ideas,




Drew.

Hi Drew,

What temperature are you working at and has it been humid where you are? EL2 with the slow hardener can take up to 30hours at 20C to cure so if your work temperature is cooler then the cure time would be longer.  If below 15C the cure time might be significantly extended and also the long cure time could leave the resin vulnerable to damage from moisture absorption, especially if the working environment is humid or damp.

It could also be a mixing error, either in the mixing ratio or mixing technique.

Getting the part in to a warm place 20C or over for a good few hours might help it finish the cure if there is nothing seriously wrong with the mixture.

Warren Penalver
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant

Hi Warren,

Thanks for your quick reply,

Temperature wise, Probably 15-18 deg to start with, now I have the heating cranked up to 20-25 during the day but I have to turn it off at night (don't want to burn my shed down).

Mixing wise I'm pretty sure I got it right, the left overs in the pot has gone off like a rock.

Its Strange, it has "gone off" but its still greasy and a bit tacky on the surfice if I try and do anything to it.

I guess I will have to give it some more time and see how it goes.




I will let you know how it goes,




Drew.