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Hi all,
I put down the fiberglass patches Sunday and this morning (Weds) I checked it and the stuff is still tacky. However, the leftover resin in the jar is not tacky at all. So, last night I did a little online investigating into the world of fiberglass epoxies.
First, as I knew before, there is a range of slow and fast curing epoxies. Evidently, I got a slow one! But in fact, that's good thing. Slow curing = stronger material. So, when shopping for fiberglass epoxy (and planning a project), this is one thing to keep in mind.
Apparently there are two things that dry up epoxies--heat and (frequently, but not always) UV light. Since the tub is inside the trailer, away from sunlight and I don't have a UV lamp, heat is going to be my primary drying factor. The jar of leftover stuff was left outdoors, where it got both hotter and exposed to sunlight--hence it dried faster. Apparently humidity (or dampness of any kind) has no effect on the drying process.
Lesson learned: this is a job to do in the summer! I'd be (cold) toast if this were the winter!
In my inspections this morning, I've noticed that the epoxy has shrunken a bit where it dried. The instructions on the can says that it is not necessary to wait between coats to add more layers. I am considering possibly adding a bit more where it has dried down into the reinforcement cloth (to get a bit of depth for sanding). All this will prolong the task, especially since I'm leaving on vacation in a week and a half. But it should get done within the next few weeks.
So, I have to wait!
Mary
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