Ken-Spin Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 I coated some stripper jigs with etex about 70 hours ago as I write this. This is my first time using etex so what did I miss. I mixed equal parts A&B using syringes. 6ml of each in a small plastic cup. Stirred with a metal nail. Applied with a disposable sponge brush and put on a drying wheel for about 7 hours. About 12 hours ago I put a 40 watt light bulb about 6' from them and check the temp at between 85 & 90 degrees. Checked just now and they are not dry. What did I do wrong and can I salvage the work. thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 I coated some stripper jigs with etex about 70 hours ago as I write this. This is my first time using etex so what did I miss. I mixed equal parts A&B using syringes. 6ml of each in a small plastic cup. Stirred with a metal nail. Applied with a disposable sponge brush and put on a drying wheel for about 7 hours. About 12 hours ago I put a 40 watt light bulb about 6' from them and check the temp at between 85 & 90 degrees. Checked just now and they are not dry. What did I do wrong and can I salvage the work. ] your mix is incorrect. you must mix it thouroughly. try a new mix and overcoat it. . we whip it up and remove any bubbles 1 hour after applying in. hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 I coated some stripper jigs with etex about 70 hours ago as I write this. This is my first time using etex so what did I miss. I mixed equal parts A&B using syringes. 6ml of each in a small plastic cup. Stirred with a metal nail. Applied with a disposable sponge brush and put on a drying wheel for about 7 hours. About 12 hours ago I put a 40 watt light bulb about 6' from them and check the temp at between 85 & 90 degrees. Checked just now and they are not dry. What did I do wrong and can I salvage the work. your mix is incorrect. you must mix it thouroughly. try a new mix and overcoat it. . we whip it up and remove any bubbles 1 hour after applying in. hope this helps. That's my suggestion, too. Mix the you-know-what out of it, and then use a hair dryer to warm it so the bubbles rise up and can be removed easier. Then let it sit for a few minutes, and the bubbles should be mostly gone. But mixing thoroughly is real important. You might also have gotten a bad batch of ingredients, so, if the second, well-mixed coat of epoxy doesn't do the trick, call the Etex people. They have great tech support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 I have read here on TU, that people mix it for three minutes. Time yourself, as it is a surprisingly long time. After doing all the work, creating your masterpiece, don't ruin it by skimping on the mixing time. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 Often, adding a second coat of good epoxy to one that did not cure will cause the soft epoxy to cure hard. It's worth a try. There is rarely doubt about epoxy failures - it's either bad measuring or failure to mix it really well. In my experience, failure to mix well is the culprit 90% of the time and since you obviously measured it well, mixing seems to be the culprit. You can mix 5 yr old, browned up epoxy and it will still cure hard, so I tend to discount the possibility of getting a bad batch from the factory. If your epoxy did not cure in 24 hrs, it probably never will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 I agree with what everyone else has said. I had problems with Etex when I first started because I worried too much about the bubbles that appeared while mixing. I finally figured out it was easier to deal with the bubbles than it was a poorly mixed batch of Etex. I mix mine like crazy for at least 2 minutes when mixing small batches. Like Dave said it is best to time the mixing process. A kitchen timer works great for this. Getting rid of the bubbles isn't that hard. After mixing I place mine in a 750 watt microwave for 3 to 4 seconds tops. I tried 5 seconds once and it started curing before I could get back to my workbench. After pulling it out of the microwave I let it set for a couple minutes and exhale my breath onto it. The mixture of warmth and carbon dioxide from your breath is what I am told helps pop the bubbles. Like Bob said there are only a couple things that can screw up epoxy and those are improper measuring and improper mixing. If your positive you measured correctly then my guess would be mixing is your trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 There's one more thing that can screw up epoxy. I made the mistake so long ago, I'd almost forgotten about it. Be sure you use denatured alcohol, and not rubbing alcohol, for thinning your epoxy. They are two different animals. I once mixed some rubbing alcohol into my D2T to thin it, and it turned into a gooey mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bass Man Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 Hey Ken, try mixing your etex with a big paperclip for at least 3-4 minites. The paperclip will not make the air bubbles in the epoxy. Mix thoroughly for all 3-4 minutes!! Try brushing on with a small brush. It should harden fine as long it was mixed with equal parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie_Drew Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 I don't know if this will help you or not, but I measured my 2 part by weight not by measurement and it worked really well. I mix it very hard and let it sit for short time and all the bubbles seem to reduce and eventually go away. I live in quite a warm enviroment and they dried perfectly within 24 hours. Good Luck Drew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 I don't know if this will help you or not, but I measured my 2 part by weight not by measurement and it worked really well. I mix it very hard and let it sit for short time and all the bubbles seem to reduce and eventually go away. I live in quite a warm enviroment and they dried perfectly within 24 hours. Good Luck Drew Drew, most epoxy has some fudge factor about how equally the resin/hardener have to be measured but all the directions I see specify "equal volumes", which is why Etex comes in 2 equal volume bottles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjiwhite Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 (edited) Don't know if this matters or not either, but I always mix etex with a wooden dowels or scrap of wood. I didn't see anyone else mention the factor of humidity . The light bulb is a good idea, just use the light bulb from the beginning of the curing stage. I also use a hot air gun for the first 4 or 5 minutes on the lowest setting while my lures are spinning. I usually 50/50 the mix and stir with the wooden dowel for about 3-4 minutes (and yes there are a lot of bubbles) but they will go away for the most part. I have heard of the breathe part to get rid of the bubbles and I'm sure it works...I just use the heat gun. Good luck... Oh yeah, I apply the etex with bristle brushes, they are cheap and I throw them away after use. You can get them at harbor freight http://www.harborfreight.com/36-piece-1-2-half-inch-horsehair-bristle-acid-shop-brushes-41338.html Edited April 27, 2011 by benjiwhite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
