glassing temps

Yes and no.I would not recommend using regular polyester resin when its this cold out in an unheated shop. The best bet is to use a UV cure resin which will cure on a sunny day. If you are using UV resin then you should heat the resin up in a microwave so that way it wets out easier and doesn't cause air bubbles in the glass. If you are doing this in an unheated area, the you will have to work fast because as the resin cools it becomes harder to work with. There are a lot of little things that can occur if glassing in the cold so if you do it just be careful.

 

if you are using 2 part epoxy you can still glass. Just make sure the resin is at room temperature when you mix it. After that, it may take a long time to harden, but give it the time and you will be fine. I keep my epoxy in the house but do all my work in a cold garage. Haven't had a problem other than long drying times.

 

it depends on how much hardner u put in . Also make sure the room you are glassing is is a 50 degrees or better. Anything colder than that it will take a really long time to cure

 

good shapers like ricky carroll and scott busbey don't glass in the cold regardless,eps or poly.you have to wait for it to warm up

 

man...thats a good question. i have a partially heating shaping shack and this time of year 55-60 is the warmest it will get.

I will not glass with resin research 2 part epoxy resin at that temp. the resin sits for HOURS in a gooey state after lamination or hot coating at that temo and i dont feel comfortable with that deal. Adding more hardener is not an option for epoxies. I feel its too long and the resin may drain out of the cloth and result in a dry lamination.

I think resin research epoxy @ 50-55 degrees would be drippy like honey for 1+ hours and not sandable for 3-4hours. I wouldnt gamble an entire board's strength on those conditions.

Polyester resin can be used in cooler temps by adding more hardener (catylist), but strength is compromised the more catylist you use and i have noticed really bad results doing poly ding repairs with temps under 55.

UV cure poly resin is an option and on bright sunny days i have done many MANY ding repairs using UV poly resin with air temps down to the 35-40 range. I personally would not glass an entire board using UV poly resin and air temps in that range.

 

resin research epoxy resin 2:1 will be too gummy to sand at 3-4 hours. You can't sand until 24hrs has passed. Don't ask how Damook knows

I was able to do large repairs this fall using Resin Research and 6oz glass (Ricky Carrol Surfboard) and it would cure to sand in 24hrs. I imagine in near freezing temps it could take longer, but I would sand small areas to see it the repair is still too gummy to work. As long as you have the correct ratios it will cure, eventually.

Accurate ratios of 2 part resin and 1 part hardener (Greenlight, US Composites stocks Resin Research) is down to about a 3% wiggle room for error. Having a scale is the most accurate way to measure. However, you could get away with syringes from a drug store used for giving toddlers and babies oral medication to make very precise measurements. They're cheap or even free if you have a baby strapped to your chest. Just a tip if you have to use epoxy, not the baby part of course, but making sure measurements are precise is a major key when using epoxy, which is a bit of pain to work with compared with poly resins.

UV Resins like Sun Cure work amazingly good no matter what the temp. I was doing repairs in january on a sunny day. The resin cured to sand under 10 minutes.

PS always wear a mask and rubber gloves.

 

Like I said make sure the two parts are at least room temperature before you start. Whatever you do, DONT add extra hardener to compensate for the low temp. Just allow more time - alot more time.

 

Yep, I forgot to mention on this point too. If your working with epoxy, its okay to stick the resin in the microwave for about 5-10 secs to make it flow better. dont worry it wont go boom. the hardener should stay fluid, but the resin gets goopy like molasses when cold.

 

If you are glassing with Resin Research Epoxy, play it safe and just glass it in the house. Just lay down a plastic tarp on the floor under your glassing racks. RR doesn't smell at all. The Additive F smells a little bit but it will go away quickly.

Do not glass indoors with Polyester resin. The UV-cure stuff will cure in freezing temps but IMO I'd rather just go with an epoxy glass job done indoors at room temp.

 

epoxy fumes are hazardous.
i hope your not suggesting that epoxy curing fumes are safe becuase they don't smell are you?

Always wear a respirator when working in poorly ventilated areas, like indoors. A dust mask is acceptable when sanding.

http://sentryairsystems.blogspot.com/2010/05/hazards-of-epoxy-fumes.html

 

I cannot pretend to be an expert on the health risks of exposure to epoxy, but I do know that it won't stink up your house if you glass a board indoors (I have done dozens indoors). I wouldn't make a career of it, but if this guy is just glassing one board or doing ding repair, there is no harm in doing it inside. Wear a respirator if you want but it's probably not necessary.

Sanding, however, needs to be done outside or in a place that can get messy. I wear a full respirator and eye protection when sanding (not just a dusk mask). But fortunately sanding isn't really temperature dependent.

 

You can glass and hotcoat with RR epoxy indoors safely. Just ventilate as much as practical... an open window does the trick. A fan, blowing out, is even better. No VOC's in RR epoxy like there are in PE resins.

 

yeah if you must do it indoors, but I would leave the room when applied.
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/28173753/Material-Safety-Data-Sheet-Resin-Research-Epoxy-Resin

If your doing a hotcoat (additive F) then read the above.

 

Thanks, Mook... always good to know what you're dealing with. Add F is xylene and wax. So if you use 4cc of F in a hotcoat batch, 85% of that will be in the air when you're done. Whether that's a hazardous exposure level or not has been debated vigorously. Keep in mind that the MSDS sheets refer to the material itself, not how it's used in whatever application. I glass in a pretty small space. Most guys do. So whether you're working in your garage, or your kitchen, you should follow the same precautions. Open a window or door, run a fan if you can. Compared to PE, the stuff's like baby food.