It’s your first time to handle epoxy resin mix? If not then perhaps you're a pro in dealing with this amazing product. Whichever the category, the 15 tips detailed below will provide you with some insight into dealing with epoxy resin mix which can be a little tricky at times. Hopefully you will have a successful final result for your project.
Benefits of Properly Handling Epoxy Resin Mix:
- Surface Preparation: Ensuring that your surface is prepped before mixing avoids delays and improves adherence, leading to a strong, professional finish.
- Familiarity: Practicing with a sample batch allows beginners to understand curing times and adjust as needed to avoid errors.
- Improved Adhesion: Sanding glossy surfaces creates the necessary roughness, allowing the epoxy to adhere properly.
- Clean Application: Taping brushes eliminates loose fibers, reducing imperfections in the final coat.
- Optimal Curing Control: Understanding that warm resin cures faster helps prevent premature hardening, giving you control over working time.
- Increased Flexibility: Warming resin or keeping the hardener at room temperature allows you to customize the curing process to fit your project needs.
- Prevent Surface Contamination: Avoiding humid surfaces ensures better bonding and a smoother application process.
- Vertical Application: Letting the epoxy stand before applying reduces drips on vertical surfaces, ensuring a more polished look.
- Safe Quantities: Mixing in small batches prevents overheating and exothermic reactions, ensuring safe application.
- Layering Technique: Applying resin in thin layers prevents uneven application and improves coverage.
- Tack-Free Surface: Timing new layers when the first one begins to tack helps maintain smooth and professional results.
- Preventing Contamination: Monitoring the curing process avoids issues with curing and contamination.
- Temperature Management: Adjusting resin speed with temperature or hardeners makes sure a customized curing time.
- Mechanical Refinement: Sanding or mechanical removal after curing allows for a flawless finish.
- Proper Cleaning: Using alcohol for final clean-up keeps your work area tidy without damaging the resin.
Key Take-Away for Preparing Epoxy Resin Mix
- Conduct all your surface preparations, and set everything right to begin the process of making the mix; timing is important. You should ensure your substrate is ready, then you can start to prepare your blend.
- If this is your first time handling epoxy resin mix, it's a good idea to prepare a sample to get acquainted with the entire process and learn about the curing time to achieve the best quality mix.
- Very high glossy surfaces require some alteration by sanding the surface to create the necessary grip.
- Always clean up the brush before mixing your epoxy. Tape can be used to clean up your brush to eliminate any loose fibers.
- Be aware that warm resin cures faster so take that into consideration when mixing.
- If the epoxy is needed warm, loading it over a heater source is recommended. However, the hardener should typically be stored at room temperature.
Guidelines for Applying Epoxy Resin Mix
- Epoxy resin should not be applied on a humid surface. Examples of epoxies affected by temperature are CLR, CCR, and Entropy Resins.
- For effective application, let the epoxy mix stand for some time before pouring. This increases the rate of curing and is appropriate where the surface of application is vertical. The problem of dripping is eliminated.
- Quantities larger than 3 ounces should not be allowed into the pot, because high volumes can cause exothermic reactions. The reaction releases a gas that can cause injuries.
- Consider applying a thin layer of epoxy using a squeegee first, then use a brush to spread the layer uniformly on the surface.
- If more resin is needed, wait until the first layer begins to tack, then apply a new batch of resin. Criss-cross pattern is the suggested style of resin application.
Cleaning and Curing of Epoxy Resin
- Stay within the area of the project to ensure that the resin has started to cure and tack. It is important to note that contamination can prevent proper curing.
- If the cure time for the epoxy is faster, choose to use a slower resin. If extremely slow, a hardener can be utilized.
- The curing of epoxy resin should be executed at room temperature. Once it has cured, it is advisable to introduce sanding and if possible, mechanical removal may be necessary.
- The final clean-up is done using an alcohol solution, but acetone should be completely avoided.
Hopefully you are now ready to begin to work on your project. Always read through the additional information that comes with your epoxy resin before preparing a mix. Now that you have a better idea on how to handle your epoxy, check out our products at armorpoxy to get started.