Measuring Glue

[Mt. Clemens Bowyer]

Matt

  I have used smooth on for the 4 laminated bows that I have built so far.
 
 After building the very first one, I learned from others that, what works well is to take both parts, A, And B. And put them in a microwave oven for a short time before mixing. Or put A and B in your pre-heated hot box for 15 minutes or more before mixing. It makes it a lot easier. Good luck      John

[**DONOTDELETE**]

REALLY???? you put the hardener in the micro wave too?          

 i put the resin in there for about 15 seconds and mix it into the hardener with no problems, but i never had enough guts to try that.

I was laminating riser blocks, and i got the resin to hot one time before i mixed in the hardener. After spreading glue for about 10 minutes i notice the cup was getting warm.... then it startyed getting HOT!...Damn Hot!. next thing i know the paper cup is actually smoking!   :eek:  

you guys ever have that one happen?  i had mixed a large quantity that exceeded the grain scale max, and i think i may have got too much hardener in there besides heating it to9 much.  

[Sixby]

Nope Kirk, Never ever. I keep a heat gun on my bench and after I mix the epoxy a bit i warm it with the heat gun . stir, warm it some more ect until it is fairly loose. the I warm the lams immediately before I glue up. Not to warm them but to eliminate all the moisture I can. I don't believe warming does anything with lams except that because by the time you start gluing them they are cold again.

God bless, Steve

[matts2]

The first time I used smooth-on, the shop was cold and the stuff was cold.  I could barely scoop any out of the jars.  I will have to try warming some up  next time.

[Lee Robinson .]

Obviously, cold epoxy (below 70 degrees) is next to useless as it is way too thick and pasty to use appropriately, but...

I personally would NOT warm/heat up the epoxy AFTER I mixed it. I would warm it to 85-95 degrees prior to mixing it by putting it in an open heat box, but I personally wouldn't want it to get over 100 degrees even prior to mixing it. Once it is mixed, I certainly don't want to heat it up (nor do I want it cold). Heat makes it cure and begin to set up. The hoter it is, the less working time you have. It states you have a 2 hour working time at room temp (typically around 75-78 degrees) in a shop, but I suspect that at 100 degrees it would probably BEGIN setting up in about an hour to some mild degree. I don't want it to set up at all until AFTER I put pressure on it in the form...as I want a mildly warm (just warm enough to mix and spread easily) epoxy that when I put pressure on it will actually get driven into the tiniest pores and textured surfaces in the riser and limbs. If it begins to set up when you do your first glass layer...by the time your done with the last glass layer (which if your spreading it well can take up to 45 minutes on some multi-lam bows)...I want to know that stuff will still flow and hasn't set up at all...as I have to get the press assembled and pressurized...and by the time I mixed the epoxy to the time I put the pressure on it...close to an hour has passed. This is why I want my epoxy no cooler than 75-80 degrees, but not much warmer than 90 degrees.

To date, I have never had even a cloudy spot in a limb. I probably shouldn't have said that though...because I will end up jinxing myself on the next one. LOL.

[Sixby]

Lee, And I thought I was slow bro.  
God bless you all, Steve