Heat curing epoxy...

[Kirkll]

[onetone]

Good looking bow Kirk!

And hats off to Shedd for the good idea of using caulking tubes for storage and dispensing EA-40!

[Mad Max]

Good looking bow Kirk!

And hats off to Shedd for the good idea of using caulking tubes for storage and dispensing EA-40!

X2 on both

[Longcruise]

Good looking bow Kirk!

And hats off to Shedd for the good idea of using caulking tubes for storage and dispensing EA-40!

Sure is.  Tips are a little wide.

[Shredd]

Good looking bow Kirk!

And hats off to Shedd for the good idea of using caulking tubes for storage and dispensing EA-40!

   Thanks but it was a group effort...  I had the idea a few years back but Kirk mentioned grease guns, Mattockx said caulk tubes and I supported the idea... Give the Credit to Kirk, he pulled the trigger and got er' done...   

[Kirkll]

A lot of this stuff we throw out there is definitely a group effort. This simple idea paid off in spades for me. Well worth the effort.

 I do need to go find a better calking gun for my part "B" . I know i've got a better one around here somewhere. That cheapy gun i'm using now doesn't match the part "A" gun and the volume that  one squeeze puts out is a bit different. I'm still eye balling it.

The cool part about EA 40 is that the exact ratio isn't a huge deal. It's pretty user friendly. The key element is the mixing time, and the color.... If its got a yellow cast after mixing thoroughly for a full minute, you need more part A .... If it ain't white, it ain't right.      That, and warming the two parts before mixing helps a bunch.      Kirk

[Buggs]

Just about everybody making composites goes out of their way to avoid, or remove air from resin mixes.
And there you are whipping it up into an epoxy meringue!

[EvilDogBeast]

His application method with the putty knife offsets it.

[Mad Max]

His application method with the putty knife offsets it.

X2 and the pressure in the form

[Buggs]

It's still there.

[Kirkll]

Just about everybody making composites goes out of their way to avoid, or remove air from resin mixes.
And there you are whipping it up into an epoxy meringue!

I have been mixing my Smooth on like this for 15 years and have well over 500 bows scattered across the globe, and have never had an issue with limb delamination.   So there is that....

On top of that, i believe this smooth on liquifies a bit before it starts kicking off using heat to cure the limbs.    Kirk

[Mad Max]

I never heard or saw anyone degas EA-40

[Kirkll]

Its pretty user friendly stuff. I wish i would have know about this stuff when i was building boats. We had some pretty wild lay ups using west systems and racing the clock trying to get things clamped up before it kicked off.

Amazingly enough.... a lot of the bull works we laid up from teak we used Urac. That is some excellent glue for laminating wood, but does not hold up well with composites. They still make the stuff under the name of Unibond 800.  If i was building all wood bows, i wouldn't use epoxy. Its great glue for outdoor furniture too.   Kirk

[Mad Max]

I bought some unibond one time for a Bamboo backed Ipe and opened the can, it was like semi hard jello

I use EA-40 now

[Kirkll]

It's still there.

I just watched your video.... Degassing for vacuum infusion of composites, and laying up bow limbs with wood using EA 40 with a putty knife is a whole different application. There would be no advantage i can see going through this meticulous dog and pony show of degassing.

 But hey bro.... go ahead and have a gas doing it!   Kirk

[Buggs]

I was not suggesting anybody degas EA-40

The video was posted to show how air entrainment causes a clear, mixed resin to turn "white" and that there is a substantial quantity of air present even though none is visible.

[mmattockx]

I bought some unibond one time for a Bamboo backed Ipe and opened the can, it was like semi hard jello

This is the weakness of the urea glues, they have an even more limited shelf life than epoxies. I think Pat uses Unibond 800 on his boo/osage bows.


Mark

[Longcruise]

I bought some unibond one time for a Bamboo backed Ipe and opened the can, it was like semi hard jello

This is the weakness of the urea glues, they have an even more limited shelf life than epoxies. I think Pat uses Unibond 800 on his boo/osage bows.


Mark

I thought they were a powder that is mixed with water before use?

[Mad Max]

It's a powder or strands mixed with a glue.

[Longcruise]

I was also under the impression that weldwood made a product that is the same as Unibond.