Resin Storage

[Labman]

Morning Guys;
So everything that I needed,(poy. resin and cloth/mat), has finally arrived. It only took 3 weeks to get here.
Of course now it's cold out, frost most days and rainy. I have been looking for a shop to rent, but it may take a couple of months, how long can I keep the 5-5gal. pails of Poly. resin, without problems? What happens if it freezes?

 

[wca_tim]

Re: Resin Storage

just keep it cool as in below 70 or so... and dry and it should be just fine.

It shouldn't freeze unless it get's really cold (styrene, the main liquid ingredient in the vast majority of poly resins freezes at -31 c, that's below -20 f). The hardener is the part that is somewhat temperatire sensitive. It's useful life time is cut in half roughly every 18 degrees f. so if it has a half life of a year at 60, it's 6 months at 88, 45 days at 106, etc...

Hope this is helpful

 

[oops!]

Re: Resin Storage

tim........ he lives next door to an igloo 7 months of the year.........frosty the snow man boycotted his town cause it was too cold.

keep it off the ground......and not near an exterior wall. you dont have to put a heater on it....but "the back porch" will be too cold.

 

[john51277]

Re: Resin Storage

Are you by chance the same Labman as the cigar loving guy form another forum???

 

[Labman]

Re: Resin Storage

Sorry but nope, not that I have anything against cigars, I enjoy one with a good whiskey, on occasion. My taste in boats runs more to the 20'+ C.C. running BIG twin 4 stroke O/Bs., fishing boats.

 

[oldcarverguy]

Re: Resin Storage

I have some west hardener that's turned a little dark. It's about a year old and I keep it stored on my project boat. It seems okay but now you guys have me thinking that maybe it's no good. The epoxy seems fine color wise. I've mixed a few batches and it seems okay. Does the hardener go bad?

 

[oops!]

Re: Resin Storage

welcome to i boats......i think your talking about epoxy hardner......

if its mekp....its fine.....as for epoxy......let someone else chime in

 

[Labman]

Re: Resin Storage

Thought I had posted a thanks Tim and oops, guess it didn't go through. The way I type I hate it when that happens

Oops! you got that all wrong, it was Santer Claws, said it was too cold for his wife Course if his wife was as old as mine she would have her own heater going 24/7, gotta remember not to let her get near my hardner it would last about 3 days.

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Resin Storage

I bought a gallon of resin 3 years ago for a project boat. Used about 2/3 of it then I sealed it up and put it away. It was kept in an outdoor shed that is heated during the winter so it has not froze.

I opened it up recently for a small project and it was a dark amber color and had gone hard like a rubber eraser. There were strange shapes "growing" on the lid and sides of the can.

 

[wca_tim]

Re: Resin Storage

Geez OOPs, gimme some grief why don't ya! I don't know jack about geography... for all I know he could be in the tropics... or somewhere where it frosts at night and hits 90 during the day (OK, I know a little better than that....). note that I go boating in January... in a t-shirt and shorts once in a while... ride motorcycles all year round, etc.. we have 60 degree days here and I don't ever remember seeing it below 10 or so, then only for a night or two...

Point is that at least for poly resin which is unsaturated polymer dissolved in styrene monomer (as in used to make polystyrene), the hardner is more sensitive to degredation in heat, but the styrene will autopolymerize if heated or stored long enough in a tightly closed container (oxygen inhibits the reaction, so it is a no starter if there is enough oxygen, but if tightly closed, the oxygen is eventually consumed and it starts to polymerize). That's for polyester resin which I assumed he was talking about. epoxy is a different deal all together. There you;re worried about heat some, but more so with moisture I think depending on the specific curing chemistry being used.

imho...

 

[i386]

Re: Resin Storage

Keep all your fiberglass dry!