Re: How to successfully coat a secondary with epoxy resin

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Mark Broker by way of Terry Fritz <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>" <mbroker-at-thegeekgroup-dot-org>

 >4. Carefully measure out EXACTLY equal parts of resin and hardener. Make
 >sure to use an absolutely clean glass or disposable plastic mixing
 >container, and use a clean plastic rod or wooden coffee stirrer to mix. Any
 >contamination from the mixing container or stirring rod can cause a disaster.

Not every two-part epoxy is the same.  Some will require a different 
mixture of resin and
hardener.  Heat is bad when mixing, as it will cause the chemical reaction 
to expedite, and
set up on you while in the mixing vessel.  I've seen it turn into foam on a 
hot day!


 >5. You MUST MIX THE TWO PARTS VERY, VERY thoroughly. Because both
 >components are clear, it is difficult to verify when mixing is complete.
 >I'd recommend at least 3 or 4 minutes of  continuous vigorous mixing,
 >depending on the total volume to be mixed. As the pot life of mixed resin
 >is at least 45 minutes to an hour, take the extra time to ensure complete
 >mixing.

Again, different epoxies will have different pot lives, ranging from 
minutes to hours.


FWIW, I put a very heavy coat of water based semi-gloss varnish on a 
secodary without a
winding jig or lathe.  Every couple of minutes I would flip the coil 
carefully on end, waiting
longer and longer as the varnish set and dried.  There were very few sags, 
most of which
can't be seen unless you're looking for them.  I did it in a fairly dusty 
basement and cannot
see any dust particles unless I turn on bright lights and look hard.

To each their own!

Mark Broker
Chief Engineer, The Geek Group