How do you like summer days? While summer brings relief to a lot of people from biting cold, it also means lots of ice creams and golas (Do you like them? These are my guilty indulgences!)
Did you know that epoxy also gets affected by summer? I am here today to talk about how epoxy reacts to warmer temperatures. This will also demand a change in your behavior towards them.
To begin with, just remember this simple insight: Thick in winters, Thin in summers (As it is for most liquids, consider ghee!)
Epoxy resins (Part A) tend to thicken (increased viscosity) at cooler temperatures and become thinner (reduced viscosity) during warmer temperatures. So, you ask me how do I deal with thinner resins? I would just say it's super simple - Just store it in a cool place before using, and use it in a controlled environment. And you're good to go!
Now that you understand the simple rule, let's have a quick look at other DOs and DON'Ts -
DOs
1) Control your environment - Usual gel time for your Pourfect Art Epoxy Resins is around 70 minutes at standard room temperature (30-32 degrees). However, this time reduces as temperature rises. It is always advisable to control the room temperature before using exposies in large projects. You can do so by adjusting temperature and humidity using AC). However sometimes and in some conditions, we do not have access to an AC. Check next point for such situations.
2) Test the gel time - The easiest solution in such cases is to test the gel time of epoxy resin. Mix the two parts in a small quantity and note the gel point.
3) Check the temperature of your substrate - Make sure that you have checked the temperature of your substrate/surface where epoxy resin is being applied. A hot substrate will reduce the working time epoxy resin.
DON'Ts
1) Do not reduce the quantity of hardener used - Some people believe that adding less hardener than the prescribed ratio (3:1 for Pourfect Epoxy Art Resin) can improve the gel time during summers. This is not true. It will result in improper curing. If you want to improve your gel time, consider checking thick cast resin kits.
2) Do not use too much external heat - We have the best-in-class bubble release mechanism, which should be enough to pop the bubbles on any regular day. People use a hot air gun/ torch to remove bubbles that creep in during mixing. It is indeed the best way to remove unwanted air entrapments. Only thing to note here is that - DO NOT expose your surface to a lot of heat in a particular area because doing that will create an irregular curing time across the surface.
3) Do not add more resin/hardener if your mixed batch has already started gelling - The best option in such times is to mix another batch in a separate glass/container.
We, at Pourfect, offer multiple solutions to making experience of resin artists smooth. For summer projects, you can check our Thick Cast Art Resin Kits to allow better gel time. In addition, if you have any query, suggestion, or feature request, reach out to us.
Drop an email to contact@pourfect.in or message/call us at +91 6265449375 and we'll be happy to help.
Till then, stay safe and keep getting perfect pours with Pourfect :)
