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I have gotten good at de-crystalizing my epoxy resin - my basement workshop hovers between 55-65 degs F depending if the furnance is running (it is ussually closer to 55 in the spring/summer/fall with the heat off) - I just soak the jug in a tub of hot water.
But sometimes the resin in the pump crystalizes. I have cleaned it out with denatured alcohol, but it is a messy job and I end up with a slurry of toxic goop. I tried heating the pump in a ziplock bag in hot water - but the epoxy ran all over the place and coated the outside of the pump - very messy.
I know some folks advocate ditching the pumps and just measuring the epoxy, but I find the messy too, and I do a lot of small epoxy batches fo repair work, but maybe that is where I am headed. UNLESS someone out there in CLC land knows a good trick to de-crystalizing the resin pump in an easy and clean way!!
Please, bring on the solutions!
Joel
5 replies:
RE: Crystalized epoxy in the pump
Ok, get a new pump regularly, thats a idea.
Figuring out how many hours and multiply by minimum wage - that is a very very slippery slope when it comes to wooden boat building! All of a sudden that rotomolded or fiberglass yak comes out on top.
Joel
RE: Crystalized epoxy in the pump
Joel........nobody comments on how beautiful your roto molded kayak is.
RE: Crystalized epoxy in the pump
No worries - I am addicted to boat biulding and boat repair.
Just need to solve this problem. might drive me back to WEST System - have never seen that epoxy resin crystalize in many decades of use. Although I like the 'green' time of the Mas Epoxy
RE: Crystalized epoxy in the pump
You could put the containers with pump in an old/el cheepo cooler with a light bulb to warm them or make a hot box out of foam to put over them, also with a lamp.
RE: Crystalized epoxy in the pump
» Submitted by Laszlo - Thu, 2/2/17 » 5:38 PM
You could calculate how much time you're spending on pump cleanup, multiply that by minimum wage and decide if it's worth it just to buy a new pump.
When I'm actively building, I buy a new set of pumps at the beginning of the project and every spring thereafter.
Laszlo