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OrangeHow to Cure Fiberglass Resin Faster
Reveal Fiberglass Using Tips
Casting resin is an irreplaceable part of any craftsman, in addition, it is widely used for various purposes. For instance, fiberglass resin is a great casting material, it can serve as a wood filling, adhesive, and for different auto repairs as well.
Epoxy resin, except for similar areas of use, is also very popular as a material for creativity (jewelry-making and designing items in particular). And since this substance is so handy and versatile, no wonder everyone is interested in how to quick-dry such resin.
Since curing resin is not the fastest thing to do, we sometimes need to speed up the process. Thus, people often wonder how to cure resin faster. Below, we will provide everyone with the most effective methods of doing that.
How to Make Fiberglass Resin Cure Faster?
If you are new to resin curing, dealing with fiberglass substances may become somewhat tricky and unusual for you. However, if you ever worked with other resins, dealing with fiberglass kind won’t be a big deal.
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The best way to dry this resin is to heat it up. Opt for any available method hanging upon the initial conditions:
- Cast it outside if the weather is hot and sunny.
- Go for a heat gun or a propane torch if you have those.
- Finally, for minor items, even a home blow-dryer will do!
Of course, it’s OK to add more hardener, but be careful: when mixing in too much of it, the resin can become fragile, start cracking and bubbles may appear.
Also, if you need to know how to dry resin without any additional chemicals, feel free to simply warm up the bottles with the resin and the hardener, 5-10 min will be more than enough to speed up the curing process!
Credits: Tegan Swyny, via Canva.com
How to Cure Epoxy Resin Faster?
Epoxy resin comes in a kit that consists of the resin and the hardener. Once the hardener is added to the resin, a chemical reaction takes place which makes the mixture heat and eventually become harder.
Epoxy can’t be called a super-fast curing resin though: to cure it fully, one will need at least 72 hours but of course, it hangs upon how thick the resin layer is.
Without the heat, this blend would never solidify and hardening epoxy would be impossible which means epoxy is a heat-curing resin. However, this substance is also sensitive to the temperature of the surrounding: if the casting area is not warm enough, the mixture will not cure.
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That is why, if you need to know how to dry epoxy faster, opt for curing epoxy with heat! Two options exist: either to heat up the casting area around it or to influence the warmth of the chemical reaction of the resin/hardener blend.
To speed up the epoxy curing with heat, raise the level of warmth of the curing reaction. Warm up the bottles with resin and hardener in a hot water for 5-10 min. Like that, the chemical reaction will start faster helping the resin to boost its cure speed.
As an option, apply extra heat after the resin is already applied using a heat gun or a propane torch. However, this method needs your constant attention since if too much heat is applied in one area, others will cure slower and you won’t get that homogenous and even effect. Besides, the uneven drying can lead to bubbles and cracks of the coating.
Another way to heat cure epoxy is to influence its casting area level of warmth. Normally, epoxy resin prefers the low 20’s C. To raise that temperature, we can go one of three ways:
- Increase the temperature of the resin working area for the fast setting of the epoxy. Simply place a lamp with an incandescent bulb over the resin to keep it warmer.
- If the weather allows, cast the resin outside.
- Cure the epoxy in a warm oven set to 150 F. However, remember not to use that oven for food making since the epoxy vapors are toxic!
What to Avoid When Heat Curing Epoxy Resin?
To have an ideally even and smooth surface of the hardened epoxy, keep in mind the list of actions that must never be done:
- Never add more hardener since it may reduce the pot time making the resin harden before it is completely poured.
- Don’t use the hardener that’s not from the “native” resin kit. The resin will most likely not cure at all.
- Never mix more than the maximum of epoxy and hardener since it will lead to the substance hardening too fast even before being completely cast.
- Never add anything else to the mixture to speed up the curing.
Since now you have learned about the fastest way to dry resin and figured out how to dry resin quickly, dealing with this substance should not be a challenge for you anymore.
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Written by Melinda Sherween
