Problem with Vinyl Ester resin

[FirstTimeBoat]

hey.. looking for some help here. I'm in the middle ofdoing a transom repair.. I ran out of my first gallon of vinyl ester resin, used about 10 ozs of the second gallon relaminating the skin. Unfortunately the second gallon isnt curing. I didnt really notice at first but its a fair bit darker then the first gallon. first question, will this eventually cure? and second question can I use this resin to do the rest of the work with more catalyst? I went about 3-3.5% catalyst in a test batch and it cured in about 30-40mins with a wax additive.

I bought the resin in the city 2 hours away, and don't want to have to do another 4 hour journey. Any suggestions?

 

[MTboatguy]

Did you use the same products? Are you mixing at the same ratios? How has the weather changed since you started, humidity up, temps down, lots of variables can cause it not to cure correctly.

 

[jbcurt00]

Not a bunch of guys using VE, but there are a few. May take longer to get some helpful posts over a weekend.

I haven't even fone any research @ VE so i got nothing...

Added VE to the topic title

 

[FirstTimeBoat]

I bought the stuff from the same place... I used the same catalyst and there was no change in the humidity temps etc... i mixed 20 ozs of the first gallon... realized it wasn't enough and mixed 6 or 10 oz of the new gallon and finished my saturation. seems all around the edges where i put the new stuff stayed sticky.

 

[MTboatguy]

I understand you purchased from the same place, what I wonder, did you buy the same stuff, I have had this happen in the past, where I thought I was getting the same stuff and it wasn't.

That said, do you have a halogen shop light you can set up, I have to use my double headed shop light to get things to cure correctly the heat from the shop lights help out quite a bit.

 

[jbcurt00]

Same stuff from same place, but clearly different batches if they're 2 diff colors.

Any production dates in the cans?

Any chance you used newly produced resin 1st and old stuff 2nd?

Resin has shelf life, but as i understand it, the catylsts are more perishable for polyester resin then the resins, i'd bet the same is true @ VE...

 

[FirstTimeBoat]

hard to say. I bought the first gallon last week and the second this week... the store packages the resin in the store. no date codes found.

 

[gm280]

I wonder if you used the same MEKP for both mixes? Did you open another bottle of MEKP for the second mix? If you did mix properly, they will cure eventually. My first mix of poly resin I used the smallest amount you could possible think of and it took three days to harden, but it did harden... So time will tell...

 

[FirstTimeBoat]

I made sure to buy plenty of catalyst, I have enough for 2 more gallons likely. I guess my biggest concern is should I increase the catalyst to cure within a reasonable time or should I look to get a refund from my supplier?

 

[alldodge]

The biggest issue with any and all resins is shelf life. Unless your buying your stuff from someone which turns it over quick, you could be getting stuff which will give you problems.

VE like PE have a 3 month full performance guarantee if stored at room temp, but after that it goes down hill quick. The issue with MEKP has another short shelf life. Best place to keep MEKP IMO is in the freezer until needed.

My thought is since one gallon was darker then the other you have some old stuff. Will it cure, my guess is no, but you could try taking a small cloth and soaking it with MEKP. Then lightly cover the areas of the resin which are not curing. If you are below 70 degrees add some heat, if your above 90 degrees you need to get it cooler.

Don't ever try and use resin below 70 or above 90 without some kind of help in the temp area.

I used up 5 gallons of VE and 1 gallon of epoxy, and from now on I will always use epoxy

Edit: another thing way did you use wax, you only want to use wax with the last coat of gelcoat not resin?

 

[FirstTimeBoat]

I would assume they turn it over quite quickly, the store does plastic/fiberglass store. Again I did get it to cure in the pot with about double or tripple the catalyst and the wax additive to inhibit the air. And I am wondering if this is acceptable to use.

 

[FirstTimeBoat]

I read that wax additive was to be used on the final coat to inhibit the air so the resin could cure fully

 

[alldodge]

I would assume they turn it over quite quickly, the store does plastic/fiberglass store. Again I did get it to cure in the pot with about double or tripple the catalyst and the wax additive to inhibit the air. And I am wondering if this is acceptable to use.

Something is old, while I used double several times due to cooler temps, going triple gets it hot real fast and can melt the container. IMO your working with old stock, even if these guys do this stuff often. I'm not saying that they don't have new and fresh stuff, just what your telling me this is acting like old stuff.

Don't use wax in resin.

 

[FirstTimeBoat]

okay, I thought it was old.Being old, can I make it work, or should I demand a refund? Thanks for the info on the wax.. This is my first major fiberglass project.

 

[alldodge]

okay, I thought it was old.Being old, can I make it work, or should I demand a refund? Thanks for the info on the wax.. This is my first major fiberglass project.

You can discuss your issues with them com and polite and then ask for their opinion on your issue. They may be willing to refund without any issue. Then again they may ask a question which I have not that could clear up the issue why it didn't cure. If they look at you with a glazed look then your in trouble no matter what. I bought my VE from US Composites direct from FL. One Composites sells from other sources. West Marine has a very good reputation and they will stand behind there products.

I was were you are with my first glass work last year, and I have learned a bunch, not as much as others but enough to know what to look for. The good thing about epoxy is it has a 1 year shelf life and bonds to about anything much better then VE or PE, but it does not wet through as easy, along with reapplication is not as quick

 

[Woodonglass]

VE is Poly on steroids. You do NOT want to be using that much MEKP to attempt to get the resin to kick. It will mess up the chemistry an make it a bad mix. If it won't "Kick" using the recommend ratio's then there IS something wrong with either the resin or the MEKP. I would take it back to the vendor and be prepared to ask them to do a test demonstration with the resin and see if they can get it to "Kick". If not they should be prepared to make it right. As State shelf life IS important and as others have stated I Highly suspect this IS the issue. The mixing of VE is not that much different than regular Poly. The end results IS. It's stronger and more water resistant.