Epoxy in the cold

wiggy

wiggy

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I need to fill and fair my hull, the boat goes back in the water mid Feb. If the weather stays cold can I use epoxy filler in the cold, how will it be affected and what can be done (short of moving to hotter climate) to help it work?
 
You could try but it sounds like a good way to waste epoxy. In these temperatures if the boat is outside it is unlikely to cure at all and even indoors will take forever unless you have good heating. Infra red heaters are good but you electric bill will take a hammering.
 
Take a look at the epoxy you are going to use. Some types of epoxy (like gelshield) can work down to 5 degrees, best above 10 oC so it really depends on the brand of filler you go for.

If you use west or sp epoxy and then mix it with a filler they can require 18 oC or more.

If you phone Blakes customer support, they can recommend a product.

We have used Hempel Profiller in 10-15 oC and it has worked great, very easy to apply, but not sure about very low temperatures.

If you do find an epoxy that works at low temperatures, it could take 3 weeks to fully cure so take that into consideration as this is very important.

You could consider using a urethane based filler, if that is even available?? I know Cuprotect were using a urethane based product (instead of epoxy) and it worked in low temperatures.

Best thing is to phone customer support and get some advise on what type of product will work.

Mark
www.boatdoctorni.com
 
Take a look at the epoxy you are going to use. Some types of epoxy (like gelshield) can work down to 5 degrees, best above 10 oC so it really depends on the brand of filler you go for.

If you use west or sp epoxy and then mix it with a filler they can require 18 oC or more.

If you phone Blakes customer support, they can recommend a product.

We have used Hempel Profiller in 10-15 oC and it has worked great, very easy to apply, but not sure about very low temperatures.

If you do find an epoxy that works at low temperatures, it could take 3 weeks to fully cure so take that into consideration as this is very important.

You could consider using a urethane based filler, if that is even available?? I know Cuprotect were using a urethane based product (instead of epoxy) and it worked in low temperatures.

Best thing is to phone customer support and get some advise on what type of product will work.

Mark
www.boatdoctorni.com
 
As stated already 10 degrees is a general requirement. Not just air temperature, but also the parts you're trying to bond or coat. Also, normal humidity, current weather will at worst prevent a cure or at best leave a milky coating, contaminated by moisture.
 
Gougeon Bros book reports success down to 7 Celsius. I've had success with West system below 10 but failure at 5. Warmer is better by far. I usually build a polythene tent around the bit I'm curing and stick a heater in, but at current ambient temp I'd hold off. My experience is that if it's too cold for it to go off it will not harden ever, even if it warms up later, and cleaning up the mess is nigh impossible. If it is marginal, bring the resin indoors to warm up before starting, and warm the substrate up with a heat gun before applying resin.
 
Glassed over redundant seacock holes last week using sp epoxy. Left a light bulb adjacent to the repair and was rock hard overnight. Was well below freezing that night - depends on area you're working on and if you can get a heat source
 
Agree with others that it is just to cold at present. I have used epoxy at just over 5 centrigrade but it takes weeks to cure fully and the strength if structural is suspect. I suspect that your work like mine will have to wait until warmer weather.
 
I epoxy coated a rudder blade repair yesterday am, went in this morning and it had gone off with no heat. It was West. Temp around 2 deg dring the day, less overnight.
If you really have too...........

Use a hot air gun to clear any moisture from the surface first.

Keep your epoxy filler warm so you can mix it properly.

Note this was on my own boat and we would not do this to a customers!

Do you really have to launch Feb??
 
Epoxy curing temperature

Every product has it's own properties and you need to read the data sheet to know how any will perform.
As a general rule most solvent free epoxies will need at least 10C and most DIY type solvent based materials will go a bit lower, say 5C. Water based materials will often cure at 10 or just below but are a problem if stored at any time below about 5C when the structure starts to break down.
Materials for commercial use will often cure below freezing but need other specialist handling and storage.
Some products have different curing agents, often called fast and slow. Fast generally means it can be used at lower temperatures and slow only at higher temperatures.
Epoxy curing is a process that can be started and stopped as temperatures move around a critical point but fluctuations are usually the cause of later problems such as amine bloom and not reaching full design strength. Surface hardness is not an indication of the strength through the film.
Most people forget the curing temperature will be that of the substrate, not the temperature of the material when mixed. Humidity will also affect cure rate and strength - as a general rule only use dry heat, not gas or any other system that puts moisture into the atmosphere.
Read the instructions for the material you are going to use and don't listen to other peoples experiences with completely different products!
 
couple of years ago I had to do some repairs to the deadwood (wood being a euphemism for grp) during the winter haul out. I made a 'tent' around the area with a tarp and gaffa tape, and put a fan heater and dehumidifier (epoxy doesn't like high humidity) . It was surprisingly warm and dry, verging on hot, and had no probs with the cure.
 
Forget epoxy below 5oC. You need to ensure that the temperature NEVER drops below 5oC in the first 24 hours of curing otherwise the epoxy will not chemically form correctly. \you will en dup with a brittle mess that has no strength and will disintegrate quickly.

If you have to epoxy before end of FEB then you need to put the boat in a shed or build a tent around it and heat it – both very expensive.

IMO you would be better off not doing any epoxy work until the summer – how much would a lift and stand in a yard in June be – It is usually much cheaper than over the winter – well in the UK anyway.

Most manufacturers of EPOXY recommend the temperature to be between 15 oC and 20 oC.
 
wiggy said:
I need to fill and fair my hull, the boat goes back in the water mid Feb. If the weather stays cold can I use epoxy filler in the cold, how will it be affected and what can be done (short of moving to hotter climate) to help it work?
Click to expand...


A local slaughter house owner asked me to make some repairs to an epoxy coated floor inside a freezer last year.

I screwed two 1500 watt lamps to the underside of a 1.8 m long table and threw a fireproof blanket over it, by the time I carted in the pre heated resin that was standing in a bucket of hot water and the micro fibres and blue pigment, the moisture meter was reading less than o.2%. Cleaned the area with Acetone.

I mixed the batch keeping it a bit dryer than normal knowing it will thin out under heat, used the fast cure hardener and pushed it in and smoothed the top, dropped the fireproof blanked back on and cleaned up.

Checked about 6 hrs later and the resin had shrunk into the repair, I think the resin had just penetrated deeper under heat, added about an egg cup of batch and returned early next morning. All was just fine, hard surface and no bloom, though the table top was a warmer than expected but not damaged.

I suspect you could fair your hull provided you have enough heat both inside and out as well a protection covers to hold in the heat overnight.

This method mat help as you may be in position to fair one section each morning and sand off the previous days work, saving you from sanding with a long (Torture) board for at least a few days straight.

Just remember your fairing will slump under heat if too much resin is added, so keep in lean.

Hope this helps.

.
 
wiggy said:
Unfortunately feb launch is unavoidable but filler is only me being fussy and I could just prime and antifoul.
Click to expand...

If you want to carry on being 'fussy' build a tent and warm the area using a radiant heater. As long as the heater is pointing at the area being worked it wll warm up the surface. This is not something that you leave on overnight or when you aren't around. I have done this in the past using only 400 watts without a 'tent' for some filling but it was still around 5 centigrade at the time, much warmer than now !
 
Last edited:
I live in Canada. We know about winter. Epoxy is not at all happy in cold weather. To get the stuff to work properly you will need to build a tent around the work area and rent a commercial gas or electric heater to warm the work space and the hull as mentioned by others. Wear a mask, bring a lunch and have at her. Read the instructions on the epoxy and allow time for it to cure properly in a warm, stable enviro.

Good luck
 
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