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Old August 28th 07, 01:33 AM posted to rec.aviation.homebuilt
Orval Fairbairn
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Default Extending shelf life of two part epoxy chemicals

In article ,
"Blueskies" wrote:

"Orval Fairbairn" wrote in message
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In article ,
"Ron Webb" wrote:

I keep a gallon tin of West Systems epoxy in my (room temperature)
basement,
for general purpose use. It usually lasts about 5 years. I have never
noticed any degradation in performance as it gets older. The only change
is
that the hardener gets a mahogany color after a year or so, but it still
works fine.

I've got some cheap ($30/gal on EBay) stuff down there now that's several
years old. It's still clear and works fine.


That mahogany color is moisture that gets into the hardener. For best
results, heat it to remove the water -- the water reduces strength of
the bonds.


What would be a good temperature?


I'm not sure. A friend who used to work at SRI and researched epoxies
told me about it. I would suggest trying a few samples and temperatures.