EnviroTex Lite Pour-On (epoxy resin)

[rollerboi]

Hey, guys.

My wife is trying to make tile board art to send to our families for christmas. You know, the thing where you cut pictures up and put em on tile boards with mod podge, then pour this high gloss finish over it?

Anyways, she followed the instructions exactly. She measured equal parts of epoxy resin and polyamine hardener, then poured a generous amount over her project.

Unfortunately, it's been over a week now and the stuff is still sticky. She's getting frustrated because we need to mail them soon; does anyone have any ideas why this could be happening, and how to fix it?

She's really hoping to not have to put a sealer over it that would cause the project to lose its shine. However, whatever it takes to get this project sealed off and sent out..

Many thanks.

 

[exoray]

Welcome to the world of low cost clear resins...

It will probably get hard but it will take it's sweat time, you can probably help it along with a little heat... I don't know where you are but if it's a cold weather area and you are holding your house at that 68-72º temp it's going to be awhile... You need to get it up into say the mid 80s or to help it along...

 

[Bob Gaussington]

Also, how much is a "generous helping?" If you do too much, it takes forever to cure.

 

[Great_Bizarro]

Might try a heat lamp, just don't place it too close.

 

[Darth Mule]

My brother did his bar tops like this and the same thing happened. He lives in Vegas, so the cold is not an issue. Unfotunately the only thing you can do is do it over with good resin.

 

[rollerboi]

Ok, now my wife's really getting upset with me. We shut her projects in the spare bedroom with the space heater in addition to the regular heat running, and basically turned the room into an oven.

Now she says that it feels stickier than ever.

When you said your brother had to "do it over" with good resin, do you mean to coat the sticky surface, or to clean the old stuff off and start anew?

Sanding the stuff off, for us, is not an option - there's photographs underneath.
*sigggh*. All we want, at this point, is a way to seal it off so we can salvage the christmas gifts.

Any suggestions or thoughts? Stick it in the regular oven, perhaps?

I don't really have the time to deal with a disappointed wife right now. :/

 

[dropshipbob]

I wouldn't suggest putting it in an oven, that might just melt it making a gooey mess all over your oven...and that might render your oven unuseable for baking food.

I don't think there's much else you can do, it was either a bad batch, moisture got to it, or it was just old.
I'm afraid you might have to start all over again.