well aint that a biyatch......

[hydin]

man, for about a week now ive been waiting on a friend to bring me some clear resin he picked up for me.

havent seen/heard/etc from him in over a week now. starting to get a little annoyed at the lack of communication, not to mention he owes me 50 bucks and some resin.

i decide "FUGGIT, i will just make my pour using the clear castingcraft i have here anyway, i have some to spare.".

sometime in the last 2? months or so (since i last poured... maybe 3 months).... it has become a solid chunk of resin in the bottom of that container, and the lid is frozen solid on there.

now i havent poured ANY catalyst in the can, nor have i poured any "extra" resin back in the jar, but now its completely solid. weirdest damned thing i have ever seen.

so... my question to the prop gurus here... does resin ever just "solidify" or is there a VERY limited shelf life on this stuff? ive had silicone last over a year between buying it and using it, and its been terrific. this stuff.... granted its kinda old, but it was a liquid in january. i poured some infinity gems to test out some mirroring techniques on, and it was its normal gooey self. i could feel the weight shift in the can, and i could unscrew the cap. now? solid chunk thats non flexible in the bottom (nice 3" paperweight of resin :angry) and a lid i cant open.

just kinda left me weirded out. its not really near a heat source (well, it IS in the kitchen but not near the oven, just on the bar) so its not hot enough to kick it.

anyone else ever had a spontaneous rock form like this? im wondering if when i buy the NEW jar tommorow, if i have to buy new catalyst as well. that stuffs maybe 6 months old. still liquid, but i dunno if its any good considering this stuff just literally locked up on me tonight.

just wondering if im alone or if its a sign from on high that i shouldnt be pouring tonight.
chris

 

[Blad]

Yes it can just solidify. Polyester resin once exposed to air has a limited life, can't generalise on how long.

I had exactly the same problem with waterclear resin - left it standing for a month and opened the lid to find a solid lump.

If you leave a pot of polyester resin exposed to air & light it will eventually solidify anyway - the catalyst just accellerates the process (considerably.).

You need to be careful with 'old' catalyst as apparently it can turn into some kind of explosive.

 

[SG Merc]

Ditto the above. All resins have a limited shelf life. And, though I've never had polyester kick itself, it can happen just because of the way it cures.

 

[TheSt.LouisKid]

When I buy resin I make a point to just keep pouring until its gone so it doesn't go to waste or even begin to get that nasty crystalization at the bottom of the bottle.

 

[TK9120]

Would putting the can in a ziplock bag help it last longer? I put a can of water based polyurethane in a bag with a tin foil lid and it didn't go bad. Just wondering.

 

[swhite228]

Originally posted by TK9120@Mar 14 2006, 07:27 PM
Would putting the can in a ziplock bag help it last longer? I put a can of water based polyurethane in a bag with a tin foil lid and it didn't go bad. Just wondering.

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You can get cans of nitrogen gas from most resin suppliers they drive the air out of the bottles. This will keep the resin fresher a little longer.

Other than that if anybody knows a way to prolong the life of casting products they haven't posted the secret in the 3 years I've been casting stuff.

 

[exoray]

Originally posted by swhite228@Mar 16 2006, 12:07 AM
You can get cans of nitrogen gas from most resin suppliers they  drive the air out of the bottles.  This will keep the resin fresher a little longer.

Other than that if anybody knows a way to prolong the life of casting products they haven't posted the secret in the 3 years I've been casting stuff.

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You can also put it in the fridge, to help prolong life... I suggest using another sealed container if you put it in your regular fridge, to avoid contamination of the food...

In addition to the preserver gas supplied by resin companies you can get wine preserver gas from fancier wine stores...

 

[dropshipbob]

Chris, I've used the same clear resin you have, and that's exactly what happened to me. Of course I'm already stating what's been said above, but just so yo uknow that someone with t he same resin had the same problem...for what that's worth to you.

And I had mine stored in a cool, dry place, out of sunlight. Went to use it one day and it was solid as a rock.