Wolfmanbean Posted January 22, 2012 Report Share Posted January 22, 2012 Hi all, I joined the forum a couple days ago. I got interested in making crankbaits about a month ago, and I spend alot of time on the net researching. So far Ive learned alot from this site. I have made a couple plugs, I have not painted any yet as was trying to find the right sealer. I did buy an airbrush and a bunch of createx paint. I have also already built a lure spinner. So in all of my researching I had came to the conclussion to go with envirotex. On the product sheet you get with the etex it recommends temps of 70 degrees or higher. My problem is I dont have a work shop or a garage, and my wife wont let me use this stuff in the house. Has any tried mixing more hardener to the resin to accomodate the cold temps outside? Or does anyone know of any tricks to get this stuff to setup in the cold? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crankpaint Posted January 22, 2012 Report Share Posted January 22, 2012 (edited) welcome to the underground ..as for e-tex in the cold i think i would go with 2ton 30 min.epoxy becouse of the set up time being alot shorter(30 mins. verse a few hours ) also hit the e-tex or epoxy with a heat gun/hair dryer after applying to smooth out the top coat it will run like cream on the bait for a few mins then reset to a thicker const... i live over by moundsville W.V. you might let your wife know thers little to no smell to the e-tex or epoxy if that what shes worryed about.i do my bait in the basement and after it set up bring the rack of bait in the house to finish cureing,are you painting your baits outside?or in a shed? you could set up in a small shed with a heater or something to help but the e-tex cures like epoxy from when you mix the two it a chemical reaction not really a heat cure anyway Edited January 22, 2012 by crankpaint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenfeather Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 I've seen some set ups with the drying wheel inside a box with a light bulb. The light bulb generates heat and speeds up the curing process and the enclosure keeps out any dust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bass Man Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 The light behind your lure turner does the trick for the etex to harden during the winter. I mounted a 2ft long light on the backside of turner and it cures fine during the cold temps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentle Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 Not sure about Etex, but D2t will get get cloudy if done in the cold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 Epoxy cures by an chemical reaction between the hardener and the resin. The cure times are stated at 70 degrees. It will cure faster at higher temps and slower at lower temps - but it will cure. Never try adjusting the 1:1 mix ratio. The 1:1 ratio provides the right amount of each chemical to complete the cure reaction. Too much hardener and your topcoat will not harden because there will be excess hardener that never gets combined with the resin. Too little hardener and there will be resin that never gets hardened. The result in either case is soft epoxy that never cures hard. Etex also contains some solvent to help it release bubbles and level out on the surface. The warmer the environment, the faster the solvent will flash out of the epoxy and the faster the chemical cure will develop. My wife has never noticed any smell from epoxy and I don't think it's detectable more than a foot away. I've used Devcon in my garage at temps down to 40 degrees with no problems. It adds a little to the cure time but it gets there. I bet Etex is similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bester Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 Just convince the wife to let you do it inside during winter. It doesn't stink and if you can get her to help you look at the baits to check for low spots or to man the heat gun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentle Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 I've used Devcon in my garage at temps down to 40 degrees with no problems. It adds a little to the cure time but it gets there. I bet Etex is similar. A couple years ago I put a big batch of crankbaits on my wheel to leave over night. My shop has wood heat, but no insulation, so when the fire goes out it gets cold quick. It got below freezing that night, and the next morning they were all cloudy, didn't have that shine like you normally get withD2t. At first thought it was perhaps a bad batch of epoxy, and so I made the mistake a second time with a different batch of epoxy. So since then if it's real cold out, clearcoating gets done inside, and have had no issues since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg.p Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 hi all. i think people need to read this about epoxy... Health Risks When liquid epoxy evaporates, (this evaporation process speeds up with poor ventilation and high temperatures) its fumes become respirable. Other respirable particles are produced by sanding partially cured epoxy. Epoxy may be hard enough to sand after a couple of hours, however it may not be completely cured for up to two weeks. The dust produced by the sanding of this epoxy contains hazardous components. [1] [4] Respiratory Harm When epoxy fumes are inhaled, they can affect the nose, throat, and lungs. Most symptoms from the inhalation of epoxy involve inflammation and therefore irritation of the nose, throat, and lungs. Repetitive and high amounts of exposure to these fumes can result in sensitization and asthma. When dust from partially cured epoxy is inhaled, the particles become trapped in the mucus lining of the respiratory system and can cause serious health problems. According to West System, a leading epoxy manufacturer, this dust should never be inhaled. [2] Sensitization and Asthma Sensitization, in this case, is the state of being allergic to epoxy. Sensitization can occur at any point, regardless of how many times or for how long you’ve been exposed to epoxy. Your chances of being sensitized will increase if you’re exposed to a greater amount of fumes in an unventilated area, but even one episode of exposure can lead to an allergic reaction. This is why preventative safety is so important in regard to epoxy. Once sensitized, even small amounts of the substance can trigger allergic reactions and it will be increasingly difficult to work with the material. There is also no definite cure for sensitization, only methods to relieve the symptoms. [2] According to MayoClinic.com, sensitization from irritant exposure in the workplace can be classified as Occupational Asthma, which is defined as “asthma that’s caused or worsened by breathing in a workplace irritant, such as chemical fumes, gases or dust. Like other types of asthma, occupational asthma can cause symptoms, such as chest tightness, wheezing and shortness of breath.” [3] Also according to MayoClinic.com, two of the “High Risk Occupations” for developing occupational asthma are Adhesive Handlers and Users of Plastics and Epoxy Resins, among many others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltshaker Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 A couple years ago I put a big batch of crankbaits on my wheel to leave over night. My shop has wood heat, but no insulation, so when the fire goes out it gets cold quick. It got below freezing that night, and the next morning they were all cloudy, didn't have that shine like you normally get withD2t. At first thought it was perhaps a bad batch of epoxy, and so I made the mistake a second time with a different batch of epoxy. So since then if it's real cold out, clearcoating gets done inside, and have had no issues since. I hate it happened to you, but, now I know why some of mine have turned out with that hazy look. On warmer days they look like glass. Thanks for postin'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfmanbean Posted January 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 Well what happened was when I got the etex and took it out of the box she was sitting next to me. For those of you that have handled etex you know that both bottles have warnings printed all over each bottle. she immediately picked the bottles up and read them. An at that second she made her mind up that I wasn't doing this in the house. I even opened the bottles up to see if it had a smell. I couldn't sense anything but she claimed she could smell it. Which she's right I shouldn't be using chemicals inside. I do use my airbrush inside and she's ok with that. So I'm taking the advice mentioned earlier. I went and bought a heat light after work today. Ill be setting this up in my tiny metal shed. I'll will be doing some test with a thermometer first to make sure I'm not going to be burning the etex. This way I can figure out how far the light needs to be from the spinner. If I get a chance I'll post a pic of my spinner setup. I really looked at others pics before I build mine so I figure I'll contribute to future addict. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sallystrothers Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 I've seen some set ups with the drying wheel inside a box with a light bulb. The light bulb generates heat and speeds up the curing process and the enclosure keeps out any dust. Probably is also sped up by the ultraviolet. UV catalyzes most epoxy reactions by creating free radicals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 Probably is also sped up by the ultraviolet. UV catalyzes most epoxy reactions by creating free radicals. So the hole in the ozone layer is responsible for the Weather Underground? If you didn't grow up in the '60s, you won't understand this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrobass Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 So I take it that I ought not to be curing this stuff in my bedroom? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Prager Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 So the hole in the ozone layer is responsible for the Weather Underground? If you didn't grow up in the '60s, you won't understand this. .....and all along I thought the Weather Underground was responsible for the hole in the ozone layer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
