Quick Question about Epoxy Cure

[DataGolfer]

Hello, I reshafted my irons yesterday.

 

I used the Golfworks Tour Set epoxy.

 

Does anyone know how hard this epoxy should be after 24 hours? I mixed 10.0 g and 10.0 g of Parts A and B thoroughly, and added shafting beads and mixed again.

 

The result is hard, but somewhat pliable. Not brittle, or rock solid. Can't crack it.

 

Clubheads won't budge when I attempt to twist

 

Good to go, or risky?

Edited November 16, 2020 by golfman1023

[braincramp52]

Should be good to go after 24 hours unless you put them in a freezer for the 24 hours. 😄

[DataGolfer]

Just a little worried that it's a little bendable.. but I've had a hallogen light pointing at them, it's been around 80 degrees 

[Adam C]

If the clubs cured in a colder area (say under 60 degrees F), the time will need to be longer.

[braincramp52]

Lack of oxygen helps epoxy cure

[DataGolfer]

Well, guess I will give them a hit tomorrow... hopefully the heads do not go flying into a lake.

[Nessism]

Golfworks Tour Set epoxy has had more reported failures here than all other epoxies put together.  Hopefully you have a good batch and mixed it well.  

 

Epoxy can be speed cured by placing the club heads under heat.  The pro's have special equipment to heat cure epoxy, which happens very quickly, but for homebuilt clubs you can make a hot box or place some old fashion light bulbs around the heads and raise their temperature and cure the epoxy.  90 mins at 120F or 60 mins at 140F will fully cure the epoxy.  There is no reason to wait 24+ hours unless you like to.  Oh, and heat curing the epoxy makes it stronger than room temperature cure.  

[Valtiel]

49 minutes ago, Nessism said:

Golfworks Tour Set epoxy has had more reported failures here than all other epoxies put together.  Hopefully you have a good batch and mixed it well.  

 

Epoxy can be speed cured by placing the club heads under heat.  The pro's have special equipment to heat cure epoxy, which happens very quickly, but for homebuilt clubs you can make a hot box or place some old fashion light bulbs around the heads and raise their temperature and cure the epoxy.  90 mins at 120F or 60 mins at 140F will fully cure the epoxy.  There is no reason to wait 24+ hours unless you like to.  Oh, and heat curing the epoxy makes it stronger than room temperature cure.  

I didn't know that about the Tour Set stuff, that is concerning. Any word on the other Golfworks stuff?

[Socrates]

6 minutes ago, Valtiel said:

I didn't know that about the Tour Set stuff, that is concerning. Any word on the other Golfworks stuff?

This is the one that I trust.  From what I can see, it is a 3M product very similar to DP460.

 

https://www.golfworks.com/the-golfworks-maximum-strength-high-impact-epoxy/p/vb1001/

Edited November 17, 2020 by Socrates

[Valtiel]

23 minutes ago, Socrates said:

This is the one that I trust.  From what I can see, it is a 3M product very similar to DP460.

 

https://www.golfworks.com/the-golfworks-maximum-strength-high-impact-epoxy/p/vb1001/

Awesome, that is what I use as well. Any tips on even dispensing of it though? The whole 2:1 plunger idea is cool, but the different consistency of the two parts means they almost never seem to want to come out at the same time/evenly regardless of how evenly you plunge it. I've been thinking about just dispensing it all into two separate containers and not messing with their dispenser. 

Edited November 17, 2020 by Valtiel

[Nessism]

8 minutes ago, Valtiel said:

Awesome, that is what I use as well. Any tips on even dispensing of it though? The whole 2:1 plunger idea is cool, but the different consistency of the two parts means they almost never seem to want to come out at the same time/evenly regardless of how evenly you plunge it. I've been thinking about just dispensing it all into two separate containers and not messing with their dispenser. 

 

You need to use a proper dispenser and purge out the first bit until you get even flow out of both ports so to speak.

 

I had a bit of a disagreement with one of the materials experts where I work because he wanted us (production people of which I'm a part) to lay down a 6" bead of epoxy out of the mixing nozzle before applying it to the parts we make.  I said that's wasteful and he relented, only because we use high grade epoxy like 3M.  The point I'm trying to make is to assure you get even flow out of both the resin and hardener nozzles before you trust the epoxy.

[HSTNGolfer]

17 minutes ago, Valtiel said:

Awesome, that is what I use as well. Any tips on even dispensing of it though? The whole 2:1 plunger idea is cool, but the different consistency of the two parts means they almost never seem to want to come out at the same time/evenly regardless of how evenly you plunge it. I've been thinking about just dispensing it all into two separate containers and not messing with their dispenser. 

Spend the money to get the cartridge gun. The dispenser gun works great for getting the correct 2:1 ratio. I would also get the 1:1 plunger with it as there are other epoxy cartridges that need a 1:1 ratio. As @Nessism said, purge out the first bit by squeezing out a little blob and discarding it. Then dispense as much as you need, mix thoroughly. Place the cap back on and store indoors at 70 degrees F. 

 

It looks like the Golfworks high-impact epoxy is very similar to the V.O. Baker G-1400 series. I switched to this some years ago and have had  excellent results since. 

https://vobaker.com/product/g-1400-series-high-impact-and-torque-resistant-shafting-epoxy-black/

 

[Valtiel]

19 minutes ago, Nessism said:

 

You need to use a proper dispenser and purge out the first bit until you get even flow out of both ports so to speak.

 

I had a bit of a disagreement with one of the materials experts where I work because he wanted us (production people of which I'm a part) to lay down a 6" bead of epoxy out of the mixing nozzle before applying it to the parts we make.  I said that's wasteful and he relented, only because we use high grade epoxy like 3M.  The point I'm trying to make is to assure you get even flow out of both the resin and hardener nozzles before you trust the epoxy.

 

7 minutes ago, HSTNGolfer said:

Spend the money to get the cartridge gun. The dispenser gun works great for getting the correct 2:1 ratio. I would also get the 1:1 plunger with it as there are other epoxy cartridges that need a 1:1 ratio. As @Nessism said, purge out the first bit by squeezing out a little blob and discarding it. Then dispense as much as you need, mix thoroughly. Place the cap back on and store indoors at 70 degrees F. 

 

It looks like the Golfworks high-impact epoxy is very similar to the V.O. Baker G-1400 series. I switched to this some years ago and have had  excellent results since. 

https://vobaker.com/product/g-1400-series-high-impact-and-torque-resistant-shafting-epoxy-black/

 

Thanks guys, i'll invest in the cartridge gun. Attempting to purge out the first bit resulted in losing about a 1/4 of Part A because Part B literally did not come out until a ton of Part A did, seemed really wasteful and messy. 

Sorry for hijacking the thread @golfman1023, to address your actual question, epoxy can often feel a little bit pliable after the initial cure, especially Golfworks stuff that has a little more flexibility. It is nothing to worry about and should be plenty safe to use with the normal caveats around proper mixing and curing temps. 

[Socrates]

17 minutes ago, Valtiel said:

 

Thanks guys, i'll invest in the cartridge gun. Attempting to purge out the first bit resulted in losing about a 1/4 of Part A because Part B literally did not come out until a ton of Part A did, seemed really wasteful and messy. 
 

I've never purged out more than gram (likely less) of epoxy coming out of the plunger.  It's still safer to be cautious than to not do it.  Especially if you are only mixing a few grams of epoxy where the mix ratio is far more critical.  Mixing enough to do a whole set, it's not that big a deal.

[Socrates]

6 hours ago, golfman1023 said:

Hello, I reshafted my irons yesterday.

 

I used the Golfworks Tour Set epoxy.

 

Does anyone know how hard this epoxy should be after 24 hours? I mixed 10.0 g and 10.0 g of Parts A and B thoroughly, and added shafting beads and mixed again.

 

The result is hard, but somewhat pliable. Not brittle, or rock solid. Can't crack it.

 

Clubheads won't budge when I attempt to twist

 

Good to go, or risky?

Unless you know the exact densities of the Part A and B, you should NEVER mix the same weight as this will not give you a 1:1 ratio.  10 g of A and 10 g of B are not the same volume in almost every type of epoxy. You should be mixing volumes.  This is why you likely are getting a epoxy that is pliable.  Is it enough to affect the strength of the bond?  I can't answer that for sure.

[denkea]

15 hours ago, golfman1023 said:

Hello, I reshafted my irons yesterday.

 

I used the Golfworks Tour Set epoxy.

 

Does anyone know how hard this epoxy should be after 24 hours? I mixed 10.0 g and 10.0 g of Parts A and B thoroughly, and added shafting beads and mixed again.

 

The result is hard, but somewhat pliable. Not brittle, or rock solid. Can't crack it.

 

Clubheads won't budge when I attempt to twist

 

Good to go, or risky?

 

Wait until tomorrow or the nest day to test the epoxy again.  Pretty sure it'll crack then.  Because it's a bit pliable shouldn't be an issue.  

[Nessism]

11 hours ago, Valtiel said:

 

Thanks guys, i'll invest in the cartridge gun. Attempting to purge out the first bit resulted in losing about a 1/4 of Part A because Part B literally did not come out until a ton of Part A did, seemed really wasteful and messy. 
 

 

Your comment indicates the cartridge was not filled correctly.  Big red flag.  You might want to ditch it and ask for a refund.  This is the risk with low quality cartridges...and one of the reasons 3M costs so much.  

[DataGolfer]

The instructions say 1:1 by weight or volume...

[mylesb21]

Golfworks Tour Set Epoxy fully cures in 60-90 mins. I've built several sets with this epoxy and have had no failures.  The cured epoxy will be pliable (on the paper you set it up on) after cured, but is very strong. 

[mylesb21]

Here's a great video about all types of epoxy:

 

[Socrates]

On 11/17/2020 at 9:52 AM, golfman1023 said:

The instructions say 1:1 by weight or volume...

Unless there is a data sheet or says directly on the bottle/tube what the 2 densities are and they are the same... Go with the volume every time.

[cristphoto]

On 11/16/2020 at 10:20 PM, Socrates said:

Unless you know the exact densities of the Part A and B, you should NEVER mix the same weight as this will not give you a 1:1 ratio.  10 g of A and 10 g of B are not the same volume in almost every type of epoxy. You should be mixing volumes.  This is why you likely are getting a epoxy that is pliable.  Is it enough to affect the strength of the bond?  I can't answer that for sure.

 

I agree.  I've never weighed epoxy. I squirt out a line of each (I use the 1 to 1 ratio epoxy).  Then I take a razor blade and cut the epoxy to same length.  Call me picky. Mix well - more than you think is adequate.  If you have a problem getting epoxy to flow simply put it in a ziplock bag and drop into hot water for a couple minutes.  This usually softens it enough to get good flow.  

[DataGolfer]

Clubs are holding up fine.... 2 range buckets and 36 holes later