Rocketpoxy Bad??

Got the MC Go Devils that I ordered on Wed. Along with it came a sampler pack of Rocketpoxy, had never used it before. First, learned a lot about fillets using tape. Have always just pulled them with my finger after using a syringe to apply a bead. Never had a need for tape method. But was planning on no paint, just clear coat on these. First ones, I waited to long to pull the tape and got a torn strip under the poxy, had to pick out with exacto knife. One fillet, I let it set up to long and was hard to pull, again with just finger. But nearing the end of the 26 fillets, yup bought 3 of em, I encountered flakes in the glue. Had to pick them out of the poxy. Tried mixing the hardener to break them up, just made them smaller. Tried heat, still had to pick them out, they would not flow into the fillet. Has anyone encountered this before?

Looks like you probably mixed too much of the black stuff (dye) in there. The dye makes it not mix well- I stopped using it a while ago due to this. Confused about your second picture- is that normal colored rocketpoxy that was underneath the black colored stuff? Or a different mix?

I have found those flakes (crystals/clumps?) in the past when I get toward the bottom of the resin. Not sure of it's an age thing or what.

Bad Rocketpoxt, Bad; as I wave a belt. I have used rocket poxy like this before. Use a test mix on card board to make sure it hardens before you use it.

Nope, second pic is of the hardener right out of the tub. it is of one of the flakes that I picked out. Could not get them to mix in. Yes it was near the bottom as I was almost done with fillets. Still gets good and hard, not worried about it curing. Just the looks. Will still be great for internal stuff. And I did a test with Aeropoxy, Hysol 9462, the dye works with that as well.

Don't know what the belt is all about??

David Schwantz said:

Don't know what the belt is all about??

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I had to read it a few times to get it. He is saying bad, bad epoxy and waving his belt like he would be yelling at a dog. Sarcasm on the internet doesn't always work.

Zeus-cat said:

I had to read it a few times to get it. He is saying bad, bad epoxy and waving his belt like he would be yelling at a dog. Sarcasm on the internet doesn't always work.

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I apologize. The belt is not needed to harden rocketpoxy.

Not a problem CW, but I NEVER use a belt on my dogs

Nor I on my Rocketpoxy...

David Schwantz said:

Not a problem CW, but I NEVER use a belt on my dogs

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Nice dogs. I was just poking fun at the title. The epoxy just might not harden as much ar at all.

Most of the time for me, it hardens and I can't fix it. I usually heat it in hot water to soften it and then use it.

I did not want to have to sand the fillets as it turns gray. Tried a sample and clear coat will not turn it black again like it would paint. Also on the fillets, my edges are a bit rough. I used paper masking tape, has anyone tried the 3M fine line tape that is vinyl? I use that for paint and it gives the sharpest lines of any I know.

Thanks about the dogs, they are my best friends. Hershey, the one on the left, came with me for 11 years in the semi. He went to sleep in Jan of this year

One thing I have learned about epoxy is that it has a shelf life.
The faster setting it is, the faster it should be used up.
Once the hardener starts to crystallize, it's reached it's shelf life.
I've had 24 hour fishing rod finishing epoxy for 10 years and it's still good.
I've had 5 minute epoxy go bad in a month.
I used the 5 minute stuff one day to fix something, and it was just a little thick.
5 days later it was like a block of crystals in the bottle. Couldn't even dig it out.
So when I buy epoxy from now on, I buy smaller amounts of the faster setting stuff so it doesn't sit around a long time.

David Schwantz said:

I did not want to have to sand the fillets as it turns gray. Tried a sample and clear coat will not turn it black again like it would paint. Also on the fillets, my edges are a bit rough. I used paper masking tape, has anyone tried the 3M fine line tape that is vinyl? I use that for paint and it gives the sharpest lines of any I know.

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I have a roll of 3/16 3M fineline and have tried it for various things including fillets. It's "Ok" but does not reflect the price you'll pay for it. It will definitely pull paint and stuff off of finished surfaces so be careful where you use it. Also a bit of a trick to make a perfectly straight line and it absolutely will not make a tight radius without bunching like pinstriping tape will. In my opinion Tamaya makes better tapes.

David Schwantz said:

I did not want to have to sand the fillets as it turns gray. Tried a sample and clear coat will not turn it black again like it would paint. Also on the fillets, my edges are a bit rough. I used paper masking tape, has anyone tried the 3M fine line tape that is vinyl? I use that for paint and it gives the sharpest lines of any I know.

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You need to use 91% rubbing alcohol on a gloved finger to smooth them out after you pull tape. Also need to get the timing right when doing fillets so you are in the workable window. I can do 6 fillets at a time after years of practice. Use razors to scrape the edges clean after you smooth them. Heat makes it's flow to a point but then will accelerate curing. The white part of rocketpoxy needs to be mixed often, if you scrape the bottom you will see what I mean. It gets harder when agitated so mix slow or you likely break your popsicle stick. A little dye goes a long way. Like a drop is usually all you need.

I never used this stuff enough to form an opinion but did buy a sample size of it. I tested it on some scrap body tubes. I followed the instructions and the wait time before shaping was way too long. First fillet was horrible tben I did it my way and turned out nicer but haven't used if more than twice. Not comfortable enough with using it to try on any of my builds. I've sern builders on here use it with much success. I never had any flakes as such. Maybe it's a bad batch??

Heating the container for a few minutes in a hot water bath worked for me. Dissolved the crystals:
https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/question-on-epoxy-resins.151556/
(By hot I mean hot from the tap, NOT boiling hot).

The stuff does not haves crystals, but it has flakes, like small chunks of coconut. Oh well, used it to finish, and they look ok. Like mine with aeropoxy way better. Now that I know you can dye aeropoxy, will use that again if I do a colored glass rocket.

David Schwantz said:

The stuff does not haves crystals, but it has flakes, like small chunks of coconut. Oh well, used it to finish, and they look ok. Like mine with aeropoxy way better. Now that I know you can dye aeropoxy, will use that again if I do a colored glass rocket.

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Mine has flakes also. I would define them as crystals in my book.

David Schwantz said:

I did not want to have to sand the fillets as it turns gray. Tried a sample and clear coat will not turn it black again like it would paint.

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I sand my black pigmented Rockerpoxy all the time and it does turn gray. A little Kiwi neutral colored shoe polish turns it glossy black again.

Never thought of that. Can you clear over the shoe polish?

I have many types of epoxy on hand at any given time but seem to find myself going for the Rocketpoxy more often than not. Just personal preference since I'm most familiar with it's properties I guess. I'm on my third kit to date while all the others were one time purchases.

David Schwantz said:

Never thought of that. Can you clear over the shoe polish?

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I don't know, I never tried. I usually just do the neutral shoe polish on the entire rocket if it's colored fiberglass.

I've sanded and cleared rocketpoxy many times and it always came out black.

David Schwantz said:

Never thought of that. Can you clear over the shoe polish?

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Probably not, isn't shoe polish just a wax?

Hardeners and resin can both crystallize. I put the containers in the sun on s warm day and the crystals are absorbed into the liquid. When they no longer dissolve I’ll start on a new gallon. The heat must be applied before mixing.
That opaque white chunk doesn’t look like a crystal to me. It looks like some of the plastic container the epoxy shipped in was scraped into the liquid. If that’s what it is no amount of heat will dissolve it. Mixing might break it up but that’s not much help.

Sifter? I do regularly use paint screen/funnels with fairly thick primers..

Maybe let 'er ride overnight and see what happens. Heat will make it flow but I wouldn't try anything but a few degrees over ambient.

I put it in microwave for about 15 seconds and all crystals were dissolved.