cold cure not curing???

[newf]

Hi,I'm taping the seams of a nutshell pram and the epoxy is'nt setting.My shop temp is 15.deg the epoxy is 2/1 mix.It says @10.deg it should have a pot life of 1hr.and cure in 24hr.The sales guy said i should really hurry in getting it mixed and out of the pot or it will get too hot and burn.However,I took some time to do my first batch and did'nt even nitice it getting anything but cold.I taped the seams on sat.morning it's now sun.night and i can still move the tape around(with some good pressure).What should I do?
The date on the bottle is aug.2002.
This is my first time using epoxy.
Thanks in advance.

[imported_Daniel]

I would say just give it some more time. My experience has been that you have to take the cure times on the instructions with a grain of salt. I assume you are using Industrial Formulations "cold cure"? When mixing, make sure you mix the two parts together very well. Temp, humidity and other factors come into play (or so I have found) when waiting for epoxy to cure.

[TomFF]

can you surround it with a couple of space heaters to warm it somewhat?

[Peter Lenihan]

I am guessing that it is"15 degrees" Celsius and not Fahrenheit....I have used alot of Cold Cure in borderline freezing temperatures and the stuff has ALWAYS kicked or cured.You say this is your first time using epoxy,the 2:1 ratio means 2 equal measures of just resin mixed into 1 measure(the same volume as the resin measure) of hardner.You might want to try keeping your epoxy jugs in a bucket of warm/hot water at your work station.On warmer days,with the temperatures above 25C,a big batch of Cold Cure will smoke and burn in less then two minutes....be careful!
Also,a thorough mix is always best so do not cheat with the mixing,scrape the insides and bottom of your mixing container for at least a solid minute.
If the epoxy you have already applied does not cure despite the use of heat as suggested previously,then you may be faced with having to remove it all and start over since the ratio may have been too far off..........
Do a small experimental batch of say 60ml(40ml of resin,20ml of hardner) mix it well and get a feel for how it cures at room temperature.
If the darned stuff still doesn't cure,call IFC.
Happy Building!
Peter Lenihan

[newf]

Thanks guys,it has hardened now.The stuff is "a major name brand"(thats what the guy said) of epoxy that the local supply store bottles in their own name from drums.they supposedly supply alot of the local yacht builders.I phoned the shop today and the guy said
"oh,maybe it was labeled wrong.It has happend before"O.M.G. :eek: just imagine if it was some other chem that got labeled wrong.Scary.
Next time I will buy the name brand .The mix was accurate,Ihad the grad.cups and was very careful.
So I just turned the heat right up today and it cured real good.
so does it have to be pretty warm to use the regular type epoxy?
thanks again guys.

[Ron Williamson]

Epoxy is funny stuff,perverse even.
In the pot it will heat up due to the reaction(exotherm).When you spread it out,it loses that heat and the reaction will slow down.The more material you have in a small space(ie a yogurt tub vs. paint tray),the faster it will react because the heat can't get away.
If your epoxy starts to smoke,DON'T INHALE!
R