Maverik Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Hi Folks... Maybe a stupid question, but I can't really find a clear answer anywhere... I was wondering out of araldite which tube is the hardener, as I've been using a bit recently and its staying a little tacky, without doing a test I wonder if the brain trust knew what the answer was... anyone? Cheers Mav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwakers Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 the smaller one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynic-al Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 The product commonly known as Araldite (as in epoxy) is usually a 50 / 50 mix, some say hardener on one of the tubes, others say part A and B, I assume yours is the latter and I don't know which is which either. I find weather, age of product, surface it's sticking too and how well I've mixed it all make a difference to the time to go off. Also I find the 24h stuff has better weather resistance than the 15 minute stuff. Edit - according to t'internet co2 can react with the hardener and leave the surface feeling tacky but it's cured underneath and the tacky layer can be wiped off. You don't need to talk to it to make it cure like you do flowers to make them grow you know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 I want to say the white one out of instinct..... But I've got nothing nearby to back that up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 Take the caps off. The one that is a cloudy colour is the first one to use. the other tube should be clear, that is the hardener. Mix 50.50. If you want a faster setting time, then apply heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted June 7, 2016 Author Share Posted June 7, 2016 Aye, turns out its the red tube... I'm not looking to have it set quicker, just trying to avoid the tackyness I was encountering, I used a tad more hardener in the stuff I was mixing last night, will see what its done later. (for some reason in my head I accounted the tackiness to lack of hardener...) - but now logically thinking about it its probably more down to inadequate mixing than anything... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheesy Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 Aye, turns out its the red tube... I'm not looking to have it set quicker, just trying to avoid the tackyness I was encountering, I used a tad more hardener in the stuff I was mixing last night, will see what its done later. (for some reason in my head I accounted the tackiness to lack of hardener...) - but now logically thinking about it its probably more down to inadequate mixing than anything... Thats not a good idea with epoxys, it is a chemical reaction between the two components, not a catalyzed reaction like a polyester resin. If it does set it will not be as strong as it should be. Since you are using araldite presumably you are mixing small quantities so this may not work. When I mix epoxy I will mix it in one cup and then transfer it to a second cup that I apply from, this stops you picking up any unmixed resin off the sides of the mixing container. Also as others have mentioned temperature and humidity can have an effect on the cured surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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