I have gotten good at de-crystalizing my epoxy resin - my basement workshop hovers between 55-65 degs F depending if the furnance is running (it is ussually closer to 55 in the spring/summer/fall with the heat off) - I just soak the jug in a tub of hot water.
But sometimes the resin in the pump crystalizes. I have cleaned it out with denatured alcohol, but it is a messy job and I end up with a slurry of toxic goop. I tried heating the pump in a ziplock bag in hot water - but the epoxy ran all over the place and coated the outside of the pump - very messy.
I know some folks advocate ditching the pumps and just measuring the epoxy, but I find the messy too, and I do a lot of small epoxy batches fo repair work, but maybe that is where I am headed. UNLESS someone out there in CLC land knows a good trick to de-crystalizing the resin pump in an easy and clean way!!
Please, bring on the solutions!
Joel
You could calculate how much time you're spending on pump cleanup, multiply that by minimum wage and decide if it's worth it just to buy a new pump.
When I'm actively building, I buy a new set of pumps at the beginning of the project and every spring thereafter.
Laszlo
Ok, get a new pump regularly, thats a idea.
Figuring out how many hours and multiply by minimum wage - that is a very very slippery slope when it comes to wooden boat building! All of a sudden that rotomolded or fiberglass yak comes out on top.
Joel
Joel........nobody comments on how beautiful your roto molded kayak is.
No worries - I am addicted to boat biulding and boat repair.
Just need to solve this problem. might drive me back to WEST System - have never seen that epoxy resin crystalize in many decades of use. Although I like the 'green' time of the Mas Epoxy
You could put the containers with pump in an old/el cheepo cooler with a light bulb to warm them or make a hot box out of foam to put over them, also with a lamp.