I used some glass epoxy resin (crap) that i purchased from auto-zone and it has turned yellow now that the winter is coming to a close. What are best recommended to remove the epoxy that was put on? I've made a few calls, co-worker referred me to take finest grit sandpaper and re seal the crack then cover it in a clear coat of anything (even nail polish). I will be undergoing a process if anyone hasn't seen my last thread of installing new halo rings in headlamp, and since the crack exists in the lens of the headlight, i'm already going to be doing a project anyways... and WILL be posting pictures of the result! So please if anyone knows the best procedure to remove this yellow SH** and make it look clean again.. i dont want to be replacing a 200$ assembly :thumbsup:
used glass resin that turned yellow, need best advice
1 - 9 of 9 Posts
The epoxy turns yellow due to UV exposure. We run into it a lot in the marine business. The only way to "clean up" the installed resin is to totally remove it. WEST Systems makes a UV additive for epoxies. (Wood Epoxy Saturation Technique, Gougeon Brothers, [Wisconsin ??) Look for the products at marine stores.
Thank you, i will look into this product soon. What would be the best procedure to remove the epoxy? sandpaper or mabye use thinner? Thanks in advance!
This is only a guess since I don't know just what or how you worked on the assemblies..........
Epoxy is NOT a "glue": it does not chemically bond to another material. It bonds mechanically, so the materials to be "glued' must be roughed up - even microscopically. Old, cured epoxy will not even bond with new epoxy resin - it also must be mechanically roughed up.
Sooooooo...........I'll bet that your first epoxy job may just chip and flake off of the polycarbonate assembly. It's worth a try, otherwise you're in for some intense Dremel work (use a dust mask - epoxy dust is toxic).
FWIW, some polyester resins can be used as glue due to their chemical solvent package, but polyester is even worse for UV damage.
If you really want to get technical/picky, the proper terms are epoxy resin (the plastic) and glass reinforced plastic (fiberglass).
Epoxy is NOT a "glue": it does not chemically bond to another material. It bonds mechanically, so the materials to be "glued' must be roughed up - even microscopically. Old, cured epoxy will not even bond with new epoxy resin - it also must be mechanically roughed up.
Sooooooo...........I'll bet that your first epoxy job may just chip and flake off of the polycarbonate assembly. It's worth a try, otherwise you're in for some intense Dremel work (use a dust mask - epoxy dust is toxic).
FWIW, some polyester resins can be used as glue due to their chemical solvent package, but polyester is even worse for UV damage.
If you really want to get technical/picky, the proper terms are epoxy resin (the plastic) and glass reinforced plastic (fiberglass).
FWIW, mixing layers of polyester resins with layers of epoxy resins can produce gooey messes that never cure even if baked for days. Even if the first layer is thoroughly cured, the next layer of a differing product may never cure. Trying to remove the mess with solvents on a rag results in having a glued down rag added to your misery.
Been there! Done that!
Gluing together a home made glass aquarium with epoxies can result in a spontaneous disassembly in the middle of the night and a hell of a mess.
Been there! Done that!
Gluing together a home made glass aquarium with epoxies can result in a spontaneous disassembly in the middle of the night and a hell of a mess.
I'd be awfully careful with any solvents--polycarbonate and epoxy resin are both highly resistent materials and whatever will affect one might well affect the other...
Okay... so i just spoke with my father about this. He told me he has had this issue a number of times. The easiest way he says is to used a "fine" steel wool that i can find in any hardware store that coded with "#0000" on label (which is the grit im guessing?), He's telling me that this grade is 100% safe on all glass applications as well as chrome and is good to remove tint off of windows, as well as scrubbing UV damage off of glass (yellowish/white fade). So im going to give this a shot, and see what happens since im running thin on options and this seems to be the safest way to do it.
Remember - ANY embedded steel wool residue will quickly turn to rust. Better to use the pricier bronze wool. (Again, this comes from working with a lot of epoxy and white paint in the boat field................:yup
OOOOOOOOO! Good Idea!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:Remember - ANY embedded steel wool residue will quickly turn to rust. Better to use the pricier bronze wool. (Again, this comes from working with a lot of epoxy and white paint in the boat field................:yup
1 - 9 of 9 Posts
Join the discussion
Join now to ask and comment!