: I have just started construction of a Pygmy Artic Tern '14 and I have a
: couple of questions: 1) In my very first batch of epoxy mixed together in
: an effort to glue the butt seams together, I somehow managed to not put
: enough hardener in. It has been over a week and it is still slightly tacky
: spots. Any suggestions for handling this? Or just wait it out until it is
: completely hardened (assuming it will completely harden).

: 2) I did manage to mix appropriate amounts of resin and hardener while
: glueing the other butt seams. I just started sanding the hardened resin
: down to be smooth with the wood. How picky do I need to be about this. I
: have developed some air pockets in the cured epoxy and I am wondering if
: it is necessary to completely smooth these out. OR, will the subsequent
: coats of resin and glass fill these in sufficiently. Any other suggestions
: about working with this very first step??????

: Thanks!
: Scott

If there is a mixture of soft and hard spots there probably WAS enough hardner, but it wasn't mixed in well enough. You really do have to mix them thoroughly. If you are using a thick epoxy it will be harder to mix. You can "thin" the epoxy by keeping it warm (before you mix it). Unfortunately, this will spped up the chemical reaction that cures the epoxy once the resin and hardner are mixed, and will cut down on the time you have to get the epoxy where you want it, but you can't get something for nothing.

Good luck, and keep stirring!

coop