Epoxy cure time

[Rich P]

Sorry if this has been answered somewhere...I searched and could not find anything.

I have a two part epoxy being used with a dye to fill defects in ipe. Does anyone know if a heat gun will accelerate the cure time?

[BobSch]

From what I've read some epoxies will cure faster with heat, in fact some require heat to cure properly. Whether it will work in your case or not... I'd take a small piece of scrap and try it.

[drillman88]

At work we use a heat lamp, basically a 100 watt security bulb on a folding holder, to heat epoxy after it has been applied. It heats the epoxy more evenly than a gun and wont overheat either.we also preheat the epoxy by putting it on a transformer or a warm motor probably in the 115-120* range.
I dont know if this will help with your project but I thought I would share.

[cabinetman]

Some adhesives develop their best bond by either their maximum or extended curing period, rather than with heat or RF.
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[LCHIEN]

heating will accelerate the cure of Epoxy. There are fast curing epoxies, this may be a better way of achieving your results if you do this often - pick one with a usable working time which is the spec that basically tells you how fast it sets up.. Fast curing epoxies are often exothermic- they release a lot of heat as they cure. If you overheat a curing epoxy, there is a danger it may actually exude excessive heat and "runaway" where it overheats and damages the joint, so I would be careful. Letting it cure at room temp is usually a better bond than accelerating it.

When using two-part epoxies that come in bulk, make sure you mix the hardener thoroughly before measuring out any hardener and resin. If you pour off some hardener from the can and the hardener has separated, you may have too much agent and it will have a short working time and set up too fast. Then when you mix the next batch you'll have too little hardener agent and it'll never setup and you'll have this gooey mess.
DAMHIKT