The different hardeners and mix ratios will be described in
the price list. The following describes our best selling and
most general purpose resins and hardeners which are of a two to one mix ratio.
All Raka Epoxies are 100 % solids with no evaporating
solvents and have low viscosity for superb penetration
and wetting out of wood and fiberglass.
The Raka basic marine epoxy resin 127 is our standard
resin with a low viscosity of 600 centipoise, very little smell
and excellent wetting out and clear coating properties.
900 H.P. is our new high strength resin that is slightly
thicker and uses less and more efficient epoxy diluents. ?It
will give faster curing, much higher strength properties,
more rigidity and much higher heat deflection
temperatures. ?It can be used with all our hardeners at
normal mix ratios but will yield the maximum physical properties when used with our 5 to mix 631 hardener. ?
Our standard 2 to 1 mix hardeners are our slow hardener
606 and our fast hardener 610. ?All hardeners are
designed to be mixed by volume. ?The fast hardener is very
fast (pot life of a 3 oz. mass at 77 F is less than 8 minutes). ?
Working cure strength for most applications, using fast
hardener, is achieved in 6 to 12 hours at approx. ?77 ?F. ?
The slow hardener is very slow (pot life of a 3 oz. mass at
77 F is more than 25 minutes). Working cure strength,
using slow hardener, will take about 24 to 48 hours at approx. 77 F. ??606 hardener should be used in
temperatures above 60 F. ?
Our two to one mix ratio slow and fast hardeners are easy
to use, are low blushing and can be mixed together to
customize working characteristics and cure times. ?
Warmer temperatures will give better results, but by using our 610 fast hardener its possible to work in temperatures
as low as 50 F. and get a hard cure. Full working strength
will not be achieved though unless the epoxy has a period
of at least 24 hours above 50 degrees.
We now have our new non blushing, high gloss hardener
350 and a new high strength resin 900 H.P. ?See Special
Hardeners and Resins below.
DESCRIPTION OF SPECIAL HARDENER
350 NON BLUSHING
We feel this hardener is second to none in its ability to
resist blushing, white clouding and water spotting. ?
Blushing is the greasy surface film on cured epoxy caused
by humidity in the air as the epoxy cures. ?
We tried many non blushing type hardeners before we
settled on the 350 formulation. ?Regardless of the most
extreme humidity or cool dropping temperatures our tests
show this hardener gives an excellent high gloss and
clear, blemish free coatings. ?This formulation also has the
best resistance to cratering and trapped air bubbles in the
cured epoxy coating.
Raka 350 like our other hardeners has good strength
properties, excellent water resistance and the best
general chemical resistance of our hardeners. ?Cured
epoxy using the 350 formulation will also give better
flexibility to resist impact and wood deformation. ??The 350
is mixed by volume one part hardener to two parts of our
127 or 900 H.P. Resins. This system has a good pot life
approximately thirty minutes at room temperature yet is
relatively quick curing compared to other hardeners and
can be used in temperatures down to 60 F ?. ??The wide
temperature use ability of this system will simplify the
needs of many customers who do not want to have to carry
a combination of fast and slow hardeners. ??350 reaches a
tack free stage quickly and can be sanded in less than
twelve hours at room temperature. ??350 is more expensive
than our other hardeners but when combined with our
economical Resins the average price per gallon is the best
competitive value around.
SPECIAL HARDENER ( 631 )
This hardener mixes with our regular Resin ( 127 ) or high
strength ( 900 H.P.) at a ratio of five parts Resin to one part
hardener and has a medium fast speed. A three oz. mass at
77 degrees F. it has a pot life of less than 12 minutes. It
makes the strongest and most water resistant epoxy with
higher heat deflection temperatures than our standard
hardeners. Its disadvantages are: more blushing, and
possibly more sensitising to your skin and much more care
must be given to exact mixing ratios. It's priced the same
per volume as our regular kit prices. ?Not recommended
for clear coating applications.
HIGH STRENGTH 900 H.P. Resin
Raka 900 H.P. Resin is not designed to replace our 127
Resin, but to complement our customers demands for
more specific Resins and hardeners to satisfy different
requirements. ?900 H.P. is slightly thicker than our 127
Resin and may not do as well for wetting out or clear
coating. ?It ?can be used with all our hardeners at normal
mix ratios. ?It will cure faster than 127 Resin and give
substantial increases in rigidity and higher heat deflection
temperatures, especially if used with our 631hardener. ?
UV Fast Cure
This hardener was designed for people that want to be able to do multiple steps in a lamination in a shorter time frame. With standard epoxy you would have to wait approximately 24hrs before you would be able to sand and continue working. We thought that wasn't good enough.
With our new fast cure UV inhibited hardener you will still get approximately 18 mins of pot life (3oz in a cup at 77F).
Plus the added benefit of having the epoxy be sandable in approximately 4 hrs (at 77F).
To give you an example:
If you start fiberglassing a surfboard at 8am at 77F, you would be able to glass one side and about 12pm would be able to flip the board over and do the other side. After doing the other side around noon by 4pm you can be sanding the overlaps and ready for the final hot coat on your board.
Surfboards are not the only market this epoxy can be used for. If you want the UV Protection, the ability to work multiple coats sooner, and the strength of epoxy, THIS IS FOR YOU!
CASTING EPOXY SYSTEM
This system was specifically designed for large/deep pours that require crystal clear finish without air bubbles. When doing a thick pour you can go upto 2 inches in a temperatuer controlled enviroment. We recommend doing the project in a dust free temperature controlled room around 78F. Depending on the thickness of the pour this epoxy will cure hard in 24-48 hours. This was designed to meet the needs of projects that require excellent clarity and thick finishes such as River Tables, and moulded parts. |