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July 2007 Repair Report - Summer
Maintenance |
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Mission San Jose |
As the repair season progresses from spring to summer and hot
weather sets in, it's important to keep a few basic practices in
mind for the summer season.
Both
Prime-A-Trate and
Flex-Tec are exothermic curing materials.
This means the cure takes place by generating heat during
cross-linking. The curing speed and temperature are directly
related to the outside air temperature, surface temperature,
humidity and the size of the repair. |
Thick layers cure faster than thin
layers because of heat build-up and heat retention during the
curing process. Thick layers on hot days can really build heat!
In extreme cases the epoxy material can get quite hot to the
touch and even begin to "steam" as the trapped air bubbles begin
to heat and expand. To prevent extreme heating of the
Flex-Tec
and
Prime- A-Trate in hot weather we recommend a few summer-
time precautions:
The most effective way to control excessive heat build- up is by
avoiding repairs in direct sunlight. A building's surfaces can
get to 120 degrees or more when exposed to hours of direct
summer sun. It's best to always work on the shady side of a
building and try to schedule large repairs early in the day
while the air and surface temps are cool. If your schedule does
not permit this consider placing a sunshade against the area
several hours prior to executing a repair. Anything that will
block the sun will do. Cardboard, scrap plywood, or scrap
insulation board will work well.
The next step is to store the unmixed cartridges in a cool place
well before they are needed. A set of
Flex-Tec left in a closed
work truck all day will get quite warm even before mixing.
Consider keeping the material inside an air-conditioned space or
even storing a few sets in a lunch cooler will do the trick.
Because large amounts cure faster than small amounts consider
doing large repairs in 2 to 3 separate layers to avoid too much
heat build-up. Keep in mind that even small amounts of
Flex-Tec
and Prime-A-Trate will cure faster in hot weather. A repair that
normally took 8 hours to cure at 70 degrees will take a 1/3 to a
¼ of the time at 90 degrees.
Remember very large repairs can always be reduced by using clean
wood block "filler" pieces to take up space and reduce the
amount of Flex-Tec required. When using wood block fillers
remember to "butter" the bottom of the hole then butter all
surfaces of the wood block. This coating will assure a good bond
to all surfaces and reduce large voids of trapped air. Lastly,
make sure the wood block sits well below the surface (at least
¼") to prevent problems with sanding and "ghosting" after paint.
Time is needed
for the wet, uncured
Prime-A-Trate to sit and "dwell" on the
surface and penetrate deeply into the wood fiber. Hot
surfaces accelerate the cure and stop the penetrating
process.
So what happens if the
Flex-Tec gets really-really hot?
Don't be too alarmed. |
Wood blocks
are used to take up volume on a church repair in
Philadelphia |
It might start to
smoke a little as the steam begins to rise and you might notice
some expansion of the
Flex-Tec as the trapped air bubbles heat
and expand. The top exoterm ( aka: the hottest-it-can-get ) is
180 degrees. Wood will combust at 700 degrees. No risk of fire
is possible.
So just like managing your own temperature by wearing a hat,
sunscreen and avoiding the hot direct sun consider that your
epoxy repairs also need a little management of their own.
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More Information on Temperature and ART's Materials |
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Repair Notes From The Field: A
New Blog about Repair |
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I invite you to view a new
Blog on Maintenance and Repair.
What's a blog you ask? A blog is a website where entries are
written in chronological order and displayed in reverse
chronological order.
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Blogs provide commentary or news on a
particular subject such as food, politics, or local news; some
function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog
combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and
other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to
leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of
many blogs.
Repair Notes From The Field is a blog about people who have
worked on interesting projects and used innovative solutions to
solve the daily problems of building maintenance, repair, and
restoration. Specifically, we will address wood repair and
restoration, window restoration, porch and exterior element
inspection and repair. We will also look at paint and paint
preparation issues.
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Repair Notes From The Field... Click Here
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Remember to ask your retailer to stock ART's products!
Have a
great July! |
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Cheers,
John Stahl
Advanced Repair Technology, Inc. |
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