The Bad Sides of Too Much Hardener in Epoxy Resin

ByRobert Larry Color & Paint

Imperfect proportion of hardener in the epoxy resin can cause you trouble. It causes issues like runny resin mixture, colloidal resin mixture, or sticky resin mixture.

While working with resin, questions might arise about what are the bad sides of too much hardener in epoxy resin?

If we put too much hardener on the resin mixture some problems might arise like uncured resin or inconsistent resin. This means you won’t get the right set of consistency. When there’s just too much of hardener, you’ll get runny resin or sticky resin which you won’t be anticipating.

There are few hacks and tricks we need to keep in mind while mixing resin. Let us have a brief understanding about it-

What Chemicals Make Epoxy Resin Harder?

Epoxy resin is the balanced mixture of epoxy and hardener. It requires a perfect ratio for the resin to get in perfect consistency.

Some of the most commonly used epoxy resin hardeners are amine-group, aliphatic-group, and polyamide-group. 

How To Identify If There’s Too Much Hardener Inside Epoxy Resin?

Epoxy resin cure appropriately. If we mix too much hardener on the resin substance, the resin mixture will not be cured perfectly. Thus, getting an imperfect resin mixture. This will end up being sticky or colloidal resin. And, the end result of this is a brittle coat of resin.

This is how you can identify if there’s too much hardener. Usually, when you’re getting the right set of consistency after the mixture, you’ll know it straight away. Also, the runny and sticky resins make it easier to identify.

What Happens When We Use Too Much Hardener on Epoxy Resin?

When you have too many hardeners inside, it’ll take a shorter time to cure the resin. Due to less curing, the resin would be softer and less smooth. 

But, there are other issues that you might face! They’re listed below-

  • Runny Resi

This is due to the improper ratio of the mixture. The result of runny resin is a more gooey and thinner mixture. In most cases, you need to go for a new batch of mixture again to start working. This can be considered as the consistency/thickness problem.

  • Colloidal Resin

Due to improper measurement, temperature issues, mixing time, and speed will cause this situation to happen. The end result is a tacky granular resin mixture which is not very useful.

  • Sticky Resin

Improper curing and scraping will lead you to sticky resin. If you don’t mix and scrape well during pouring it might be the cause of sticky resin.

Fixes To Improper Consistency Of Resin

If the resin is not of the right consistency, the purpose of the resin would definitely not be served. To make sure our end product is nice and perfect we have to make sure the resin mixture is in the correct texture and consistency. 

Normally, you’ll have to do the work all over again. But, you mostly need to ensure that you’ve fixed the previous mistake too. Otherwise, the same problem will occur again.

Let us know about some easy fixes to the imperfect resin mixture.

The Fix to Runny Resin

The runny and liquid area should be scrapped well. Otherwise, it might pop up through a new coat of resin. After scrapping it all properly, we can go for the new coat of resin.

The Fix to Colloidal Resin

To fix it you can keep the piece in a warmer place. Though resin temperature is not an issue, sometimes it works. And then we can use a new coat of resin and it shouldn’t cause any difficulty. 

The Fix to Sticky Resin

For the sticky resin again we need to scrape off the wet part and recoat that place with a new coat of resin.

What is the Correct Ratio of Chemicals in Epoxy Resin?

By now, you might be thinking of what should be the perfect ratio of resin and hardener to get an appropriate cured resin mixture. Well, the commonly preferred ratio for epoxy and hardener is 1:1.

However, the ratio differs according to the user’s preference of how they want their resin consistency. 

According to the ratio, there are THREE  types of resin to be found.

Let’s have a look at the proper ratios of epoxy and hardener and the supporting components for resin mixture-

Description of epoxyRatioSupporting components
Slow epoxy hardener2:1Pot Life: 30-35 mins

 

Set Time: 4-6 hours

Drying Time: 24-30 hours

Temperature: 80F

Medium epoxy Hardener3:1Pot Life: 20-25 mins

 

Set Time: 2-4 hours

Drying Time: 3-4 hours

Temperature: 80F

Fast epoxy hardener4:1Pot Life: 15-20 mins

 

Set Time: 1-2 hours

Drying Time: 1- 2 hours

Temperature: 80F

FAQ’S

Can resin get toxic while it is in the curing phase?

If a resin substance is properly cured it can not get toxic. However, uncured UV resin can get toxic. If we cure the resin properly it is absolutely safe for use.

Is it normal to have bubbles on my resin?

If your mixture contains air in it it might appear with bubbles in it and it is normal. To prevent that issue you need to keep the resin sealed from air. 

Is resin hazardous to health?

Properly cured resin is not hazardous to health at all. If you don’t cure the resin properly, it might get a little toxic.

Final Words

Resin is a multipurpose substance to work with. I hope this was helpful for you and will guide you while working with resin.

Now, you’ll know if there’s too much hardener in epoxy resin. We’ve discussed everything you can do to fix this problem. Go on and take this opportunity to fix the problem.

One thing to keep in mind is that you need to cure your resin mixture properly before using it. Also, don’t make the same problem again as it’ll cause inconsistency. Keep track of the correct ratio. Take help from our chart in the guide.

Good luck!

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