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Revitalizing the Resin in Acraglas 02/18/2008
I had occasion to use some Acraglas a couple months ago and found it had crystallized in the container.
It had been stored for some time and the container had a sizeable lump of material floating in a small amount of resin that was still in the liquid state. Because the material is expensive I try not to waste any of it. This condition of the material started to look like a lot of waste. In the past I have used the microwave to thin catalyzed Acraglas to the viscosity of water to allow it to flow into cracks, checks, etc., in wood. Doing so, has not affected the curing of the product. Once again the microwave came to mind. (You might want to try this while there is a sale at the mall or other such activity that will keep the Mrs. away from the kitchen.) I placed the open resin container in the microwave on a paper towel with extra towels in strategic locations all around just in case. Then, I set the timer for just a few seconds, pushed the start button, and stood back to watch. No smoke, no explosion! (So far – so good.) I nuked it once more with another burst and still, no problems. I hit it one more time with another blast then checked the container. It was just barely warm to the touch and the lump was definitely smaller. I increased the time and then repeated the process in short blasts and soon the lump was almost gone. I decided to quit while I was ahead and went back to the shop. I catalyzed some of the resin for a trial run and it cured just fine. A little later I started the job and the small lump that had been left in the container had disappeared. I was not sure if it would stay liquid or start to sugar up again right away. Two months later when I needed it again, I was surprised to find it was as fresh as new. Now, four months later it is still in the liquid state and there has been no trouble with it. WARNING: Use moderation in the microwave when using this process. In the past I have cranked in too much heat and too much time in this process and it isn't pretty. Note from Frank B.: My guess is Bob may have had a very old Acraglas Kit. We changed packagers some years ago, and have not heard of this problem for quite awhile. It's still good to know that gentle heating and thorough mixing is an excellent way to bring the resin back.
