Does anyone know if their is a solvent that will loosen or melt epoxy that has been used on Roylex?
Thanks in advance
JackL
I don’t think there is.
Sand paper might be the only option if it’s fully cured.
no
heat possibly,below 200degrees but not sure what that’ll do to the royalex. I’m guessing there are no solvents that would soften cured epoxy that you’d want on your royalex.
Good One!
– Last Updated: Sep-29-05 6:35 PM EST –
that's what I usually end up doing to unwanted epoxy! You can put layers of masking tape around the offending area and take the sander to it. A Stanley Sureform will also work and give you some times a little more control than a powersander.
I suspect whatever would dissolve the epoxy would likely do the same to the softer royalex.
sing
There is one that might work
Acetone. I have never tried it (and hope I never need to), but I’m pretty sure this was listed as a solvent of epoxy somewhere. Of course, it might also dissolve Royalex.
In addition to hand-sanding, you could try using a rasp to grind off the epoxy. It works much faster than sandpaper.
Or try a Dremel tool with a drum head, IF you are very, very careful how you wield it. You might find that the heat generated by using this softens the epoxy also.
Jack, not sure if you are trying to
remove drips, an old or unsatisfactory repair / skid plate or what but you can get real nice results by just using a utility blade for the little stuff and a nice, well directed chisel blow will usually ‘pop’ a repair off pretty clean and intact. Acetone will only work before the resin is cured …on some spots after you have chiseled / razor bladed, the final, final traces of epoxy ( think knats hair thin) can be swept off with a wipe of epoxy … even old cured stuff … beware the Roylex melt though.
One of the great advantages
Of cured epoxy is its solvent resistance. Acetone evaporates too quickly to be of use. MIBK will soften certain types of epoxy but will also damage any other polymer aroung it.
According to my epoxy instructions,
heat will do it. I’d use a heat gun from a distance and sneak up on it.
try on sample first, heat then sand
as in all things, do a trial first to see if the epoxy will soften first before the royalex is destroyed. it is possible you will reduce the chemical bond in the epoxy enough to be able to scrape, sand, file it off. I second the carefulness of using any solvents, the MEBK will do away with everthing in its path including your lungs if not vigilant.
The heat will depolymerise the epoxy
At a certain temperature but may well damage the kayak material.
I know acetone won’t work.
that is only good on fresh epoxy that has not hardened.
These are cups that have been installed in the bottom of a canoe to hold a sail mast.
It appears that the puddle of epoxy they were set in is about a quarter inch deep.
They are actually not in the way and I might just leave them there, but I thought someone might know of some mystery solvent that might soften it without hurting the roylex.
I can always grind them out, but it would be a long job.
Cheers,
JackL
if the epoxy is brittle enough
you might get it to pop off by banging on the outside bottom opposite the epoxy with a rubber mallet. epoxy doesn’t stick to plastic very well. or maybe you can get a thin paint scraper under an edge and gently pry it off.
That would more effective in
Cold weather
MicroPlane
– Last Updated: Sep-30-05 11:36 AM EST –
Wha Ho, Epoxy Pilgrim;
I find using what is called a MicroPlane - available from specialized woodworking sources to be the best thing for delicately shaping or shaving off epoxy. It works like a flexible cheesegrater with extremely fine and sharp cutting surfaces.
Fat Elmo
Chisel and/or Mallet from the back
Cured 'poxy won’t stand a chance. Just chip away at it until most of it is gone. Then sand, sand, sand your boat gently down the stream. Go slow and be gentle. I’ve removed excessive fillets with good success. My hand isn’t steady enough for Dremmels and other power epoxy removers.
I was toying…
…with grinding the whole shmear off with my high speed angle grinder, but I figured one slip and there goes the whole freaking canoe!
Cheers,
JackL
And , a paint scraper from HD or Lowe’s
will take off very thin layers with each pass.