Quote:
Originally Posted by manfras
Hi
Anyone knows if the 6 months shelf life stated on the bottle on the hardener, is really only of 6 months?
I have bought a 100ml clear but I'm a slow builder and it has around 18 months since I first used it (only painted 2 cars, the second one 8 months after first usage) , and I wanted to try on a third car but I'm afraid it might be too old. I sprayed a week ago on some small pieces and it seems ok and cured normally, should I risk it at use it another time (I still have enough for at least 3 our 4 other cars  ), or should I discard it and buy a new set?
I have kept it tight close and in the shade.
any thoughts appreciated.
Andre |
Andre - usually as long as the "catalyst" hardener hasn't got hard and cured in the bottle the hardener should still be good - if the hardener appears a little thicker than normal then "reduce" thin the hardener with a little of the Thinner before you add it to the Polyurethane clear and then add the appropriate thinner hardener and clear as per the mixing ratios.
Also keep the bottles of the clear and the hardener in the refrigerator - I store mine there in a box and have used hardener that is 12 years old - lol Heat causes the catalyst or hardener to cure so if you keep it cold like 42 degrees Fahrenheit or 5.6 degrees Celsius - regular refrigerator temperatures the catalyst or hardener can last almost indefinitely - I store the Polyurethane Clear in the refrigerator too because heat will cause the Clear to harden and cure in the bottle too over time so store them in the original bottle in the refrigerator and then take them out and let them warm to room temps before using and then after using place the bottles back in the refrigerator - do not try to save or store unused mixed clear it is going to harden so be sure and clean out your airbrush right after use -
do not store The polyurethane clear or hardener in the "Freezer"
Hope that gives you some insight Andre
Regards
John