My Black Epoxy gallon turned to sludge?

ATXbronco

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Hey folks, about six months ago I bought a gallon of primer + activator.
The primer is Black Epoxy 6620-1.

After using half the gallon four months ago, I secured the lid back in place and stored it in an unused bedroom that never got below 68F or above 78F. The lid does still have the plastic seal "rope" that goes around it.

Today I opened it to use the rest and found that the bottom 1 or 2 inches of the can is thick sludge.
Is that normal? I'm new at paint and am a DIY'er.
I was able to free up the sludge after about a minute of mixing it with my gloved hand (new surgical gloves).

I'm guessing it's gone bad?
 
It's normal. Solids will settle. Find something sturdy to stir with and go at it. It will take awhile. You could get a stirrer for your drill and slowly do it. Epoxy doesn't shake at all in this condition. In the future, it helps to turn your cans upside down/right side up every month or so.
 
I bought mine from a retailer. Probaly been sitting in store a long time.
Something like this. You stir and stir, seems like nothing is happening, and then all of a sudden it all blends together.

20211214_131705.jpg


Voila... as they say in Quebec.
20211214_132328.jpg
 
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The upside down can thing really works. After my first time of stirring that tar on the bottom, I started rotating the cans, right side up and then upside down. When I know I will spray in the next day or so, I set it on the bench and then turn it and give it a shake each time I walk by.
By spraying time, hardly any stirring needed.
 
Epoxy doesn't shake at all in this condition.

So after reading not to shake the epoxy for years in the TDS and seeing statements like this over and over, I must ask why?
Theres times I go 6-18 months and don't use epoxy, or I find a long lost can. Stirring it is miserable, seems like I can stir it for minutes on end and not seem like I am getting anywhere.

One day I threw it on the shaker and set the timer to 5 minutes. When I took it off, it looked like it was slightly carbonated for a few minutes with air bubbles in it, but there was absolutely no clumps. Since then I must have done this 15-20 times.

Not sure if it makes a difference, but I have one of the Blair electric shakers that holds the can in the normal orientation and it shakes it using a motor that has an imbalance and the can is attached to a platform that is attached to the shaker via springs. It works really well at agitating the can. Not talking about one of the old school pneumatic shakers that rock the can from side to side in the horizontal orientation.
 
So after reading not to shake the epoxy for years in the TDS and seeing statements like this over and over, I must ask why?
Theres times I go 6-18 months and don't use epoxy, or I find a long lost can. Stirring it is miserable, seems like I can stir it for minutes on end and not seem like I am getting anywhere.

One day I threw it on the shaker and set the timer to 5 minutes. When I took it off, it looked like it was slightly carbonated for a few minutes with air bubbles in it, but there was absolutely no clumps. Since then I must have done this 15-20 times.

Not sure if it makes a difference, but I have one of the Blair electric shakers that holds the can in the normal orientation and it shakes it using a motor that has an imbalance and the can is attached to a platform that is attached to the shaker via springs. It works really well at agitating the can. Not talking about one of the old school pneumatic shakers that rock the can from side to side in the horizontal orientation.
I love my tornado shaker. I like to turn the cans upside down so the sludge has to break loose. If you break up the big chunks, yes, the shaker will eventually win out.
 
Not talking about one of the old school pneumatic shakers that rock the can from side to side in the horizontal orientation.
I have one of those pneumatic shakers, its over 20 years old. 5 minutes on the shaker and the expoxy is good to go, can't imagine a better way.
 
So after reading not to shake the epoxy for years in the TDS and seeing statements like this over and over, I must ask why?
Theres times I go 6-18 months and don't use epoxy, or I find a long lost can. Stirring it is miserable, seems like I can stir it for minutes on end and not seem like I am getting anywhere.

One day I threw it on the shaker and set the timer to 5 minutes. When I took it off, it looked like it was slightly carbonated for a few minutes with air bubbles in it, but there was absolutely no clumps. Since then I must have done this 15-20 times.

Not sure if it makes a difference, but I have one of the Blair electric shakers that holds the can in the normal orientation and it shakes it using a motor that has an imbalance and the can is attached to a platform that is attached to the shaker via springs. It works really well at agitating the can. Not talking about one of the old school pneumatic shakers that rock the can from side to side in the horizontal orientation.
What do we mean?
If sludge forms on the bottom going to the shaker, depending on how hard the pigment gets, the shaker may not mix.
So stir best you can and then put on Shaker.
 
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