Solarez help

jokers_wild96

jokers_wild96

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm trying to switch over to solarez finish and get away from ca finish. My problem is the solarez will not fully cure. At best it gets to just slightly tacky and thats it. This is my setup. If anyone with more info or help would like to share I'm all ears to get this figured out. You can pm me for my cell if you'd like to call and talk to me. Thanks for any info.
 

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GBCues

GBCues

Damn, still .002 TIR!
Gold Member
Silver Member
Which bulb are you using? I tested some different setups and found the wavelength matters, but the wavelengths advertised for different bulbs/lights are not what they say they are.
Post a picture of the bulb brand and type from the end of the bulb.
 
jokers_wild96

jokers_wild96

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
These are the bulbs I have.
 

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Last edited:
Dave38

Dave38

theemperorhasnoclotheson
Silver Member
jokers_wild96 said:
These are the bulbs I have.
Click to expand...

the picture didn't post....
A couple of questions, how old is the solarez? did you stir it thoroughly before applying? Do you turn the lamp on about 5-10 minutes prior? How fast are you spinning it? I do 1rpm, The lamps I use come from Solacure https://www.solarez.com/product/solacure/ and so does the Ballast. Beware of using cheap stuff, not all of them are created equally. I will pm my number if you want to call me
Dave
 
GBCues

GBCues

Damn, still .002 TIR!
Gold Member
Silver Member
You must have reposted the pictures as they are showing up now.
Yes, that is the bulb that is recommended by SolaCure. Which ballast did you use? SolaCure has info on that.
FWIW, my curing booth is only 35" wide - it was used as a spray booth - and I didn't see the 24" bulbs when I was setting things up.
In spite of what I read on the SolaCure website, I was intrigued by UV LED lights, which SolaCure dismisses. The Solarez website says that their resin contains a photo-initiator at 385nm (wavelength). So my thinking was that if I could find an light source that was centered on 385nm, life would be grand! To that end, I first bought a 24" bulb that claimed to be 385nm, and I got OK results from it, but the distribution of light wasn't very wide. So the center of my shafts or butts got cured in 8-10 minutes, but not the ends. I simply moved the bulb to one end and then the other for a full cure. That bulb is here:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002F5544/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Then I thought I'd try an LED light and got this one:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H6ZF7PY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It claimed to be centerd on 385nm, but after 30 minutes, Solarez wasn't yet fully cured and the light distribution wasn't quite wide enough either.
Finally, I send the 1st LED back and ordered this one:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MRPG3UO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I have been very happy with this LED array. It gives out a wider light path, and even though the manufacturer doesn't really say what wavelength UV they are running, it cures Solarez completely in 8-10 minutes.
Now, I know Dave has had great results with his set up, and I think he's using the same bulbs as you, so I am not quite sure what's going on in your setup. But if someone was space-constrained like me, then this LED array might be a good thing to try. Amazon is very accommodating with free returns.
Of course, YMMV,
Good luck
Gary
 
Facundus Cues

Facundus Cues

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I had the same problems and tried regular blacklight bulbs which people seem to have success with and then went to the solacure bulbs with workhorse ballast. Same issues. Tried stirring extremely well to get inhibitors to the top. I could never find the secret to get consistant curing
 
Dave38

Dave38

theemperorhasnoclotheson
Silver Member
First, You have no cover, at least in the picture, you should have one for 2 reasons, keeps more UV inside, and keeps you from staring at the bulbs which WILL DAMAGE YOU EYES....Wear UV Eye protection at all times those bulbs are on and exposed!!!. Second, the bare wood of your setup is absorbing some of the UV, cover it in tinfoil. This way any stray UV rays will bounce around and end up hitting the cue. Third is the speed of rotation, you only have 2 bulbs, and therefore speed becomes more crucial. I do 1 rpm. If your spinning using a lathe motor, it is probably too fast. I get consistent cure in about 3 minutes, I have 4 bulbs with the workhorse 7 ballast. The complete interior is covered in tinfoil. After applying the finish, I rotate in a warm booth for about 10 minutes for flowout and let the surfacent do it's thing, then I flash it for 12 seconds, then apply the next coat. repeat as necessary. When ready for final cure I put it in for 1 minute then remove, let set for about 1 minute then do another minute, etc, repeat for a total of 3 minutes in the tunnel total. The reason I do that is the lights generate a lot of heat in my tunnel, and to do a long time of exposure without cooldown was causing the finish to lift.
HTHs,
Dave
 
B

Byovic

New member
How thin are you guys applying this? I feel like I'm putting it on too thick. Seen a guy a YouTube using a playing card to smooth it and I end up with ripples from the card the epoxy attached the card. I can sand those flat but it's a hassle. And how are you applying the solarez.
 
whammo57

whammo57

Kim Walker
Silver Member
if you have a good UV light......... there are only 2 reasons why Solarez would cure and feel sticky................ 1. you put it on too thin............. 2. you didn't mix it enough....................................... there is a surfacing agent that rises to the top ... in the can... and on the wet finish.................. ..........

pm me if you want application instructions..............

Kim
 
whammo57

whammo57

Kim Walker
Silver Member
I use a cheap shop light fixture and 2 UV fluorescent bulbs from Lowes....... total price $40........... been using it for 6 years........ works great

Kim
 
whammo57

whammo57

Kim Walker
Silver Member
GBCues said:
You must have reposted the pictures as they are showing up now.
Yes, that is the bulb that is recommended by SolaCure. Which ballast did you use? SolaCure has info on that.
FWIW, my curing booth is only 35" wide - it was used as a spray booth - and I didn't see the 24" bulbs when I was setting things up.
In spite of what I read on the SolaCure website, I was intrigued by UV LED lights, which SolaCure dismisses. The Solarez website says that their resin contains a photo-initiator at 385nm (wavelength). So my thinking was that if I could find an light source that was centered on 385nm, life would be grand! To that end, I first bought a 24" bulb that claimed to be 385nm, and I got OK results from it, but the distribution of light wasn't very wide. So the center of my shafts or butts got cured in 8-10 minutes, but not the ends. I simply moved the bulb to one end and then the other for a full cure. That bulb is here:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002F5544/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Then I thought I'd try an LED light and got this one:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H6ZF7PY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It claimed to be centerd on 385nm, but after 30 minutes, Solarez wasn't yet fully cured and the light distribution wasn't quite wide enough either.
Finally, I send the 1st LED back and ordered this one:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MRPG3UO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I have been very happy with this LED array. It gives out a wider light path, and even though the manufacturer doesn't really say what wavelength UV they are running, it cures Solarez completely in 8-10 minutes.
Now, I know Dave has had great results with his set up, and I think he's using the same bulbs as you, so I am not quite sure what's going on in your setup. But if someone was space-constrained like me, then this LED array might be a good thing to try. Amazon is very accommodating with free returns.
Of course, YMMV,
Good luck
Gary
Click to expand...
Solarez cures with UVA......

Kim
 
JoeyInCali

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
Greenlight UV is heavily used in floors and boat decks. They're thin enough to spray .
Can you spray Solarez with a 1.0mm help?
 
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