Duratex hardness

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tallevan
Posts: 92
Joined: Sun Oct 20, 2019 12:15 pm
Location: London, England

Duratex hardness

#1 Post by tallevan »

Hi All,

I'm having a bit of difficulty with cabinet paint.

I just finished a couple of cabinets with black Duratex, using the special little textured roller.

They turned out beautifully. The paint dried quickly, it looks like the bumpy business.

10 days later, I see that my rubber amplifier feet are forming a sticky bond with the 10-day old duratex.
When I prise my amp head loose, the Duratex has been flattened in little circles under the feet.

I previously used a cabinet paint available here in the UK called Tuffcoat. That's even worse! The paint and some of the plywood bonds to the amp feet, and comes up with it. It's like PL Premium!

What's the deal? Does everybody just live with this?
Enough to drive a man to Tolex..

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Bill Fitzmaurice
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Re: Duratex hardness

#2 Post by Bill Fitzmaurice »

You need to cure the cab for a day or two in the hot sun to get it fully hardened.

Bruce Weldy
Posts: 8301
Joined: Fri Nov 27, 2009 11:37 am
Location: New Braunfels, TX

Re: Duratex hardness

#3 Post by Bruce Weldy »

Bill Fitzmaurice wrote: Thu May 21, 2020 9:24 am You need to cure the cab for a day or two in the hot sun to get it fully hardened.
+1

I don't always set them in the sun, but high humidity definitely increases the curing time. Even if you just don't set anything on 'em for several days, that will probably be enough.

I imagine that London is probably humid all the time.

6 - T39 3012LF
4 - OT12 2512
1 - T24
1 - SLA Pro
2 - XF210


"A system with a few knobs set up by someone who knows what they are doing is always better than one with a lot of knobs set up by someone who doesn't."

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Jason Stromberg
Posts: 190
Joined: Sat Aug 17, 2013 7:18 am
Location: Chicago burbs USA

Re: Duratex hardness

#4 Post by Jason Stromberg »

If you are planning to ship cabinets that have been coated with Duratex i recommend 10 days minimum cure time, it dries quick but the cure time takes a bit.

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Seth
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Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2009 8:06 pm
Location: Sacramento, California, USA
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Re: Duratex hardness

#5 Post by Seth »

From the document "Applying DuraTex"
Make sure your work area will maintain a temperature of at least 65°F so the DuraTex will cure properly once it’s
dry. The curing process takes a few days, so it’s best to keep the coated cabinet in a warm area.
CURING: DuraTex will air dry and the drying time will depend on the amount of relative humidity in the area. On real dry
days with low relative humidity, the product will dry within an hour. On hot muggy, rainy days with high relative humidity, it
may take 2 or 3 hours to dry fully. Once the DuraTex is dry, it begins to cure and it may feel a little soft the next day. Don’t
worry. DuraTex will cure to a hard finish within a few days and it gets its maximum toughness after about 7 days. You can
speed up this curing process by the addition of heat such as in a drying oven by raising the temperature to 140 degrees and
drying the cabinet for about 30 minutes. That makes handling, stacking and packaging easier for rapid shipping. Some
customers load their cabs into the back of a van parked in the sun. Cheap oven!
Build in process - 2 WH6, one Alpha 6a loaded, one PRV Audio 6MB250-NDY loaded

Two 2x6 shorty SLA Pro's
One T39, 16", 3012LF loaded
Tall AutoTuba, 20" wide, 2x 8" MCM 55-2421
TruckTuba, 8½" wide, 2x 8" MCM 55-2421

tallevan
Posts: 92
Joined: Sun Oct 20, 2019 12:15 pm
Location: London, England

Re: Duratex hardness

#6 Post by tallevan »

Thanks all.

It has been ten bloody days, but it's going to be beautiful weather for the next few days. I'll put them out and see what transpires.

Regards

jimbo7
Posts: 849
Joined: Fri Dec 28, 2012 10:45 am
Location: St. Louis

Re: Duratex hardness

#7 Post by jimbo7 »

I've had it come off on my cables that the cab was laying on in my trunk. I'm sure it's a combination of heat/cold and maybe chemical reaction. The best part is you can touch it up and never know the difference.
BFM builds:
XF212
T24 BP102 24"
2x SLA's 6-5" mids, 9- gt-302's
2x AT 14" MCM 55-2421
TrT 5" MCM 55-2421
AT 18" JBL GTO804
2x OT12 flat array
2x SLA Pro 2-Alpha 6's 2-Goldwoods
2x T39 24" 3012lf
Simplex 10 BP102

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