Epoxy Curing Times for Golf Clubs, Work Life and Shear Strength.

Why knowing the different variations in epoxy matter

Here at Mitchell Golf Equipment, we offer several diverse types of epoxies for your golf clubs. The difference in epoxy will vary between cure time, work life, and shear strength. Let’s run through why these three variations matter.

Epoxy Cure Time:

This is self-explanatory. The cure time is the amount of time (minutes or hours) it takes the epoxy to cure/reach full strength completely. These times can be as short as 10 minutes all the way up to 20 hours at room temperature. Aside from the chemical makeup of the epoxy, the most significant influencer on the cure time will be temperature.

Room temperature in this scenario should be considered 72°-80° F. Under 72° F, the epoxy will need extra time to cure. Conversely, if the temperature is above 80° F, the cure time will be reduced.

Epoxy Work life:

The work life is the amount of time after mixing the epoxy that it will be useable for an application. Using epoxy outside the prescribed work life can lead to a compromised bond, i.e., your club head flying off mid-swing. Another essential point to consider is that cure time and work life are connected — The shorter the cure time, the more concise the work time.

After mixing, the epoxy will begin its chemical reaction regardless of your intentions. This means if you are doing multiple clubs at a time, a longer work life would be beneficial even if you have to wait longer for it to cure. The work life is substantially shorter than cure time, with work-life typically ranging from 5-30 minutes depending on the epoxy type. The temperature will again influence how the epoxy behaves. The warmer it is, the shorter the work time and vice versa.

Epoxy Shear Strength:

An elementary explanation for this concept is that it measures how much force it takes to cause a material to slip. This is a crucial factor for golfers since you are swinging a club that is glued together. It typically holds that the longer the cure time, the higher the shear strength. Most golf-appropriate epoxies will range between 3000-4000 psi (pounds per square inch).

Mitchell Golf offers a variety of epoxies with different curing times based on your needs. Here’s how they compare:

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