After accidentally dropping a part into a bucket of water, an hour later I found that the part, although slumped and bent, was now rock hard, and very durable, paintable, and water resistant.
After some experimentation, I have developed the following technique for hydraulic curing of ZP-150 parts as a cheap and effective alternative to epoxy and cyanoacrylate infiltration:
- Select a container slightly larger than your part
- Get a quantity of very fine sand - must be absolutely dry and free flowing
- Put 1cm of dry sand on the bottom of the container (only needed if your part doesn't have a flat base)
- Place part on sand
- Fill container with sand, ensuring that sand is touching all exposed part surfaces
- Gently tap container until sand is packed
- Slowly (important!) fill container with water, allowing air to escape though a dry patch in the sand
* DO NOT MOVE OR VIBRATE CONTAINER DURING THIS PROCESS - Leave aside for 30 minute to 2 hours
* DO NOT MOVE OR VIBRATE CONTAINER DURING THIS PROCESS - Invert container, and wash off sand
- Place part in a container of fresh waster + vinegar (diluted acetic acid) of a 900ml:10ml ratio.
- Let sit for a few hours or overnight
* This will further strengthen the part, and loosen the weak bond to the sand - Rise off surface sand with fresh water
- Let dry in a 90C oven until completely dried
See video of durability test here:
http://youtu.be/g78YgEdzeeE