Big Problem with the Thixotropic Glue

Hi @jjabraham,

@corndog covered everything very well, I would just like to make a few corrections and add some more information.

You can find my response to a similar question regarding air curing time and necessary conditions here:

Our potting guide covers the usage of the Wetlink Thixotropic Epoxy quite thoroughly, and there is one line in particular in the introduction that is relevant to your question:

Proper surface preparation with acetone is required to achieve proper performance.

Unfortunately just cleaning the cable surface with isopropyl alcohol is not sufficient surface preparation in our experience, and will result in the cable jacket peeling away from the epoxy with enough pulling/stress. Acetone is require to chemically attack and alter the surface, resulting in a much stronger bond.

I have no idea how superglue would affect the curing of the epoxy, but we have never tried and do not recommend doing so, primarily for the reason conrndog mentioned:

Moving the cable up and down and around is a critical step to get the epoxy to fully coat and seal the jacket all the way down into the shoulder area of the penetrator (see diagram in potting guide), as well as the cut end of the jacket. In our testing, we found that getting full coverage in this area could make a significant difference in overall performance, especially when stressing/pulling the cable.

@corndog, covering the bare wires is more a side effect of this procedure that shows it has been done properly, rather than the goal. The epoxy here will not stop water from moving past it if the cable jacket is cut, thus it is critical to check for cuts in the cable jacket before a dive. Potting the back entirely will not help with this either, the geometry is not right to keep high pressure water from forcing its way through. It may initially slow it down, but will not stop it. The shape of the penetrator is just as important as the potting compound to seal the jacket, the seal will be solid with an intact cable jacket.

I’m curious, what in particular do you find difficult about using this epoxy? We switched to using this epoxy because of the performance improvements, but also because it is much easier to use. Our production technical have expressed how much easier and faster it is to use rather than the old marine epoxy method. To us at least, it seems like it has the perfect combination of properties to easily flow into place and get everywhere it needs to without much effort, but being thick enough to stay in place and not drip out the bottom of the penetrator during curing. We normally cure for 3 hours at 93°C/200°F, and once out of the oven and cooled off the epoxy is fully cured. Has this not been the case for you?

We spent a lot of time developing and documenting the potting produce in the guide, following the instructions exactly really is necessary to achieve proper penetrator potting performance.

-Adam