3M 5200 Question

I am about to replace some rivets on the hull and am planning to use 5200 on them. How long do yall let it set before doing a water leak test?

I noticed on the package it said its not fully cure for 7 days... really hoping I don't have to wait that long.

The 3M 4200 is quicker drying than the 5200... That said, 7 days is correct for the 5200, and thats IF all the temperature and humidity conditions are met...otherwise it can take longer... If it were me, I would wait the full 7 days, maybe 6. Or, get the 4200 if youre in a rush, but know that its not as robust for a permenant application as you are doing...

Believe me, Ive ignored drying/curing times based on the 'touch test' and ended up redoing the projects over...Now I just bide my time as per instructions....

The way I see it... the rivets SHOULD stop all the leaking and the 5200 is there just for a "backup". So a quick leak test should work... BUT I dont know what the water does. Does it actually screw up the curing or does it just make it longer?

I can live with making the cure time longer but I don't want to deal with it not curing properly because it was exposed to water if that makes any sense.

The problem is that the 5200 is not cured enough to stop any leaking. So if you're throwing it in the water before allowing the 5200 to cure, you might as well have just installed the rivets without using the 5200. Of course, if the rivet job was done properly, there shouldn't be any need for the 5200 so I guess it boils down to how much confidence do you have in the repair you made.

I know they make a fast cure 4200 I'm not sure if they make a fast cure 5200.

3M does make a fast cure 5200 (24 hour). The "regular" 5200 is a 7 day cure.

Thanks for the comments all. I ran to a few stores and found that the local Home Depot sells fast cure 5200 so I bought some. I did some rivets lastnight and of course it started raining about 7am and boat is outside lol...

3M 5200 cures by moisture. If you want to speed up the cure, make certain that you have high humidity or a moist environment.