Norland 61 for trit - curing process

Searching through the forums, I see recommendations to use Norland 61 to cover tritium vials for protection. When looking at the Norland site, it stipulates the adhesive needs to be UV cured. I would think that if you do not UV cure the material, it would not fully cure and therefore stay tacky to the touch and attract dirt and debris. Is this what those of you out there that are using it have experienced or does it cure enough without UV so that it isn't tacky? I appreciate your comments.

You can just stick it outside in the sun...it may take a couple hours to cure depending on how much you use. But I've done it before and it works. Some people cure it with a certain wavelength uv light and they say its solid within minutes....pretty cool.Post some pics when you're done Good luck

but yes if you don't cure it, it will be a mess.

Hombreluhrs is right, sunlight works wonders. I usually use a compact fluorescent, black light lamp from Home Depot to quick cure the Norland 61.
But, I recently finished a EX10 piston slot with glow powder and Norland. Used nothing but the sun to cure, worked out well.

I've used the sun for the first few installations. Was fully cured within 45 minutes being outside
In strong sunlight at noonday.

The last few Ive used an Arc AAA UV, and suspended it over the work. I left it for two hours just to be safe.
Worked equally well. But I think I would prefer the sun method.

I used the sun too. I leave it out in full sun for about 2 hours. It is rock solid afterwards.

A good way to remove the old stuff is warm it up. Sometimes, if it is fully hardened, I use a dental pick that I heat with a lighter. It melts right through it.

I have a borrowed Arc UV I have been using for a while. Takes a long time to cure though. Sunshine works but i's rarely sunny here and I don't have time during the day to cure. I got a 365 NM LED that cures things much faster! A few minutes instead of hours.

Thanks for the replies guys. Good to know that not having a UV source is not a show stopper.

Slim, the hardest part for me is finding the Norland. lol For those reading this for the first time, I forgot to mention that before. I found some on ebay. It was fresh and worked well. Keep in mind it is almost as thin as water. So it can be tricky stuff to work with.

Haven't looked lately but rotten tomato (I think was name) used to sell Norland 61 in small vial, and offer syringes for application on CPF

Try Mixglo.com. I get mine there.

Mixglo does have it several different sizes. Thanks

Yep! If you are careful, a little goes a long way. I use a toothpick to drip it in small amounts.

Just to add to all the great advice that's already been mentioned.

Norland 61 is not cheap. But then, Yes, a little Norland goes a long way. I usually use insulin syringes during the application process.
If you're doing a lot of trit installation, one reliable source of Norland is Edmund Optics. There's also Norland 81 if you're the impatient sort.

Using sunlight to cure can take a while, but the main consideration is that the light not be disturbed - dust and whatnot can settle onto it or if the trit slot is tilted from horizontal, it can spill and set improperly. Plus the UV intensity is variable.

A 365nm (preferred) or mixed UV source flashlight is my preferred cure method. Fully curing Norland takes a while depending on the intensity of the UV source. For a 10 micron layer, a 30 watt UV source at 3" takes about 60s to pre-cure and about 20min to full cure. If I'm not mistaken, most of the Custom makers use UV cure ovens.

Great info. Thanks guys.