I have been problems lately with my plugging compund mixtures. the main issue is cracking. I am plugging balls and they are already hard within 30 to 45 minutes!

I am using DBA 3 to 1. we have checked the pumps to make sure they are correct, and they are not injecting too much air.

so far it has mostly been thumb holes giving us problems. usually we try to go two shots at once and the tops get hard and the bottoms are still producing heat.

So far we have been marking down which balls have been cracking.

mostly pearls, and usually thumbs.

we have a few theroys and have been testing them to see what we can do to solve the problem, because this is costing us alot of damns, and mix.

so far our possible ideas to what is causing it:
 

• too much coloring, but this was disproved likely because we tried on a test ball(that was to be scrapped anyways) and no color was added and the plug was clear, it still cracked just below the surface.
   
• we regularly were using WD-40 spray lubricant in the proshop to spray columbia 300 display rings, to use the extra mix to make more rings. our theroy there was that it was in the atmosphere of the proshop still.this was my partner's idea, but i don't believe this is the issue.


• plugs that were two shots in thumbs were too deep, with the top half heating up and getting hard too fast while the bottom half was slower, heating slower and then causing the crack within the entire plug.
   


• My own theroy was humidity as a possibity. the excessive heat and humidity( our center was having A/C Issues for a two week period, but it's over now and we still have some balls cracking
  

For those that are not familar with the DBA plugging system it is a ratio of three equal parts for each one part harner. it is equiped with pumps that pour out this rate exactly.

we have checked our pumps, twice. in the past when i was at a different shop,i took over for someone else and they used to use small mustard paper cups you get at restaurants, because they did not trust the accuracy of the pumps.

we have started to cover the plugs with cups to keep the heat inside, and to prevent any outside elements getting into them. also we have stopped to use what we refer to as "candies" small pieces of plug already hardned and placed into those flex ice cube trays.

so far our rate of cracking is one out of three on some days higher. we have had this problem for about 2 weeks now, nearly 3.
and we started having these problems towards the end of one plugging kit and then we ran out and switched to a new kit we ordered. so we don't think it's just this one kit, but some kind of element perhaps within the enviroment.

any ideas? i have tried calling DBA's 1-888 number but it doesn't work from canada.
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Timothy @Juniors Pro-Shop
Montreal, Quebec.

In our shop we too used to use DBA and what we did was to not mix as thoroughly as we do with others. The Better the components are mixed the more efficient thee chemical reaction will be which will cure faster and thus produce more heat.
Also if you plug in a area where it is warm the material will react faster causeing the same problems.
We also used to add a touch more compound to the mixture before mixing just to slow down the reaction rate. Still hardened fine but slowed down the cure rate enough to keep it from cracking.
On large holes like ones slugs used to be in we fill the hole with small cubes of cured plug then pour the plug around them in order to keep the volume of plug to a minimum this will also keep the heat under control much better.

just a couple ideas.
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Billy Ray