Kick is the moment a reactive adhesive turns from liquid to solid. Epoxy that kicks in the cup has run out of pot life, usually because the batch was too big or too warm. In model shops and on assembly benches, a kicker is an accelerator sprayed on cyanoacrylate to make it kick instantly.
Mixed too much and it kicked in the cup, smoke and all, mix half that next time.
Also heard as
- kick off
- kicked off
Related terms
Pot life
How long a mixed batch of two-part adhesive stays usable before it thickens too much to apply.
Exotherm
The heat released by a curing adhesive, which speeds the reaction and can overheat thick masses.
Activator
A liquid applied to one surface to speed or start the cure of an adhesive placed on the other.
Set up
To thicken and start to hold, the point where an adhesive stops being workable.
Same word, different worlds
Shop verb for a breaker, overload or relay tripping, as in the breaker kicked.
Photonics & LasersTo start a Kerr-lens mode-locked laser by briefly disturbing the cavity so a pulse can form.
Concrete & CementTo start setting, usually sooner than the crew expected; a load that kicks stiffens fast.
RailroadingTo shove a cut of cars, uncouple it on the move and let it roll free onto a track.