West system epoxy

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I use 105 and 206 and 207. This is for gluing in veneer strips for accent rings.

The yellow cup is 2 part 5 minute epoxy, System Three that I have used for years to glue in my brass tubes.

The clear cup is the West System. Quite clear, essentially bubble free - simply sat in the cup, no pressure pot. These samples were done last year.

I have not used it for casting.
 

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andygorst said:
West system 105 and 207 it is then!
Thanks!
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You did not say what you were using it for. That stuff gets expensive compared to poly resins. If you are just coating woods you may want to use 205 or 206 hardener. More yellow but it gives the wood a warmer tint than sterile clear.

Now epoxy has a tendency to yellow with time. I have never done a long term study with the 207 and maybe someone has and can report back. The true way to test is without anything in the blank because background colors can trick the eye. How noticeable a resin will yellow is hard to say with the thin thickness we work with. Just some things to keep in mind. One of these days I may just try that experiment if no one has done it before. Good luck and just wanted to point out other options.
 
I used West Systems and loved the stuff. It seemed to be more forgiving than Alumilite as far as sticking to different surfaces. It is priced well over the other resins but it's not the same resin. It's not as brittle as P.R. and like I said it's more forgiving than Alumilite. It turns really easy and I never had a "Blow Out". It doesn't have the heat tolerance Alumilite has and doesn't quite have the shine the others do but it polishes very well. I never had a blank yellow but I always had trouble with the hardener yellowing in the can. It was good for a month and it wasn't noticeable in the blanks the second but the third month I didn't want to use it. I called the factory several times and they were nice and sent me a couple cans for free but I always had trouble. That was the only reason I switched to Alumilite slow.
 
I am using it for clear castings for pens and other turning projects.
Alumilite is not readily available in my part of the world and I am looking to purchase about 4 liters at a time.
I am able to buy west system 105 from a local fiberglass supplier so this seemed like the easiest option for me.
I also believe that it has a longer 'open time' than PR (although I must admit I've never actually tried using PR)

Thanks for the help and advise.
 
MrKugelschreiber said:
longbeard said:
I use 105 resin
207 special clear

View attachment 163017



Harry
Click to expand...
I've been told this is a bit more expensive then Alumilite, why West System over Alumilite?
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I like using the West epoxy for the simply way of mixing it. 1 pump of resin, 1 pump of hardener, .9 oz total. It has a 20 to 25 min of working time, which is a lot longer than alumilite. It Is a bit more than alumilite. $82.99 a gallon for the resin (Amazon is cheaper)/ $72.99 for the hardener, 207 special clear. I think it polishes better than alumilite in my opinion. I've had 0 cast failures.
I get about 135 blanks to a gallon (give or take a few. I also use it in other ways of my casting)



Harry
 
Fordwakeman said:
when ordering a gallon of 105 how much 207 do you order. what is the mix of 105 to 207? thanks
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I get 1 gallon of resin and the .33 gallon of 207 special clear hardener.
Get the pump system they sell also.
1 full pump of resin, 1 full pump of hardener is the mix ratio = .9 oz



Harry
 
So I got myself some 105 resin and some 207 hardener. I was disappointed to find that the 207 is straw coloured . Any ideas anyone?
 
I took the hardener back to the shop where I purchased it today. The assistant seemed surprised as he had thought it was supposed to be clear. He opened two other bottles only to find the same thing. He then got on the phone to one of the 'top guys' who manufacture West epoxy in New Zealand. Mr 'top guy' told him that the 207 was the correct colour and the fact that the website says that 207 is clear actually means that the resin does not darken due to UV light.
I came away feeling that I had, had the wool pulled over my eyes.
To be fair to the retailer, he did offer to refund the price of the hardener.
 
With all die respect to and for the vast experience of the members of this forum, we should all keep in mind that we don't know everything and what we see or say here should not be considered the final word. (Although John T. already nailed this one).

This is from the technical data sheet for West System 207 Hardener:

"Hardener may darken with age, but physical properties are not affected by color. If clear finishing, be aware of a possible color shift if very old and new hardener are used on the same project."

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/assets/Product-Data-PDFs/TDS 105_207.pdf

Please Folks, save yourself some grief and take a look at the manufacturers' websites and tech data. They know a whole lot more about their products than we ever will.

Finally, clear means transparent, not colorless. (Apologies for sounding like a school teacher).

Bill
 
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