West Systems 206 hardener question

[David Huston]

Trying to fill some cracks in a walnut slab and bought some 105 resin and 206 hardener. Now after the first pour I think I might should have gotten the fast hardener. I guess I looked at the working time and not the cure time. Anyway,. Can I pour a second pour before the 10-15 hour solid state cure time? How long should I wait before the second pour? Also, is the 205 hardener a brown color or clear? Thanks for any help.

[Larry Edgerton]

Warm the area around the epoxy with a heat gun, not too hot, just nice and warm and that will speed up the cure considerably.

[Walter Plummer]

Their hardeners all start clear and turn amber to brown with age. If you want the epoxy clear then you need fresh hardener. They state it does not affect the cure and we use a lot of it that has turned color without any problems.

[Mark Canada]

As to your question about curing - please do your second pour before the first one finishes curing. It allows the two pours to chemically bond together when they are both still polymerising. If you leave it until after one finishes curing, you'll have to sand it first and then you just get a mechanical bond between the two which is nowhere near as strong :)

[Roger Bull]

Mark is correct. It is much better to pour additional layers before the previous layer is fully cured.

If you are going to pour another layer then sooner is better.

[David Huston]

Well I have really screwed this one up! I looked at the West systems website and saw that it was a 5:1 ratio of resin to hardener. Well I missed the part on the can were it says 1 pump of each. So i mixed up 5 pumps of resin and 1 pump of hardener. I AM AN IDIOT. Will this ever harden? So right now I have a 6 inch thick slice of walnut that has a bunch of sticky epoxy in it. Should I take the tape off and just let it drip out and then repour or just give it a few more days to see if it cures at all? Would pouring another pour with the correct ratio on top of this help? Thanks for all the advice so far.

[Jamie Buxton]

I don't think that's going to harden. I'd let it drip out for as long as I could stand, and then put in the correct-mixed stuff.

[David Huston]

I figured that would be the case. Any ideas on how to get the really sticky bits out? Would pouring some lacquer thinner though the crack help?

[Kevin Jenness]

It won't harden, so pour it out and follow with a rinse of denatured alcohol, acetone or lacquer thinner.

[Bill Conerly]

Acetone is your friend.

[Mike OMelia]

Uncured epoxy is more reactive with DNA than acetone. I use West System in my guitar work. Nice stuff.

[Tim Bridge]

If you want a clear epoxy, use the 207 hardener.
https://www.westsystem.com/207-special-clear-hardener/
3-1 ratio

[Mike OMelia]

I agree on 207. It’s a slow cure, but water clear

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Well I have really screwed this one up! I looked at the West systems website and saw that it was a 5:1 ratio of resin to hardener. Well I missed the part on the can were it says 1 pump of each. So i mixed up 5 pumps of resin and 1 pump of hardener. I AM AN IDIOT. Will this ever harden? So right now I have a 6 inch thick slice of walnut that has a bunch of sticky epoxy in it. Should I take the tape off and just let it drip out and then repour or just give it a few more days to see if it cures at all? Would pouring another pour with the correct ratio on top of this help? Thanks for all the advice so far.

Not ever going to harden. Don't feel too bad- this is a common mistake. The pumps for west system are callibrated. Others, like Raka, are not, so for the 2:1 mix for Raka it would be two pumps of resin to one hardener. You will need to clean out as much as you can. Use a swab soaked in white vinegar to get the residue out.

Since epoxy hardener and resin weigh the same in most cases (make a test first) you can mix it easily by weight. That is the best way for small batches. The West System pumps do get out of calibration over time. They also can get air in them and not put out the full amount. Weighing the mix solves that. Look for a scale with a glass top that weighs in small fractions like a kitchen scale.

[Larry Edgerton]

Quick tip: I always buy pumps in sets and usually don't use 207 so end up with extra 207 pumps. The 207 pump with the extension that comes with the set will screw on 1 gal. cans of thinner, alcohol, etc and are handy for cleanup when busy.

[Mike OMelia]

I guess u needed the volume the pumps provide. I can never use that much as I use it as a pore fill and resin finish. I weigh it. I love z-poxy. So forgiving on mix ratio. 1:1. I just eyeball that. But not everybody wants a Amber finish.

[Kevin Jenness]

Be aware that mixing ratios by weight and volume can vary. https://www.westsystem.com/wp-content/uploads/105-206-Epoxy-Resin.pdf