System 3 Epoxy

[John Terefenko]

Looking to purchase some System 3 epoxy and looking for places to buy. Also are there different formulas and or grades???? Also looking for the pump metering system, seems like an easier measuring system. I am looking to glue wood to wood but need about 30 minutes open time. Someone also suggested WEST SYSTEM EPOXIES. Is this a good product and the same questions apply to it.Thanks in advance for the replys.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

West epoxies are fine glues but, they are priced to pay for the insurance and liability issues that present at their level of exposure the marine and aircraft industry.

There are more reasonably priced products available.
And there are other options in epoxy formulation too such as an epoxy that doesn't have that waxy amine build up.

http://www.epoxyproducts.com/1_marineresins.html
http://www.epoxies.com/
http://www.epoxysystems.com/
http://www.glueoakandteak.com/

There are a great many epoxy makers out there.

Google around a bit before you start shoveling the money at any one.

[Peter Quinn]

West systems is first rate stuff. I buy this range of goods from www.jamestowndistributors.com. Nice people and very knowledgable concerning their products. They sell other interesting lines as well. West systems has a pretty good site too. My local pro paint supplier also carries a good but limited line of basic West Systems products and are well trained to advise on its application, maybe you have this option too?

With epoxy in general there are different viscosities available (from thinner than water to thick like mollassas), warm and cold weather applications, different 'POT' life', or how long it is usable once mixed, which is typically a variable function related to environmental conditions (ambient temperature). There is also 'working time' or open time, which is how long you can expect to be able to adjust parts once they are joined, and there are many different cure rates, which are often at least partially a function of the other factors mentioned above.

There are also fillers which may be added to enhance gap filling ability and retarders to extend open time. I have used two types of west systems, one was very viscous for consolidating rotten wood, it soaked into voids well but runs like water and had a solid 24 hour cure time. The other was a medium viscosity for glue lams that spread more like PL glue and had a 8-12 hour cure time and a 45 minute 'pot life' so you had time to work.

Its so expensive you don't want to waste much, so keep open time and pot life in mind so you can use it all, don't mix more than you can use (or less than you need either), and follow the charts from the manufacturer regarding these factors based on your environmental conditions. Also, this stuff makes a lot of HEAT as it kicks, so don't mix a big batch in a plastic container EVER. And please don't ask why I know this.

[Wayne Cannon]

I think the pumps are of questionable value. Here's why:
The pumps work well for low-viscosity epoxies designed primarily for coating applications, but not so well for the thicker formulations designed for adhesive applications (e.g., System Three's "Gel-Magic" or "T-88").
The thinner coating epoxies work well enough as adhesives, I guess, but I find them to be a pain to use because they drool out of the joint so readily.

I've found that simply pouring the epoxy out of the container (using a scale to get the correct ratio) works quite well.

[Duncan Potter]

I've used the West Sytem pumps for many years on their general purpose epoxies (about maple syrup consistency). They work fine on that and make mixing pretty painless.