Replies

1. 
   Seth_Frankel_ | Mar 01, 2002 06:32am | #1

   *
   Hot,

   I've used West System since the late 80s and almost never use fillers - in fact for furniture that is never. For one it can make the glue joint appear more obvious. I've built plenty of outdoor furniture with it and have been very happy. Going straight shouldn't be a concern.

   Make sure to clamp up for 24 hours and total cure time is 7 days.

   Best,
   Seth

1. 
   Seth_Frankel_ | Mar 01, 2002 06:34am | #2

   *Oh, and wear disposable examination gloves! I put on two pairs and peel one off after mixing and applying. The second is for clamping and cleaning up.Seth

1. 
   Tom_Ferreira | Mar 01, 2002 06:54am | #3

   *Hot,I would use the fillers only if you are trying to fill a gap or use in a thick cross section that is structural. The epoxy without fillers is very runny and will tend to flow for a long time. If you are gluing tight fitting joints do not use filler.TDF

1. 
   diddidit_ | Mar 01, 2002 08:15pm | #4

   *Since your wood is pretty open-grained, you may want to wet out the bonding surfaces first and let them cure for an hour or so (until you can dent it with your fingernail) prior to doing the final glue-up. This will help keep the wood from pulling epoxy out of the joint, while still maintaining the chemical bond between application layers.It's fantastic stuff. I've gone through two gallons of it, and I can't think of most of the places I've used it. I think that's the mark of something truly useful...did

1. 
   hotsawdust* | Mar 01, 2002 10:01pm | #5

   *Sounds good. Thanks all- I live out in the sticks so it saves me the two hours driving to get the filler! Since I am gluing up panels that will then be drilled, bandsawn and routed to shape, would you recommend waiting for the full 7 day cure time before doing that kind of work?

2. 
   diddidit_ | Mar 01, 2002 10:17pm | #6

   *I don't know how much the stuff gums up - I've never had problems drilling, but routing might be another matter - I've never tried that. If your glue line is nice and thin, I'd bet you wouldn't have much trouble.http://www.westsystem.com/did

3. 
   Seth_Frankel_ | Mar 01, 2002 11:14pm | #7

   *Just test it. If it's rock hard on the outside then it's rock hard on the inside. Epoxies do not rely on air to cure like PVAs and the such. I've found it to dry so hard that I've cut myself on the edge. Also, make such to scrape off the squeeze out before using your good jointer, table saw and router bits. It's hard as nails.Best,Seth

4. 
   Joe_Roth | Mar 01, 2002 11:24pm | #8

   *Mr Saw:There are a variety of different hardeners for West System #105. The fastest hardener, #205, will start to set up in 1/2 to 1 hour depending on temperature.Hardener #206 takes two to three times as long to gel. Temperature has a lot to do with cure times, above 75 everything happens faster and below 60 it really sloooows down. Also thicker films will harden quicker as epoxy can generate its own heat.Once hard, and that can happen with the #205 in a few hours,but best to leave it overnight, it machines quite well.