Cliff Posted April 2, 2016 Report Share Posted April 2, 2016 I picked up some 207 to go with my 105 a while back. I mixed some up for my glue up yesterday and it seemed pretty thick. Is this normal? I can't remember the viscosity of my 205, but I think it was a lot thinner. The reason this is important is I'll be fixing knots next, so thinner is better. If something is going wrong here then I will try to fix it before attempting it. I'm going to use a heat gun but I don't know if that will thin it dramatically or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted April 3, 2016 Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 Mine is always thin enough to fill knots.. Impossible to know exactly what you're calling "thick". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted April 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 If you watch Marc's knot filling video, his consistency is kind of like a balsamic vinaigrette, or honey mustard - to use food items. Mine is closer to something like a decently thick gravy Maybe I need to record a video. It just seems a LOT thicker than Marc's video, but he wasn't using 207, so I didn't know if that was why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted April 3, 2016 Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 The stuff stays that way for a decently long time. Take an ROS with no paper or something similar to vibrate the work and a heat gun to make it run. It will go. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisG-Canada Posted April 3, 2016 Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 Room temperature makes a difference. The warmer the ingredients are before they are combined the thinner it will be to start. I think you can even warm up the resin on purpose - warm water bath? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted April 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 Shop temp may be a big reason then on why it was so thick. I didn't think of that. It was 50 degrees. I just read today that it should be above 60 degrees to cure as well. When I fill the knots I'll have a heat gun, and going to aim for 60+ degrees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted April 3, 2016 Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 Just be easy with the heat gun. Heat is tied with helping pop bubbles that develop, but too much seems to create more bubbles also. Heat gun can pre warm the fill spot also. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted April 3, 2016 Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 The west systems manual on their website is extremely detailed and user friendly. Give it a read. They use works to describe the viscosity like 'ketchup, mayonnaise, and peanut butter for different products and applications. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatworks Today Posted April 3, 2016 Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 2 hours ago, ChrisG-Canada said: Room temperature makes a difference. The warmer the ingredients are before they are combined the thinner it will be to start. I think you can even warm up the resin on purpose - warm water bath? To some extent temps somewhat dictate what hardener to use. Per WS and personal experience: "206 Slow Hardener and 207 Special Clear Hardener should not be used below 60°F without elevated temperature post-curing, and 209 Extra Slow Hardener should not be used below 65°F without post-curing" I suspect you're dealing with temp induced viscosity. At appropriate conditions the hardener should dispense like hot maple syrup (basically pretty thin)... Put the resin and hardener on a heating pad to warm it for flow, apply it and let it do it's thing. Opposed to "bar top" epoxy I would advise against taking external heat to it before it's setup. Using a lamp or heat gun will cause the epoxy to bubble.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted April 3, 2016 Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 I've had issues with West Systems epoxy where it (105) seems to have gone gloopy before mixing. I read on the can that it should be stored above 10C which is 50F. I know that my insulated shop has gone below this during the winter prob about 5C (41F) when I've not been in. I've not tried heating the can in a bath of hot water yet but when I used it the other day it had taken on a white opaqueness and was thicker than before. Also the pump didn't work and appeared to be blocked requiring me to try to pour out the epoxy. But as it was viscous it wasn't pouring like it should so I've bought some more. The shop temp is normally around 20C (68F) when I'm in there and the epoxy was at room temperature so I think letting it go below 10C has damaged it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted April 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 5 hours ago, TerryMcK said: I've had issues with West Systems epoxy where it (105) seems to have gone gloopy before mixing. I read on the can that it should be stored above 10C which is 50F. I know that my insulated shop has gone below this during the winter prob about 5C (41F) when I've not been in. I've not tried heating the can in a bath of hot water yet but when I used it the other day it had taken on a white opaqueness and was thicker than before. Also the pump didn't work and appeared to be blocked requiring me to try to pour out the epoxy. But as it was viscous it wasn't pouring like it should so I've bought some more. The shop temp is normally around 20C (68F) when I'm in there and the epoxy was at room temperature so I think letting it go below 10C has damaged it. Very possible with mine too. I did bring the 105 in for the winter (but had *lost* the 205 in the garage) but then I took it back out our first day of 60 degrees. Unfortunately the weather here is absolutely psychotic - more than usual - and it's been anywhere from 17 degrees to 70 since then. Seemingly switching every other day. Yesterday was 43 degrees with 45 mph winds, today it's going to be 70. Day before yesterday it snowed for like 20 mins during a thunderstorm. Think the best solution is to get a nice consistent heat in my shop and buy new 105 as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted April 3, 2016 Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 Looks like temp has been ID'd as the reason. From the West Systems website, it looks like 207 is even less tolerant of lower temperatures than 205. Check it out here http://www.westsystem.com/ss/hardener-selection-guide/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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