5 Minute Epoxy Question

[chrisphr]

My most common use for epoxy is filling natural wood imperfections. I've been using west systems which has a great result but for a couple drawbacks.

1. The slow cure typically means I have to wait overnight to work the project. 2. I end up throwing away 60-90% of the mixed epoxy simply because I don't need that much. I know some will weigh the portions out to make smaller batches but that seems to not be without some aggravation.

Has anyone tried 5 minute epoxy for this purpose? At least what I've read it is workable under an hour, it is cheap and available at any hardware store and 50-50 mixture I would assume is easy to measure with your eye in any quantity.

I know there is another recent thread on filling imperfections with epoxy but didn't feel right to post there, especially with an active thread mocking hijacking

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[Tom King]

I've never liked 5-minute epoxy for much of anything. It's not water resistant, not as strong, and full cure is way more than five minutes to be able to sand it anyway.  Once it is cured fully, it never sands as nicely as regular.

 The little Locktite bottles, sold where all the other glues are in Home Depot, works very well, and has a quick cure time. It might be called "five minute" cure too, but it's much better than the kind that comes in the plunger tubes.  You just lay out a line of each to eye, mix with a small stick, and it works nicely.  I only use West if what I need is more than a few onces, and certainly not for less than an ounce.

If you need black, Golfworks sells small quantities of good black epoxy in the same type of small squeeze bottles, as well as the plunger tubes, and duo-tubes that require a special gun but you can use mixing nozzles with.

[treeslayer]

Tom is right on Chris, 5 minute cure is a myth for woodworking. i have used cryocanic glue with some success on small repairs and the 5 minute stuff but it is a long cure time before you can work it

[chrisphr]

Cool, thanks guys. Understood that 5 minutes is bogus, but I read somewhere on the interwebs that it is workable in 45-60min, not true? Just for anchoring about what I am considering, here is the product:

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[wtnhighlander]

Chris, I use the Devcon brand version of what you pictured, because it is readily available, and it cures super clear. The 5-minute claim is rough working time, and it gets shorter as the temperature rises, so it isn't good for large repairs. As to how soon you can scrape, chisel, or sand it, that depends on how thick the layer is. I wouldn't try to do much with it for at least an hour, even for very thin appkications. I use it mostly for filling imperfections, or inlays of dissimilar materials.

[Cliff]

Now that the weather is pretty hot, I fill my defects and such in the driveway with the sun on it. It was workable in about 2-3 hours max. In 80-95 degrees.

But yeah I still waste about 80% of the epoxy from every batch. That is sort of annoying. 

[Tom King]

Looks like the Locktite little bottles, that I mentioned, is 5 minute epoxy too.  I do like it better than other 5 minute epoxies though.  Here's what it looks like.

http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/13/23/epxy_heavy/overview/Loctite-Epoxy-Heavy-Duty.htm

Here's the epoxy I like best that comes in small bottles.  Don't get the 50ml tubes unless you have the gun for it.   I keep the smallest sizes of the bottles for working on golf clubs, and it gets used for other stuff too.  Continue down this page if reviews interest you.

http://www.golfworks.com/the-golfworks-high-strength-epoxy/p/EPX1/

[wdwerker]

I have been using the Devcon 2 ton epoxy for many years. 30 minutes to set . That gives you enough open time. The 4.5 ounce bottles let you mix as little at a time as needed. I have had the unused portion on the shelf for several years and still work well.

[Jason Hotze]

I second the Devon. I've used the 5-minute and the 2 ton with a drop of black dye on everything from small knots to long cracks and even a blown out mortise with great results.

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