View Full Version : Which epoxy system do you use????
WHumphreys
08-01-2009, 08:41 AM
Im curious to see which epoxy products people use and why. I would like to choose a particular one and stick to it. My choices are
West system
System 3
Mas
Interlux
SP Epoxy
E.A.S.T. System
Raka (Only seems available in the US)
Ive no doubt they are all good at what they do but is there a slant to a particular manufacturer.
Not really interested in unbranded products as I like the support that comes with most major products.
Also availability is important as I Live in the UK and some not so well known epoxys I've been steered towards are only available in the US
apex1
08-01-2009, 12:44 PM
This:
http://shop.r-g.de/en/home/
we use in building wood EP boats (different formulations of course).
And it is the cheapest prime quality supplier you will find to deliver in UK.
Richard
Jimbo1490
08-01-2009, 01:03 PM
Epon 862 + various curing agents, usually Epi-Cure 3234.
susho
08-02-2009, 08:06 AM
SP, Ampreg 22 :)
good characteristics, nice colours (haha) handy when mixing, nice viscosity, great support.
marshmat
08-02-2009, 11:27 AM
I tend to use West System right now, it's great stuff, but I would love to find something cheaper.
Had some great success with Adtech high-temp resins a few years ago for solar car moulds and parts, a fairly easy to use, strong and reliable system with good customer support.... they make a marine epoxy system as well, see http://www.adtechplastics.com/
Stumble
08-02-2009, 02:18 PM
West Systems with a Port Supply number at west marine for small stuff (less than 5 gallons). It is still to expensive, but it is available on demand instead of needing to be ordered.
For larger projects I would have to price the majors out and see what the numbers are then.
Jimbo1490
08-02-2009, 02:40 PM
I tend to use West System right now, it's great stuff, but I would love to find something cheaper.
Had some great success with Adtech high-temp resins a few years ago for solar car moulds and parts, a fairly easy to use, strong and reliable system with good customer support.... they make a marine epoxy system as well, see http://www.adtechplastics.com/
Adtech makes a lot of cool stuff just about nobody else has, like epoxy 'gelcoats' and intermediary coatings.
Jimbo
A couple of very experianced Kiwi boat builders I know intentionally switch epoxy brands with each project. The theory is that the subtle differences between brands mean they and their staff don't build up allergies as quick.
Having said that I use and recommend SP (gurit).
WHumphreys
08-02-2009, 06:15 PM
Your the second person to use SP (gurit). I have never heard of it (not that I should of being a beginner). Why is it your choice and what is so good about it?
How can you say you've never heard of it. It was in your original list.
Being from the UK, SP are your local specialists. They have an incredibly wide range of epoxy based products (definitely not a one product for everything situation) and a good range of cloths etc. A great case study was a Kiwi client who was building his boat in his farm shed. The local company stopped stocking the cloth we had specified so we suggested he give SP a call. A week later we had him on the phone raving about how much better and easier to work with the SP cloth was. This is a guy who had never before built anything out of glass.
Most of their resins have a range of hardener choices which can be mixed to tailor your gel time and as mentioned above their hardeners typically have a tint (which disappears) so you can be sure you've mixed it fully.
From a professional point of view I also like them due to the level of support they provide and their willingness to help you solve an issue even if it means recommending a product from the competition.
WHumphreys
08-02-2009, 06:34 PM
That sounds excellent as a generalization what are they like cost wise to the other well known suppliers.
My original list was created from sites selling epoxy what I should really of written is Ive heard of West System, Mas, Interlux but dont really know anything about the rest :-)
And hell its midnight here its been a long day hahahahaha who said stripping paint from grp was easy
That sounds excellent as a generalization what are they like cost wise to the other well known suppliers.
It a competitive market you'll pay similar for products of similar quality. If you can get something much cheaper then thats what it is, something much cheaper.
WHumphreys
08-02-2009, 06:57 PM
After reading through their website I think Ill give them a call tommorrow. It does look like a well supported excellent product. I suspect this is what I will use. Cheers
apex1
08-02-2009, 07:10 PM
It a competitive market you'll pay similar for products of similar quality. If you can get something much cheaper then thats what it is, something much cheaper.
That is not really true in the UK (not in Germany either). Although I fully concur with you that SP is a prime choice, there are others with absolute the same value in terms of product quality and service.
WHumphreys
08-02-2009, 07:22 PM
Where my confusion tends to lie at the moment and is going to influence my choice is paint manufacturers and Epoxy manufacturers seem to overlap in the middle a bit. I currently have a 36 year old grp boat I am restoring. The grp is in very good condition no blistering to speak of. It has had the gelcoat painted over (not very well) in the distant past. Im going to re-paint it after I have prepaired it. Where I get a lost a little is the paint manufacturer i.e. Interlux for example seem to have there own epoxy as well. Does that mean I do all the repairs in the sp epoxy and then switch to theres for the hull. I say Im a beginner but I know how to use the grp products from practise and a lot of reading but I find Im a little like a woodworker who knows how to use a saw but isnt quite sure what type of wood to use if that makes sense.
apex1
08-02-2009, 07:44 PM
Does that mean I do all the repairs in the sp epoxy and then switch to theres for the hull.
There is nothing wrong with it. Epoxy accepts almost every paint as a coating. The Interlux series is a very good choice and you can apply that on every (even the cheapest) Ep resin. And btw. the cheapest resin is good enough for a GRP repair!!! Especially when the boat is used in Northern Europe where we do´nt have excessive heat loads. (A situation where West for example is not as good as others!)
follow the link I posted previously and be impressed how much money you can save over the average UK prices. And again, that is absolutely premium quality stuff, not second choice. I use it in the many many tonnes quantities per annum.
Richard
Adtech makes a lot of cool stuff just about nobody else has, like epoxy 'gelcoats' and intermediary coatings.
Jimbo
I recently tried out their tooling clay. Worked really well. I used freemansupply.com's video tutorial for laying up the part. Really like Adtechs stuff.
fasteddy106
08-06-2009, 09:18 PM
I've been using products from U.S. Composites with great success. They offer a wide range of products at very competitive prices and are easy folks to deal with.
http://www.uscomposites.com/
apex1
08-07-2009, 07:53 AM
I've been using products from U.S. Composites with great success. They offer a wide range of products at very competitive prices and are easy folks to deal with.
I do´nt want to bother you Eddy, but I doubt they deliver to EU!
West system is great and over 40 years ago i was employed by them making windmill blades . I have to say that i still use west system alot put i do like there pro set for bigger repairs and my resin of choice is the same resin that Skater / Douglas Marine uses which has a longer pot life then some and longer then Pro set and is made by Shell .
Adtech makes a lot of cool stuff just about nobody else has, like epoxy 'gelcoats' and intermediary coatings.
Jimbo Great products used by most Boat Co's here in Mich and maybe the reason being issssssss because it is made here in Mich.
Herman
10-01-2009, 01:44 PM
Choosing an epoxy system is all about what you want to do with it, and what infrastructure you have.
I have clients who have ovens running 24/7. For them it is easier to give them epoxy that needs a heat cure then to the guy in an old shed building a large boat.
I guess most suppliers have the general stuff, and some have more then that. Also, there are more specialised epoxy suppliers that (almost) only supply nice products.
Some suppliers:
West system: General systems with reasonable handling properties. Low heat resistance, however. Also more advanced systems with better heat resistance, but need a heat treatment (about all higher heat resistance epoxy needs heat treatment)
SP: Wide range of epoxy, mostly geared towards boats and sport products.
Sicomin: Wide range of epoxy for many applications, including a lot of nice products (repairing cracks in stones, foaming epoxy systems, epoxy for application on WET wood, underwater cure epoxy, fast choking epoxy, gelcoats and coatings)
Hexion Specialty Chemicals: Mostly epoxy for windmills, airplanes and high-tech tooling. Boats do benefit, however. Extremely good infusion results. (how about a Tg of over 150 degrees C, and gelcoats that are only machinable with diamond tools?)
Hexion (former Shell, former Bakelite). These are the epoxy suppliers that actually MAKE the epoxy. (most others are blenders, including West, SP, Sicomin, Hexion SC). Most systems are either suitable for large markets (flooring, windmills, lightbulbs, etc) and some systems have "rough edges". Quality is very good, however.
Airtech / Tygavac: Have high Tg infusion resins for high tech tooling.
R&G: reseller of Hexion
UPPC: Manufacturer of epoxy. Mostly rougher systems, however they have some taylored products, which are very useful.
Ce-Sense: Private label of Brands in The Netherlands. Good quality for a decent price.
View Full Version : Which epoxy system do you use????