I have being looking at your epoxy resins, I normally usewest system 105 i think because its a clear coating and very strong ,which oneof your epoxys are similar to that? and what do the packs include is it justthe resin? or the hardener included as well? I need around 5 kgs do you haveany dispensers at all too for measuring your epoxy out as I haven't used itbefore?

Many Thanks

Dan

Hi Daniel,

Thank you for your enquiry.

I know West 105 well, it's a solid resin that's been around a long time. Our approach is to have specialist resins that excel in different areas rather than a one-size-fits-all, we think this means that ifyou choose the right resin you can get amazing results.

As a quick answer to your question, if you've been using West to 'coat' things (like sealing/coating a deck etc) then I'd suggest our Epoxy Coating Resin. If you're after a top-performing laminating resin (for actually making parts) then our EL2 would be the one to go for. For completeness, here's a run-down of all our resins and what they're best at:

EL2 Epoxy Laminating Resin

Our EL2Epoxy Laminating Resin is a very high performance epoxy with a low viscosity, choice of hardener speeds, *excellent* wetting of advanced fibres(carbon, Kevlar, diolen etc.) and very good cured mechanicals. It's perfectly clear too. If you're wet-lay laminating parts (i.e. making parts in a mouldwith a brush/roller) then this is the resin to go for.

Epoxy Coating Resin

Our Epoxy Coating Resin is a better resin if you're coating things in epoxy, rather than laminating parts. It's thicker than EL2 (and thicker than the West) but itcures very clear, very hard and has excellent bond strength. Above all, itallows you to coat and re-coat over the top of itself without fish-eying (becauseit is a very pure epoxy with no additives whatsoever) and each layer will beadded on perfectly clear (no hazing or visible transition between layers). This is the resin we use in our Skinning Starter Kit.

Epoxy Rapid Repair Resin

If you're doing repair work to damaged composites like a boat hull or car bodywork then I can recommend our EpoxyRapid Repair Resin. It's a medium viscosity epoxy with very good cured mechanical strength but more specifically it has a high flexural strength (i.e.it can flex without breaking) and a very high bond strength (comparable to good epoxy adhesives). It also cures clear and cures quickly (around 2-3hrs to de-mould).We've recently filmed a Kayak repair video where we make extensive use of this resin, it should be online soon.

Very High Temperature Epoxy Resin

For parts that will be exposed to high operating temperatures (our datasheets and website rate this resin up to 180C but we have actually tested in past 200 and it appears completely unaffected) our Very High Temperature Epoxy Resin is very much essential. Typical epoxy resins will have an HDT (Heat Distortion Temperature) of around 70-90C. This means that part this temperature the cured resin will potentially distort or deteriorate. If you’re making parts to go in a hot engine-bay, heat-shields, exhaust cans etc. then it is important to use a special high temperature epoxy, like this one. Please note that to achieve the high HDT the cured part will need to be post-cured, ideally up to the operating temperature, loosely following the post-cure ramp explained in the datasheet for the resin (in short, bake it slowly before you use it!).

IN2 Epoxy Infusion Resin

Resin infusion requires a special type of epoxy and we’ve never been able to get good results from infusion without using a dedicated infusion epoxy. We’ve also only had mixed results using other brands of infusion epoxy because they tend to still have quite different characteristics. Our infusion epoxy is, by necessity, incredibly low viscosity and has a longpot-life (so that it doesn’t cure in the pot or gel in the part whilst the infusion is still taking place). IN2 is the resin we use in the video for our Resin Infusion Starter Kit.

All of our resins are sold as a 'pack' which means they include the resin and the correct amount of hardener. For some resins you can choose the speed of hardener that you want; if this is the case there will be a drop-down on the product page. In all cases, the resin and the hardener add up to the 'pack size' stated (i.e. a 1kg pack of our EL2 is made up of 770g of resin and 230g of hardener)

All of our mix rations (100:30, 100:25 etc.) are stated in parts by weight which means that you need to weigh them out (accurately) to those ratios. Any good set of electronic scales should be fine for this purpose; they would need to be accurate to 1g (which many are) and ideally have a tare function so that you can weigh the resin, 'tare' the scales (i.e. set them back to zero) and then weigh in the hardener. If you don't have a set of scales then we do have an inexpensive set which can weigh up to 5kg of material. Click here for our High Capacity Electronic Scales.

I hope this helps you pick the right one but if you do want any more advice, just ask.

Best regards, Matt

Matt Statham
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Sales

Well being new to this product and process, what do you recommend to cure the part that will be used as a heat shield or in the engine bay etc... and how is this process done. Do you have a video or detailed instructions?

Thanks,

Hi Martin,

I've just posted a reply to your main question and in this I've discussed the post-curing process for using a high temperature resin but to help others I'll repeat that information here:

When working with any 'High Temperature' epoxies what you will certainly need to do is 'post cure' the part before you use it. Post curing is where you gradually heat the part up to at least its future operating temperature, thereby fully curing the resin and realising the best mechanical performance (and high HDT - Heat Distortion Temperature). Put simply, this means that if you make your heat-shield, once it's cured fully in the mould at room temperature you would leave it in the mould and put the mould somewhere very warm (40 degrees) for maybe 12 hrs and then, still in the mould, get the temperature up to 70 degrees for a few hrs. You would then demould it (so that you don't need a mould that can take very high temperatures) and then put the part in an oven and the gradually ramp the temperature up to 180 degrees C. This type of post cure would ensure that the next time the part is at 180 degrees (when it's on your  bike for example) that it won't be affected at all by the heat.


All the best, Matt


Matt Statham
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Sales

hello

If you need to post cure (for high temperature applications) it is best to leave the component in the mould as this will keep the surface of the part flat and stop the part from distorting, However your moulds must be able to take the temperature that you are curing to, if the part has already been de-moulded or the mould is unsuitable for elevated temperatures, the part should be supported in multiple points to stop it from distorting, the temperature should also be increased more slowly to retain a good surface finish.

Paul Statham
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical

ok very thanks