WEST Systen Six10 Epoxy

I'm building a little folding boat that requires me to make some bow shaped hoops by laminating thin strips of wood on a form.

Last week I steamed the strips and bent them onto the form. Now that they are dry, I'll remove them from the form, spread glue on them and clamp them back onto the form for the glue to set.

I was going to use a regular thickened epoxy glue but all the mixing and spreading didn't sound like fun.

Now I'm thinking of using WEST System Six10 epoxy that comes out of a caulking gun. No mixing required. Just run a bead down the wood strip, maybe spread it with a putty knife and clamp it up.

Have any of you guys used this? Is it as easy as WEST makes it look?

I haven't used that yet but I sure have been thinking about keeping a couple of tubes onboard for quick, no muss applications. The Admiral doesn't think much of smelling up the place mixing epoxy and thickening agent......especially on windy days. Let us know how it works, but in particular, how far a tube goes. WM never "packages" something for convenience without a substantial reason, and we know what that reason is, don't we?

Parks:

That Six10 is thickened epoxy for glass laminate repair and general bonding. I've found that it does not spread easily. It's sort of sticky, like jam. It is best for filleting and for filling voids. I'm sure it can be used for laminating but it's not the best choice IMHO.

I made a laminated, curved cockpit awning support for our old boat out of thin strips of mahogany glued together with unthickened WEST 105 and clamped to a form. Be sure to use something like wax paper between the form and the work. 105 goes on easily with a chip brush. If you have voids to fill between laminations, it's no big deal to mix a little bit of the recommended thickener in.

I keep a tube on the boat for filling holes, cracks after I have routed them out, just about anything that needs to be fixed. I have also used to put an epoxy filler into a screw hole into a cored deck such as used to attach a railing. That way the screw is only in epoxy and any water intrusion wouldn't reach the wood. Get some extra mixing tips when you buy it. You throw them away after one use and plug the tube with the original plug that comes with it.

Tom

Adding thicker to epoxy is no big deal. Just add a little at a time until you have the inconstancy of peanut butter. Use a chip brush to spread it on and use gloves. I have built a few small boats and used lots of the stuff. Works great.

Thanks for the feed back. If it doesn't spread easily, I'll switch to 105 for the next three hoops I have to make. I bought three tubes and a dozen extra tips. If I don't use it on this boat, I'll use it for fillets on the next.

I picked up a roll of wax paper on my way home tonight.

Larry, you know I don't shop at WM. WEST System the epoxy people are not related to WM. I was over on Key Biscayne today to make a delivery to No Name Harbor. Made me think of that great house you had on the Key.

Tom, do you know what the shelf life is after you open the tube?

Parks my entire cap rail is ripped teak strips laminated into a curve with west system 105 . I've been thinking about trying six10 on some other projects . Let us know what you think .

Hey Parks and Larry not trying to highjack the thread but now that you're together here.,help me find some rigging to hoist my dingy . None of that kinda stuff is laying around up here in the sticks .

Mule are you looking for a nice block and tackle or an electric hoist?
Do you have a davit ?

Parks I still haven't made it down to your store, but might be soon. Will be working on some electronics on Ed's boat most likely sometime soon. The honest reason why I haven't made it down yet is that killer MIA traffic.

Oliver, the traffic isn't bad if you come by boat!

HopCar said:

Oliver, the traffic isn't bad if you come by boat!

Click to expand...

True....and it's quite an interesting trip up Miami River to Park's store.

Six -10 a normal sized tube with damn little inside!!

I swear by the West G-Flex. It doesn't need much thickening to keep it from running out of the joint. It is at least twice a flexible as regular West. Claims and seems to be stronger by far than regular West. It comes in squeeze bottles and is 50-50 mix so just squeeze out equal sized puddles and mix. I think it comes in a pre-thickened version also. I wouldn't be without it.

A brush works well for applying un-thickened epoxy to flat surfaces where there will be little or no voids when the surfaces are mated together. Thickened epoxy is good for filling voids or forming fillets.

I have no experience with West Six10, but it is doubtless really good glue, and it certainly is convenient. However, at $23.00/190ml plus $2.00 per additional nozzle, convenience comes at a price. A regular caulking tube holds roughly 320ml.

Mixing your own epoxy paste and dispensing it using fillable caulking tubes is worth considering. The downside is that filling the tubes is messy (wish there was a way around that), and the working life of the paste is short - even using slow hardener. Keeping the mixed product cool would certainly help.

As noted above, West Six10 costs aprox. $23 for a cartridge and nozzle. My very rough calculations suggest that mixing your own and using the fillable cartridges works out at around half that price.

FYI: Fisheries Supply sells empty fillable plastic caulking tubes for around $1.30 each. I'm sure there are many other vendors.

Call me crazy, but I like to mix my own thickened epoxy. Now after enough boat projects and one stitch and glue kayak, I developed a bit of an opinion and stocked shop. If I mix my own I can control the consistency from thick to thin and get it just where I want it for that specific job. I can start my mix without filler, nice and thin and paint that mixture on the wood with a thin glue brush that I buy by the case at harbor freight and let that thin mixture soak into the wood for penetration. Then I can start adding filler to the mix until I get my chosen consistency. I also buy the empty caulk tubes when I want to run a bead with it. Running a bead onto wood that has already been wetted with thin epoxy will produce a better join.

You can also choose different fillers for different needs. Fumed silica is like rock, but wood flour is easily sanded.

There is also a lot less waste, cost and even convenience if you mix your own, but that is sort of dependent on having the epoxy, pumps, mix containers and such ready to go.

West makes good product, and for a single project you can't hardly beat the convenience of a ready made dispenser. But for something more than a single use need, I'd go a different direction. If I had a ten minute project on the boat, not at home in my shop I'd buy the west tube too.

HopCar said:

Mule are you looking for a nice block and tackle or an electric hoist?
Do you have a davit ?

Click to expand...

Parks I just got some teak ones from FF. Thanks any way . FF knows I'm a sucka for some teak and bronze .

I have used it to fill voids after removing rotted core material. It worked well for that. It tends to stay where you put it rather than running down the side of the work.

I glued up a hoop today with the Six 10. I was pleased at how easy it was to use. As FF pointed out, I was disappointed in the amount in the tube. It took a tube and a half to glue one hoop. That works out to four beads about fourteen feet long. Less than sixty feet of epoxy bead. Call it forty feet per tube.

The wood strips are one inch wide. I ran a bead of epoxy down the middle and spread it out with a notched spreader. I had nice squeeze out when I clamped it.

I'll try to remember to cut open an empty tube tomorrow. I'm curious as to how they keep the two components from mixing in the tube. I'll try to get a picture for you guys.