• The forum upgrades have been completed. These were moderate security fixes from our software vendor and it looks like everything is working well. If you see any problems please post in the Forum Technical Support forum or email us at forum_moderator (at) aawforum.org. Thank you
  • February 2026 Turning Challenge: Cookie Jar! (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Matt Carvalho for "Red Mallee Folded Form" being selected as Turning of the Week for February 9, 2026 (click here for details)
  • AAW Symposium demonstrators announced - If the 2026 AAW International Woodturning Symposium is not on your calendar, now is the time to register. And there are discounts available if you sign up early, by Feb. 28. Early Bird pricing gives you the best rate for our 40th Anniversary Symposium in Raleigh, North Carolina, June 4–7, 2026. (There are discounts for AAW chapter members too) For more information vist the discussion thread here or the AAW registration page
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

West Systems Hardner

It depends on what your going to do with it. The slow hardener is clear, the rapid hardener is brown. If your going to use it straight out of the can it's fairly obvious which one to use for your purposes. If your going to color it then I use the clear for light transparent colors. If I'm going to color it dark to fill cracks then I choose the rapid. Even the rapid hardener is not rapid like 5 minute epoxy. It takes a while to harden but it much faster than the 24 hours it takes the slow hardener. I often use 1 minute of 5 minute epoxy to fill cracks and voids. I will use the West system when I need larger quantities and cure time is not a problem.
 
I use West System 207 Special Clear Hardener because the 105 Resin and the 207 Special Clear Hardener cure clear and colorless. Doesn't distort the color of the wood. Also, more reliable color control when adding colorant to the mixture. Never had a problem with working time. - John
 
If you are filling voids in bowls, look at the G/flex 650 West System product. I just got finished with some maple burl pieces, using this to fill voids and it worked very well. The WS techs recommended it as it allows from flex/movement in the wood without cracks or gaps. It comes as two-part system in different sized kits, and takes tinting very well with all kinds of different tint media.
 
Grant Wilkinson said:
If you are filling voids in bowls, look at the G/flex 650 West System product. I just got finished with some maple burl pieces, using this to fill voids and it worked very well. The WS techs recommended it as it allows from flex/movement in the wood without cracks or gaps. It comes as two-part system in different sized kits, and takes tinting very well with all kinds of different tint media.
Click to expand...

Interesting-- Are you also familiar with the West 105/ 207 mentioned above? I would be curious to know the differences if you are aware of them.
 
I use both hardeners. The 207 is clear but very slow drying, overnight at the least. The rapid hardener is brown in color so it works well when the joint is either unseen or I'm coloring it with dark colors. I think rapid is a miss nomer because it's not rapid in terms of 5, 10 or even 15 minute hardening. It takes several hours to cure to the point that you can cut, sand and polish it. Both work very well for me within those limits. I always keep some 5 minute clear epoxy handy for chores that I need to rush. I use mostly JB weld because that's easy to buy around here.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top