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Find your closest dealerThe Epoxy Safety Guide covers the health hazards of working with WEST SYSTEM epoxies, and some related shop hazards. More importantly, it offers common sense safety practices that will help prevent health problems and assure your long and productive use of epoxy.
Mixing epoxy resin and hardener begins a chemical reaction that transforms the combined liquid ingredients to a solid. The time it takes for this transformation is the cure time. As it cures, the epoxy passes from the liquid state , through a gel state, before it reaches a solid state.
Clean resin or mixed epoxy residue with lacquer thinner, acetone or alcohol. Follow all safety warnings on solvent containers. Clean hardener residue with warm soapy water. Dispose of resin, hardener and empty containers safely.
Careful measuring of epoxy resin and hardener and thorough mixing are essential for a proper cure. Whether the resin/hardener mixture is applied as a coating or modified with fillers and additives, observing the following procedures will assure a controlled and thorough chemical transition…
Fillers are used to thicken epoxy for specific applications such as bonding or fairing. After selecting an appropriate filler for your job, use it to thicken the epoxy mixture to the desired consistency. The thickness of a mixture required for a particular job is controlled by the amount of filler
Contain large spills with sand, clay or other inert absorbent material. Use a scraper to contain small spills and collect as much material as possible. Follow up with absorbent towels. Uncontaminated resin or hardener may be reclaimed for use.