The West system is probably the best all around epoxy for building a KR.It is unexcelled in glueing wood and in encapsulating it .There are several different cataylsts available depending on the temperature that you are working at and the pot life that you wish to work with.It wets out fibreglass cloth very nicely as well as any other brand. I have found that as a glue it is best to add some thickener such as cabosil to keep it from running out of a glue joint. You should not over clamp the glue joints as this squeezes too much of the glue out. The epoxy is stronger than the wood.Give the glue a moment or so to soak into the wood, add a bit more and place the two parts together. It really takes several days before this epoxy is ready for good sanding. This is why I like CGSX epoxy, it is ready for sanding the next day. It is a better glue than a laminating epoxy. It is the cheapest of all that I have come across. $120.00Can for a 2 gallon kit.(1 gal epoxy & 1 gal hardener) The West system runs about $180.00Can for a 1 gallon kit. The CSGX is a thicker resin(probably Shell 828) Apply a bit if heat and it quickly becomes very fluid but it will set up faster. Run a heat gun over the spread epoxy fibreglass to get the bubbles out and it's penetration is very good.It sets up much faster then. The original concept of Ken Rand to use dynel and epoxy produced a plane that was sufficiently strong for the job. Yet dynel is so weak compared to regular boat 6 oz. cloth that I am amazed that so much hype is now added , such that" the glass must be placed at 45 degrees on the spar for maximum strength" .Who cares, it is too strong as it is. A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link.Epoxy fibreglass is not the weakest link in the present KR. There are other brands of epoxy out there. T-88 is a good epoxy. Bondo make a suitable alternative.I have tried others over the years ,I do not like the brittle ones. Any good epoxy resin whether it is Dow or Shell make good products but you must be careful of the hardener that your supplier uses. If you require a long pot life like when you are doing your spars or are working with wet wood, Use Versamid 140 hardener. It has 6 to 8 hour pot life and will set up in 24 hours, It is not brittle and makes an excellent fibreglass geer leg. When I said wet wood I mean it. That hardener loves moisture and will follow it into the pores of the wood taking the resin along to give a very firm grip on the wood. If any one was making a plane with wing ribs that are built up of thing strips. they are often steamed to get the shape of the front of the wing. They can be taken right out of the steamer and bent to shape in the wing rib jig and glued in place with plywood gussets etc. You do not have to wait for the wood to dry. Versamid is a thick hardener and thus is not a good laminating choice for fibreglass. Heat helps to make it fliud. You are going to have to experiment with the epoxy system that suits your purposes. If any one wants to try Versamid 140 hardener I will send you a few ounces by parcel post if you pay for the postage. I have a gallon left over and it is getting old like I am. I check it periodically and find that age has not bothered it in the least, as long as the epoxy resin is clean and relatively fresh. Once the gallon is gone so is the offer. Happy building, Harold Woods,Orillia,ON.Canada. haroldwo...@rogers.com
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