Epoxi
- Thread starter Marty
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Dennis Morland
KNIFE MAKER
USA Knifemaker sells West G flex epoxy. Love the stuff.
usaknifemaker.com
West Systems G/flex Epoxy
West Systems G/flex Epoxy G/flex Epoxy G/flex Epoxy Six10 Thickened Epoxy Adhesive G/5 Adhesive G/flex Epoxy Adhesion Data 650-8 G/flex EpoxyA toughened, versatile, liquid epoxy for permanent waterproof bonding of fiberglass, cerami
usaknifemaker.com
Dennis Morland
KNIFE MAKER
Bossdog deserves our business at USA Knifemaker. He sponsors this site out of his pocket, basically. We can all pay him back a little bit by purchasing at USA Knifemaker. CustomerserviceBeth is so easy to deal with phone call, e-mail, pm on this site. I will get off my soapbox, now.
jmforge
Well-Known Member
DO NOT get the 5 minute G Flex. It seazes up in 5 minus or LESS. 
Get the regular stuff. As best as I can tell, G Flex is regular West System resin and hardener with the filler already added to the resin. I traditionally used the regular West system with the colloidal silica filler. That was upon advice from the late John White who, in a previous life, had been a boat builder. Straight resin and hardener are not really the ultimate adhesive, They are designed for "wetting out" glass fiber, kevlar, carbon, plywood, planking, etc. You add fillers, and such to make the stuff do what you want.
Get the regular stuff. As best as I can tell, G Flex is regular West System resin and hardener with the filler already added to the resin. I traditionally used the regular West system with the colloidal silica filler. That was upon advice from the late John White who, in a previous life, had been a boat builder. Straight resin and hardener are not really the ultimate adhesive, They are designed for "wetting out" glass fiber, kevlar, carbon, plywood, planking, etc. You add fillers, and such to make the stuff do what you want.Yeah I don't do 5 min.epoxy I need more time than thatDO NOT get the 5 minute G Flex. It seazes up in 5 minus or LESS.
TimGinMN
Well-Known Member
Answered my own question. https://www.westsystem.com/wp-content/uploads/G-flex-tds.pdf
"Storage/Shelf Life Store at room temperature. Keep containers sealed when not in use to prevent contamination. With proper storage, resin and hardener should remain usable for several years"
I also noticed it says it can be used down to 40 degrees but when I've used it even at 50-60 it seems to take forever to harden. I either put a clamp on work light close to it or bring it in the house to harden if it's cool out in the shop. (A problem soon to be resolved, but that's another story
)
tkroenlein
Well-Known Member
West Systems G Flex is the only epoxy that I've tried that significantly resists "peel" failures, which are the type that seem most likely to be normal use-induced. Other than environmental changes, which does a really good job of taking apart inadequate epoxy joints.
jmforge
Well-Known Member
My understanding is that G Flex is formulated as an "adhesive." As I said before, to get those properties from 'raw" West resin, you add silica, microballoons, or some other filler. The fact that the resin to hardener ratio is 1 to 1 on this stuff may indicate that the filler is added to the hardener, not the resin. Regular West system uses a much lower proportion of hardener to resin in most application. Thats why you buy the dispenser pumps. Thats also why you may end up throwing out a fair bit of your glue when you are done unless you are putting together multiple knives.
Merle
Well-Known Member
I really like the BladeBond I got from USA Knifemaker. But a few years ago I built a wooden boat and used a ton of a product called GelMagic epoxy adhesive from System 3, and it was an amazingly tough adhesive at least on wood to wood joints. I always have wondered how it would perform in a hybrid (metal to wood) application.
-andy
-andy
tkroenlein
Well-Known Member
Yeah, it's advertised as "toughened epoxy."My understanding is that G Flex is formulated as an "adhesive." As I said before, to get those properties from 'raw" West resin, you add silica, microballoons, or some other filler. The fact that the resin to hardener ratio is 1 to 1 on this stuff may indicate that the filler is added to the hardener, not the resin. Regular West system uses a much lower proportion of hardener to resin in most application. Thats why you buy the dispenser pumps. Thats also why you may end up throwing out a fair bit of your glue when you are done unless you are putting together multiple knives.
jmforge
Well-Known Member
Sounds like a "pre-mix" of rgular System 3 resin and hardener with some pixie dust added, like the G Flex. I would think that if you get it mixed up properly, it would bond anything that can be bonded.
Merle
Well-Known Member
yep.. it has elastomeric micro-spheres added as tougheners, giving it a two phase morphology. The little spheres act as microscopic crack arrestors, making it extremely tough and fatigue resistant.
jmforge
Well-Known Member
I wonder if that is the same kind of stuff that West calls "micro-balloons?" The late John White said that he used the colloidal silica stuff, so that is what I have used.
Merle
Well-Known Member
I can't say for sure but I think micro-balloons are usually hollow phenolic added to reduce weight, often in aerospace applications. I think for toughening they use a solid elastomeric (i.e. "rubbery" material) since the goal is just to act as a crack stopper. Though logic would say that the hollow micro-balloons should have the same crack-stopper effect.
Heikki
KNIFE MAKER
In aviation we use something called Cabosil to thicken structural adhesives. Be aware, this stuff can be dangerous to work with. It's extremely fine and floats in the air. You DO NOT want to breath it in (think carbon fiber or G10 dust but finer). We usually mix it into the adhesive at a down draft table to minimize the risk.