Can West System Be Trod Upon ?

[endoftheroad]

Anyone use the West System on teak bilge access hatches?

Can the epoxy be treaded on heavily?

Thanks

[sneuman]

Originally Posted by endoftheroad

Anyone use the West System on teak bilge access hatches?

Can the epoxy be treaded on heavily?

Thanks

yes. Use the special coating hardner. Works great and since it's not exposed to UV, it will last without any additional treatment.

[barnakiel]

Yep. But why epoxy teak?



b.

[endoftheroad]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Yep. But why epoxy teak?



b.

The clear epoxy barrier finish (west system).

It makes teak bulletproof and water tight.


Is my statement accurate?
Anyone?

[oceangypsy]

Originally Posted by endoftheroad

The clear epoxy barrier finish (west system).

It makes teak bulletproof and water tight.


Is my statement accurate?
Anyone?

In my experience West system is an excellent product, however it does have limitations...consider the following when using on wood... especially teak

• teak is very oily and coatings can peel and flake or in the case of epoxy, simply separate.
• epoxy...even West special coating is vunerable to UV and should still be varnished
• unless the wood is completely encapsulated, the wood will expand and contract at a different rate than the epoxy

That said there are things you can do to improve the success of coating teak...

• use the special coating product
• brush acetone generously into the wood prior to coating and allow to evaporate... this will disolve the surface oils allowing the epoxy to saturate the wood deeper
• completely coat all surfaces to disallow air and moisture to penetrate the wood
• if you do get a knick or wear-through, sand prep and reseal the area ASAP to prevent moisture intrusion
• definitely exterior, but even interior, consider using a high quality uv varnish to protect from the sun... you would not need many coats and it will be much more stable and need very little maintenace compared to varnish alone

This is simply from my experience with the materials in the tropical environment... my suggestion is to call Gougeon Bros or pick up their publications as there is a wealth of experience and knowledge available that they seem more than happy to share

Personally, i agree... why cover teak? It has excellent properties of its own!

[David M]

In the interior, covering teak with a coating does make it easier to clean and keeps it from absorbing spills and grime. I have varnished surfaces all over the interior and am not seeing problems related to expansion and contraction with changes in humidity. I am talking about surfaces epoxied using West System.

[PAR]

Teak and other oily woods can be successfully "embalmed" with epoxy with the hot on hot method after a solvent scrub (as mentioned above). The oils in teak react better with a mixture of 50% acetone, 30% rubbing alcohol and 20% xylene. Scrub with a moderately stiff brush, then let it flash off.

Encapsulation is the best treatment, as it stabilizes the piece so it doesn't experience moisture gain/lose. On the other hand, most laminating resins have sufficient modulus elongation to permit a coating to move with the wood if used as a surface coating (not encapsulated). Naturally, this isn't the best application of the resin's physical properties, but possible, particularly if not in a high traffic area. If interested in using epoxy as just a surface coating, then I'd strongly recommend West System G-Flex instead of 207. It's elongation is much higher and will tolerate this treatment better as a result.

Hot on hot means warm epoxy on a warm piece and it's a very effective method of getting goo further into difficult woods. Warm the teak piece to about 100 degrees. Warm the epoxy to about 85, then place the wood in a location where it is cooler then 100 degrees. Apply epoxy (work quickly as it's going to kick off fast) to the teak.

With the teak in a cooling state, the air in the cellular structure will contract, which draws in the goo. The goo being warmed, decreases it's viscosity considerably as well. Both techniques are the best way to coat oily woods.

I use this technique on white and live oak laminations, have done so for many years (over 20) without failure. In fact, I was discussing this with Tom Pawiak (West System) just a couple of weeks ago and we're exactly on the same page. In the laminations vain, the key (other then above) is thinner laminations, particularly with really dense hardwoods, like the white oaks. If considering these types of laminations, then keep the pieces to 1/2" thickness or less. This prevents the internal stresses within the pieces from affecting the laminate.

These techniques apply to any laminating epoxy, not just West System's formulations.

[FSMike]

You know how bread always falls jelly side down?
Epoxied wood always falls epoxy side up.
So you can step on it.

[PAR]

The addition of jelly to bread or toast, moves the CG toward the jelly side of the bread. The result is it favors the jelly side if permitted to adopt a natural balance, such as it does from the counter, en-route to the floor.

Epoxy encapsulated wood is always epoxy up, regardless of orientation.

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by PAR

Epoxy encapsulated wood is always epoxy up, regardless of orientation.

True enough, but this does not explain the semi-mystical attraction of wet epoxy to shoes, shirt sleeves, and various body parts. This is what causes a piece of wood with wet epoxy on one side to fall epoxy side up.
Such unexplained attraction has been noted in other chemical compounds, such as 5200. Particularly in hair.
More research is needed.