I’m still just practicing with fiberglass cloth, but I hope to graduate to CF someday. The West System 105/205 stuff is yellowish, so it won’t be so good when I do make the switch to more expensive materials where cosmetics matter.
What epoxy resin(s) should I be looking to get in the future?
Thanks!
Hey Corwyn,
Do you notice that the resin is yellow right out of the container or did it turn yellow at one point? Epoxy resin is usually clear but you’ll need to UV protect it or else it’ll turn yellow.
Good question. I don’t remember exactly. I think it was yellow right away (i.e.-as soon as I mixed them), but at the very least, it was yellow within an hour, while indoors at night.
Corwyn,
Try US Composites epoxy resin. That’s what I use now and it does not yellow. Again, you’ll have to UV protect it to prevent that from happening later on.
Evan
Cool, I’ll give that a shot, thanks! The resin should stay crystal clear, if it’s the right sort, shouldn’t it? I.e.-not yellow at all?
The only true “water clear” resin that you’re going to find is polyester “surfboard” resin. What I use (US Composites) comes pretty close but that’s about it. I am starting to add a tint of black to my resin now. It looks very cool.
Hmmm…maybe I’m being too picky.
Hey, mine’s water clear…it’s just water clear like NYC water. 
If I can get a decent picture of something I make (with the plain fiberglass cloth in the picture for comparison), I’ll post it. Assuming I can make something that’s not embarassingly bad 
I use the West Systems stuff, and it’s only noticabley yellow when there’s a lot of resin left in the piece. When I use it for vac bagging, you cannot tell that the resin was yellow. Evan, I’ll have to try the US Composites epoxy. Thanks for the info.
It seems like the majority of people I’ve chatted with prefer West Systems or US Composites epoxy products.
Anyone here use System Three epoxies?
I prefer the West Systems stuff because there’s a West Marine less than 15 minutes from my house. I can just pop in and pick up what I need without having to deal with shipping and hazardous materials charges.
I’ve purchased resins mail order, but when I run out of resin I generally can’t wait a week to get a new supply. And since West Systems has been good to me, I’ve seen no reason to switch. The ability to keep 3 hardeners is nice too, though I know other systems offer that as well.
I ordered some vinylester resin a while back, and it was purple! Didn’t look bad when bagged, but I must have mixed it too hot because it was green long before I got could pull a vaccum. The piece was pretty much ruined.
I just realized there’s a West Marine 5 mins from my office. I’m going to stop by there tomorrow at lunch.
Are there prices pretty reasonable?
Yeah, they’re not too bad, and I just noticed they have a system 207 special coating hardener for a clearer surface. Even has UV stabilizers, though it says to still use other clearcoat protection. The web page lists $25.99 for a quart of resin, and hardeners start at $12.99 for slow and fast.