West System epoxy

[Seyhun Gültekin]

Hello everyone
Does anyone use West System epoxy to bond metal with carbon fiber ? (West System 105 resin 205 hardener)

 

[G_T]

The real question is not the epoxy system, but instead the type of metal and how you do the surface prep. That will make far more of a difference than the epoxy system you are using. So what metal?

That said, I wish people didn't use West for anything resembling aerospace work. Any other laminating resin is superior for our sorts of application. West has a very low Tg and there is nothing you can do about it, unlike nearly all other epoxy systems. It warms up on a sunny summer day, losing its polycrystaline structure, and turns to rubber. West was designed deliberately that way. It was quite a clever way of dealing with wood expansion and contraction as humidity and temperature changes.

As a glue though, with the right additives, West isn't too terrible. I've used it a lot for that purpose - and that purpose only.

Gerald

 

[SammyD]

The real question is not the epoxy system, but instead the type of metal and how you do the surface prep. That will make far more of a difference than the epoxy system you are using. So what metal?

That said, I wish people didn't use West for anything resembling aerospace work. Any other laminating resin is superior for our sorts of application. West has a very low Tg and there is nothing you can do about it, unlike nearly all other epoxy systems. It warms up on a sunny summer day, losing its polycrystaline structure, and turns to rubber. West was designed deliberately that way. It was quite a clever way of dealing with wood expansion and contraction as humidity and temperature changes.

As a glue though, with the right additives, West isn't too terrible. I've used it a lot for that purpose - and that purpose only.

Gerald

What epoxies and laminating resins do you recommend Gerald? I'm at the point of moving beyond BSI epoxy... Thx! S

 

[shonc182]

The real question is not the epoxy system, but instead the type of metal and how you do the surface prep. That will make far more of a difference than the epoxy system you are using. So what metal?

That said, I wish people didn't use West for anything resembling aerospace work. Any other laminating resin is superior for our sorts of application. West has a very low Tg and there is nothing you can do about it, unlike nearly all other epoxy systems. It warms up on a sunny summer day, losing its polycrystaline structure, and turns to rubber. West was designed deliberately that way. It was quite a clever way of dealing with wood expansion and contraction as humidity and temperature changes.

As a glue though, with the right additives, West isn't too terrible. I've used it a lot for that purpose - and that purpose only.

Gerald

G_T's point regarding West, and low Tg is well made...It has been made by others here, and I have never bothered to personally research it. I assume it is true. However, my rockets and most I see are far from true aerospace work. If your going to put a satellite into orbit, get the best possible epoxy the industry offers.

In my area, West is readily and inexpensively available in sufficient quantities. And it is an excellent product IMO. There are likely others.

Most important, as G T says - is surface prep. To memory, I have had one significant failure in many years. It was most definitely surface prep.

 

[blackjack2564]

If you are bonding carbon to aluminum, you will have issues with electrolysis . Thin layer of fiberglass between solves the issue.
As in fins/fincan to airframe, but since we do not know what you are bonding, that may not be a problem

 

[gldknght]

A couple years ago, I made a rocket body tube out of West epoxy and fiberglass. It's sat in my closed up car in the sun in the summer for several days without any problems. No delaminations, no tube deformations, nothing.
I used West epoxy on my level 2 and level 3 rocket builds, both for glue and for laminating fiberglass. No problems.

 

[Rob702Martinez]

Aeromarine 300/21 or 400/21

 

[SDramstad]

Been making fiberglass and carbon fiber airframes for the last 5 years using west and have never had a problem with it.