epoxy used for finishing

[Big Steve]

I have a question about epoxy. Has anyone tried the aircraft spruce Alpha poxy for finishing there plane using micro? I have used West system before and it worked really good. Alpha poxy is almost half the price of the west system. If it worked I could save a couple hundred dollars maybe?

Steve

[eracer113]

Steve
I used alpha poxy on my E Racer when I built it, worked just fine. When I made some new cowlings a couple of years ago, it never seamed to get hard like the original material when I built it. I switched to the west system and it is a much better product and a lot easier to sand. You will save as much on sand paper using the west system so the cost will be about the same and west is much more user friendly in time saved. Thats what I found. By the way, your really smokin on your Cozy project.

Jack
E Racer 113


the effort is

Originally Posted by Big Steve

I have a question about epoxy. Has anyone tried the aircraft spruce Alpha poxy for finishing there plane using micro? I have used West system before and it worked really good. Alpha poxy is almost half the price of the west system. If it worked I could save a couple hundred dollars maybe?

Steve

[TMann]

When using the West Sytem, what hardener are you using?
(i.e. 206 slow is okay for this application?)

[Big Steve]

When I finished my longeze back in the 80's I did most of my finishing in the summer time. I was in S. Calif. then and it was really hot. I liked using the fast hardner because I could put a coat on in the morning and sand it off in the afternoon and put another coat on later in the day. I am going to try and do it in one pop like some of the other builders are doing now.

[Jerry Schneider]

I've been using Alphapoxy on my project. Jeff Russell, (formerly of AeroCad), recommended it because it sands easy and passes his hardness requirements. I've had good results with it.

Velocity has the same stuff for their builders which they sell for finishing, but they call it "Velocipoxy". It might be a bit cheaper too.

In regard to Eracer's post about hardness, I haven't bought any in years, so I don't have any data on that.

I would give Velocity a call and see what they're recommending to their builders.

[David Clifford]

We used the West system and LOVED it!! Very EZ to sand.

[chasingmars]

On a related question, has anyone looked at using Q-cells (like glass microballoons but made of quartz, and apparently lighter) or phenolic microballoons (apparently easier to sand) for fairing compound? Any ideas on the viability of trading off using a harder resin like MGS against a easier to sand filler like phenolic?