Where's a good space to mix epoxy?

I’m planning on laser cutting/etching a piece of wood and filling in the etched areas with a colored epoxy. Is there anywhere in the building that designated/particularly suited towards mixing epoxy? Or should I just try to find an open area to do it?

I think I’ve mostly seen people working with epoxy on the regular work tables.

If you are planning to mix and pour and let set I’d do it at home. Too many chances of it being disturbed or covered in dust at the space.

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Epoxy doesn’t have the strong smell that Fiberglass (polyester resin) has, so as long as you put down a couple of pieces of cardboard, I would think it would be out of place in the workshop. The more epoxy smells, the more thinners they have used. Typically the real good epoxies barely have a smell and the cheapest ones burn your nose.

You can place ‘good’ epoxy in a Styrofoam cup and it will be fine; however, cheap epoxies will eat through the cup in a couple of minutes because of the thinners and fillers. I’m sure we have ‘smart’ people at Makerspace that can do more scientific methods to test epoxies, but I’m not that smart.

If you have the option, I would go for the ‘fast catalyst’ as opposed to the slower ones. Epoxies like West System give you the option of several different hardening agents.

If you are doing more than a ‘small’ projects, the pump kits are awesome and total worth the extra money.

Last thought… Makerspace has rules about paints and epoxies in Project storage, so you should either take the material home or put it in the paint cabinet with your name on it. Alternatively, you can donate it to ‘Joe Boat Restoration Project’ (kidding…)

I recently did a test with West Epoxy and their fast vs. slow catalysts. The fast catalyst hardens with a considerably darker amber color than the slow catalyst - just in case color matters to you. If it’s a shallow fill, you probably won’t see the difference.

Also, if you plan to sand it after filling, be advised that sanding uncured epoxy is hazardous to you and everyone else who breathes it. Source: West Epoxy safety information.

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One more precaution about epoxy - some people can develop a serious allergy after repeated exposure. Always wear nitrile gloves when working with the resin.

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There is a third option: West System’s 207 catalyst is especially formulated to cure with a clearer finish, if that’s important to you. It is also “slow.”

It’s about 50% more expensive ounce per ounce than the 205 (fast) or 206 (slow) catalysts. It also uses a 3:1 mix ratio rather than 5:1 which makes the per-use higher yet.

Good thing is that they all work with the 105 resin, so you can buy a small A can of the 207 if needed for a special project and use it with a larger B/C can of the 105 and get some economies of scale. If kept out of extreme heat/cold, the resin should last at least a few years w/out spoiling.

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I can help members get west system at dealer cost. There are also a couple of less expensive brands as well…

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