Generic powders and fillers with West System

[slawosz]

Hi,
I am ordering stuff from EC Fiberglass, and have question regarding this category:
Buy Powders and Fibres - East Coast Fibreglass Supplies

Can I use this generic products, especially glass bubles with west system epoxy?

 

[thinwater]

I've always used generic fillers. Cab-o-sil, fibers, or balloons.

 

[lw395]

I'd regard anything from EC Fibreglass as reputable.
The glass bubbles are 3M. Can't argue with that.
All these fillers are supposed to be inert, so should be OK with any resin.
I might think twice about anything reactive like perhaps metal powders?

 

[RJJ]

The only thing I wouldn't use is one brand's resin with another brand's hardener. You can't mess around with the ratios. As far as balloons, fillers, silica go I have mixed and matched a few times with no issues.

 

[slawosz]

Thanks. So instead of 406 I could use Cab-O-Sil (fumed silica), right?
What could give me replacement of 410, very easy to sand filler (only for cosmetic applications). Would it be Q Cell Filler powder, very lightweight

 

[lw395]

Thanks. So instead of 406 I could use Cab-O-Sil (fumed silica), right?
What could give me replacement of 410, very easy to sand filler (only for cosmetic applications). Would it be Q Cell Filler powder, very lightweight

If you read the safety data sheet for QCell, it's basically glass bubbles. But maybe a different particle size?
The question is, does it give a different resin/filler ratio, i.e. a lighter or heavier filler when mixed with resin?
'Microballoons' was the alternative to glass bubbles way back, ISTR they gave a mix with similar density but a little more resilience to being crushed?

 

[Laminar Flow]

If you read the safety data sheet for QCell, it's basically glass bubbles. But maybe a different particle size?
The question is, does it give a different resin/filler ratio, i.e. a lighter or heavier filler when mixed with resin?
'Microballoons' was the alternative to glass bubbles way back, ISTR they gave a mix with similar density but a little more resilience to being crushed?

It really depends what you are using it for, fairing, filling, structural.
For fairing you want something that sands easily, like micro balloons. For filling and semi-structural something with some fibre content, but that is tougher to sand.

Generally speaking, West Sys. doesn't make their own fillers. They package them and add a nice big price sticker.

For a hard filler you can use industrial talcum powder; the stuff you sprinkle on babies, without the scent.
Even wood flower, which WS also sells and is used in commercial bread making as a fibre content (you really have to wonder at times). Both of those additives are tougher to sand than miro balloons, but the talc makes for a very fine, hard finish.

 

[johnmcc]

A bit off-topic, but I've successfully used hardwood sawdust as a filler with West epoxy on an old wooden boat.