Hello all,

I had asked some questions about West System 207 hardener, and so I thought I would post my findings. I live in a very warm, humid, tropical environment. I was worried about how fast this stuff cures. No need to worry about that. This stuff is amazing. The first thing I noticed is that it seems to me to be much thinner right out of the jug. So far I have only used it for the precoat and have not yet wet-out cloth with it, but it is immediately apparent that this stuff is going to be fun to work with when wetting cloth. My opinion is it's thinner than the slow-cure hardener, but that's not a side-by-side comparison- just based on my experience with the other.

The great thing about this stuff is that it dries like varnish. I am still going to coat it with a UV varnish (although 207 has its own UV) but this stuff looks amazing as-is. It levels itself very well, and dries to a high-gloss luster. I'm really impressed with the stuff. The hardener has a yellow tint, but I didn't notice much yellowing effect when applied over cedar and pine.

As for cure time, I put this on at 80 degrees F, and was able to slowly and methodically coat the entire kayak using a foam roller, and then go back and roll over high spots. It set up slowly and at a consistent rate. Some epoxies I have used seemed to cure exponentially- starting slow and then curing in increasing rapidity. 207 cures evenly and slowly, giving plenty of time to work. With just two fill coats the boat looks finished. In the future I'm going to use this stuff for brightwork before varnishing.

For wood kayaks and any situation where you need a clear finish I highly recommend this stuff. For future reference anyone wanting to use it in warm climates should have no need to worry.