We have found that most two-part water based paints and primers will work well over System Three epoxies. This includes acrylic and latex paints. We usually caution oil based or alkyd enamels and primers because they can contain driers that would react with the amines in our epoxies and can cause overall drying issues. Nonetheless, ALL paints should be tested by the user in a small area to ensure the results meets their expectations.

Surface Preparation: Allow the epoxy to reach full cure before applying paint. Sand the surface of the epoxy with 150-220 grit and then wipe clean with denatured alcohol. 

The batch number is a 6-digit code that is associated with the product's manufacture date and is typically located on the bottom of the container. 

Batch code: X(YEAR) XX(MONTH) XX(DAY) X (INTERNAL CODE)

Example: A product with the batch code #806141 was manufactured on June 14th, 2018.

To help fix the appearance of orange peeling, please allow the existing epoxy to cure for about 48 hours or until hard enough for sanding. Block sand flat using 120-150 grit, vacuum sanding dust and wipe clean with denatured alcohol. You may then re-coat.

Our coating resins and adhesives are resistant to diesel and aircraft fuel, but have limited resistance to gasoline. 

Two methods can be used to rid of bubbles in an epoxy coating:

1. Roll and Tip Method: Bubbles that persist in the coating can be broken with a disposable bristle brush by lightly dragging it across the surface after rolling the product out. 

2. Propane Torch: Quickly and lightly fan 6-8 inches above the uncured surface with a propane torch to accomplish bubble popping with greater speed. Avoid overheating an area as this could cause the epoxy film to pull away from the surface creating craters.

NOTE: When coating a porous surface like concrete or wood, overheating to pop bubbles with a torch can cause the expansion of any air in the pores of the substrate and can make the bubble situation worse.

WR-LPU offers better UV protection for epoxy resins and the surface underneath better than Marine Spar Varnish.  How much better depends on the length and severity of the exposure.  WR-LPU is a little more expensive, but being waterborne, is available anywhere in North America.  Spar Varnish contains VOC content, and its use is restricted in some areas, but if available, offers more ease-of-application and a cost savings over WR-LPU.

System Three's wax-lined paper cups are designed for measuring and mixing and not for storage. Most people will mix a volume as needed and apply it to the substrate well before it gets hot. Therefore, the wax coating is negligible. If a longer working time is needed, the contents should be poured into a wide containment such as a plastic paint tray. This will lengthen the pot life of the mixed epoxy and prevent it from getting too hot.  

Liquid products can easily be measured by volume; paste and solid products must be measured by weight. To measure by volume, the use of disposable cups with graduation marks on the side is adequate. Pour the Part A resin and the Part B hardener on top of each other, in the same container. For measurement by weight, a gram scale (for small batches), or a postal scale(for larger batches) is necessary.

Many of our clear epoxy adhesives, coatings, and laminating resins will heat up, or exotherm, if left in the mixing container too long because of the chemical reaction.

Most of our liquid epoxy products need to be poured out soon after the two parts are mixed together to prevent premature curing, called "exotherm."

Gel Magic, T-88, and the G-2 Adhesives are all good options for bonding rubber. 

System Three® epoxy resin adhesives will bond (glue) all woods, most metals, concrete, masonry, glass.  They will also bond some plastics like nylon and Mylar. Following a flame-treatment surface preparation, they will bond to many other plastics including polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, acrylic and polycarbonate plastics. In addition, epoxy adhesives are the best choice for bonding dissimilar materials together. If epoxy bonds to Material A and to Material B it will bond the two materials to each other. The best thing to do is to try it and see for yourself.

System Three® coating/laminating resins present easy-to-bond to surfaces.  When these surfaces are cured and prepared properly, nearly any film-forming coating or adhesive will bond well to them.  Follow the surface preparation directions on the product you intend to use over the top of the System Three epoxy product.

Solvents such as lacquer thinner, denatured alcohol, and acetone may used for cleaning spilled resin and hardener. Lacquer thinner is the best choice for cleaning any mixed uncured epoxy. 

Wearing an organic vapor respirator is necessary in the following situations:

Spraying Silvertip Yacht Primer,

Spraying WR-LPU

Spraying, brushing, or rolling S-1 Penetrating Sealer

Most of our products do not contain hazardous volatile materials, so wearing a vapor respirator is not necessary.  However, when sanding any of our products when cured, it is highly recommended you wear a dust mask or respirator, as any airborne dust particles can be irritating.

Yes.  If you need documentation, please contact Technical Support, [email protected], and reference the specific product.

Yes.  If you require documentation, please contact Technical Support, [email protected], and reference the specific product.

Q:  Can you build an aquarium out of System Three products?

A:  Yes.  You can build it out of wood and fiberglass using Silvertip™ or General Purpose™ Resin systems.  And then you can bond the parts together with one of our adhesives like Gel Magic or T-88.  But because our products have not been tested for aquatic leaching potential, you must then apply a finish to the completed unit that has been tested for its safety to fish.

Usually wiping liberally with denatured or rubbing alcohol will remove most of it.  Then laundering the item(s) in the washer will remove the rest. 

Up-to-date SDS (Safety Data Sheet) documents are available on the individual product pages or by clicking here.

Remember, most products have two components, so will have two SDS.

See Technical Data Sheet or container for surface prep information.

See Technical Data Sheet or container for coverage areas.

Different products have different minimum tolerable application temperatures. Please see the individual product pages on the website or the Technical Data Sheets for the product.

No. Epoxy resin systems are two-part products where each part is designed to go with the other in the specified proportions.

Epoxy adhesives, being gap-filling glues, need only enough clamping to close the joint. Unlike other glues, epoxy requires low pressure and a proper film thickness of resin to make a proper glue joint. 

• Recoating or applying multiple coats of one of our 2:1 epoxy products (General Purpose, SilverTip, Clear Coat, MirrorCoat, etc.) can be done without sanding if done within 72 hours of the previous coat. Beyond 72 hours, sand the previous coat with no higher than 120 grit sand paper to ensure the next coat adheres or properly levels out. 

• For S-1 Sealer and Cold Cure products, the recoat window is 24 hours. 

• For all System Three adhesives (Quick Cure, T-88, Gel Magic, MetlWeld, etc.) sand in between coats for best adhesion if a second application is desired. Please follow all instructions on substrate surface preparation prior to applying System Three adhesives.

• For fairing compounds, putty, and pastes, please allow to fully cure then abrade or sand if additional product is to be applied.

No. The EndRot Kit and components alike are for cosmetic repairs only. 

Yes.  Our EndRot Kit and the component products in it were developed initially for use on wooden or wood frame boats, but adapt perfectly for architectural use.  For complete information and application instructions, click here.

The Board Defense powder is really designed to be used as a first step to our System Three End Rot System to make sure that wood destroying organisms are killed before it is repaired and patched. It is effective in destroying any decay, insect, or fungi in the instant it is applied and can last for a few months without any other protection. For long lasting repair and protection, please check our End Rot system here: https://www.systemthree.com/pages/rot-repair

For an epoxy adhesive or solvent-free coating to bond well to a wood surface, the moisture content of the wood should be 12% or below.  To give you some choices, here's a link to the adhesives page on our website.

For an epoxy adhesive or solvent-free coating to bond well to a wood surface, the moisture content of the wood should be 12% or below.  To give you some choices, here's a link to the adhesives page on our website.

We recommend the G-2 Adhesive for oily woods. Surfaces to be bonded should be free of oils for optimal adhesion. With a clean cotton rag liberally moistened with lacquer thinner, vigorously wipe area to be bonded. While surface is still moist with solvent, wipe with a dry rag and allow to dry completely. If necessary, repeat wiping until surface dries to a whitish color indicating extraction of surface oil. Once dry, sand using 120 grit to open up the grain. Bond within eight hours of cleaning.

Gel Magic is the best recommended product for ABS plastics. Please keep in mind that epoxies in general have weak bond strength to thermoplastic materials such as ABS. Flame-treating will help promote a stronger adhesion. 

The Marine Spar Varnish can be thinned with mineral spirits at up to 10-15% by weight.

System Three® Marine Spar Varnish can be used over some sanding sealers but it will depend on the formulation of the sealer. Most lacquer-based sanding sealers are not recommended because the sanding aids are wax-related. We recommend testing the varnish over any other sealers in a small section to ensure you get good adhesion between the two coatings.  Also, for future reference, the Spar Varnish does not require sanding in between coats if applied within 12-24 hours of the initial coat. 

RotFix has an estimate coverage of 300-350 square feet per gallon. 

While we haven't done extensive testing with wood preservatives besides System Three EndRot™ Borate Powder(sodium borate), we know that copper and zinc naphthenate are compatible with RotFix, when the preservatives are given at least 7 days to penetrate and dry.

We know that System Three® finishes, WR-LPU and Marine Spar Varnish 
are compatible with RotFix™.  Nitrocellulose lacquer, waterborne finishes, and 2-part polyurethanes will work as well.  As far as oil and 1-part polyurethanes, you will need to test for compatibility.

RotFix Sealer is a great product for consolidating or hardening soft or rotted wood.  It's also useful as a general purpose wood sealer.  If you have wood to paint, and it's a little soft, but not rotted away to require a full repair,  Rot Fix epoxy sealer will act as a primer for paint.

Once the Sculpwood putty/paste is hard enough to sand, both are capable of accepting any latex or water-based primers and paints. Oil based primers and paints can sometimes have drying issues so spot testing is recommended. Check for adhesion and overall drying. 

Yes.  There are a few options:

1)  Dry pigments can be added into the mixed products in any proportion. 

 2)  Liquid dyes or paint colorants can be added into the mixed at up to 2% by weight.

 3)  System Three® Epoxy Paste Pigments can mixed into the Part A at up to 10% by weight and then mixed 1:1 with the Part B.

Unfortunately, no.  The resin content of the products is high enough to effectively have them function somewhat as sealers, and the stain will not penetrate like it will into the bare wood.

The suggested workaround is to mix dry pigments or house paint colorants into the paste or putty as you combine the Part A and B.  This can approximate the color of the stained wood around it.

SculpWood Putty can be applied over the RotFix immediately after application.

Mirror Coat requires a total of 4.5 ounces per square foot (1/2 ounce for the seal coat and 4 ounce for the flood coat) of mixed resin and hardener. Therefore, you can multiply the square foot area of your project by 4.5 to calculate an estimate coverage. 

Yes, Mirror Coat can be applied over previously varnished wood provided the varnish is sufficiently cured, clean, and sanded. 

Yes.  System Three® offers a sanding and buffing kit for sale on the website.  Contents are shown below.  The video shows its use with Mirrorcoat®, but it also works well on WR-LPU and coating epoxies like Silvertip™.  Click on the image for detailed information and to purchase.

A white paper literature piece can also be downloaded from the website here:

Guide to Buffing and Polishing

From our experience, cratering or fish eyeing almost certainly indicate that one of three things occurred during your application:

1. Insufficient drying and/or incompatibility with a stain or oil: Pre-testing is always recommended when using products from another manufacturer.

2. Sanding too smooth can cause the epoxy to draw away from the surface. For example, sanding higher than 220 grit will make it difficult for the Mirror Coat to overcome the surface tension of the substrate. 

3. Lack of coverage: We specify pouring the MirrorCoat at 4 oz/sq ft to allow enough coverage on the substrate. Any less will result in a lack of adequate coverage.

Yes.  System Three offers a sanding and buffing kit for sale on the website.  Contents are shown below.  The video shows its use.

A white paper literature piece can also be downloaded from the website here:

Guide to Buffing and Polishing

The rule of thumb with cured Mirrorcoat® and how much heat it will tolerate is this:  If an object is not too hot to hold in your hand, you can set it directly on a Mirrorcoat surface which is completely (more than a week) cured.  If it is hotter, you must place a coaster or hot pad underneath the object.

If you happen to put an object that is too hot on a Mirrorcoat surface, and it leaves a ring, the ring can many times be removed by passing a hairdryer back and forth over the affected area.

Allow epoxy to cure at least 7 days at 70F or above before applying WR-LPU. Please see the Technical Data Sheet and the Paint Literature for more information on application. 

System Three Silvertip Yacht Primer and WR-LPU Topcoat paints are guaranteed for 3 years from the date of manufacture. However, the shelf-life can be extended if stored well sealed above 50F. After 3 years, we recommend pre-testing a small sample prior to use. 

Batch code: X(YEAR) XX(MONTH) XX(DAY) X (INTERNAL CODE).

The WR-LPU Topcoat may be thinned with clean deionized or distilled water at up to 25%. 

WR-LPU waterborne polyurethane topcoat comes in 12 standard colors.  We will match any color sample you send us for an upcharge with a minimum order of 1 gallon.  Small 4 oz. samples of all 12 colors are available for a nominal charge from the website.  These can be intermixed in any proportions to obtain the color you want in order to have it matched.

You can paint your design under or over the epoxy coating.  If it's underneath, ordinary house paint will do.  If it's on top of the resin, we would recommend our WR-LPU.

ESTIMATING USAGE

The tables below are a guide for estimating the amount of material recommended, depending on the end use.

Adhesive Glue Lines

Fillets

Fairing

U-TAH Cartridge*

*The units reflected are linear feet per cartridge.

System Three® Resins, Inc.  P.O. Box 399, Auburn, WA 98071

The information contained herein is based on the data available to us and is believed to be correct. However, System Three Resins, Inc. makes no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding the accuracy of these data or the results to be obtained from the use thereof. System Three assumes no responsibility for injury from the use of the product described herein.

• Recoating or applying one product on top of another for most of our 2:1 epoxies (General Purpose, SilverTip, Clear Coat, MirrorCoat, RotFix, etc.) can be done without sanding if done within 72 hours of the previous coat or product. Beyond that, sand the previous coat or product with 80-120 grit sand paper to ensure the next layer adheres to the previous one. 

• For S-1 Sealer and Cold Cure products, sanding must be done after 24 hours. 

• For all System Three adhesives (Quick Cure, T-88, Gel Magic, MetlWeld, etc.) putties or fairing compounds like QuikFair, please allow to fully cure then abrade or sand if additional product is to be applied.

If your Mirrorcoat® project is going outside, and will be exposed to a significant amount of sun, it needs to have UV protection.  We manufacture two products compatible with Mirrorcoat and are easily applied after simple surface preparation:

Marine Spar Varnish

WR-LPU

If your Mirrorcoat®, or any epoxy project is going outside, and will be exposed to a significant amount of sun, it needs to have UV protection.  The epoxy coating cannot be modified to provide this protection for itself.  So, for exterior applications, to keep your project looking its best for the long term, apply one of our UV-resistant coatings over the epoxy.  We manufacture two:

Marine Spar Varnish

WR-LPU

Although epoxy adhesives have never been expressly approved by the FAA for general use in certified aircraft repair, T-88 has been used for years on these repairs.  Please review the attached document(s) for guidance.

Here are two excellent options(please follow the links for detailed information and pricing):

1)  Use System Three® T-88, our original structural epoxy adhesive.  The viscosity is high enough so you don't need to be concerned about starving the joints.

2)  Use Silvertip Gel Magic™, our non-sagging, gelled epoxy adhesive, with toughening technology to withstand increased vibration and impact resistance.

Both will form permanent structural bonds when the parts are laminated in a jig.  The cured bows will still flex without cracking.