WEST SYSTEM EPOXY 306 Pump Setup, Calibration & Real Shop Testing

Howdy folks. Welcome back to Nomad Boat Building. My name is Mark Reuten, and today I'm taking a close look at West System's 306 Metering Pump and putting it through its paces in a real boat shop environment.

Accurately measuring epoxy is one of the most important parts of achieving reliable results, but it's also one of the easiest places to make mistakes. In this video I'll show you how the 306 Metering Pump works, how to switch it between hardener ratios, how to prime and verify the system, and why it has become one of my favourite shop tools for larger epoxy jobs.

This video is part of my West System Epoxy series.

Sponsored by West System Epoxy
https://www.westsystem.com/

West System Epoxy Playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnOoJJKdbR4Lk9QaAMWkjBHCzF1Nto2Um&si=K0RhBAGEF4CW7TuT

If you're interested in wooden boat building, epoxy techniques, woodworking, and practical shop tips, you'll find plenty more here on the channel.

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Website
https://nomadboatbuilding.com/

Chapters

00:00 Introduction — Why measuring epoxy accurately matters
00:43 Why West System pumps changed boatbuilding
01:41 Introducing the 306 Metering Pump
02:20 Switching between 5:1 and 3:1 systems
02:53 Understanding the linkage mechanism
03:40 Reconfiguring the pump step-by-step
05:20 Filling reservoirs and priming the system
07:39 Filling the resin reservoir
09:13 Verifying pump ratios by weight
10:42 Returning resin and hardener to the reservoirs
10:59 Troubleshooting check valves
11:52 First real-world test on the boat hull
13:04 Mixing epoxy with a drill-powered mixer
14:37 Real-world impressions after using the pump
15:40 Why West System changed wooden boat building
16:04 Final thoughts and sponsor thanks