SECTION I – INTRODUCTION

A lot has happened since the last major revision of The Epoxy Book. While we started with marine epoxies - today woodworkers, home repairers, industrial manufacturers, hobbyists and many others who have little interest in boats use System Three Resins' products. Boat building itself has changed: The majority of wooden boats built today are constructed from kits consisting of pre-cut panels. The men and women building these kits want the finished product. They are not pursuing a passion to build boats. Everyone wants the easier-to-use epoxy systems that we now market.

The Internet has come of age and is by far and away the best vehicle for supplying new information to the users of our products. Many of the techniques of epoxy use are timeless or change slowly. Furthermore, the techniques are the same whether one is building a boat, a wooden dashboard for an old sports car, bonding two pieces of metal, or pouring a bar top. This is the information you'll now find in The Epoxy Book. Seek the variable information from our website ( www.systemthree.com) or call us if you're not a computer user.

The best way to learn about epoxy resin products is to use them. You have to practice, just as you would if you were learning to snowboard, sail or play the guitar. The best and least expensive way to practice is to get The SilverTip Epoxy Trial Kit, some cheap lumber and try some of the techniques outlined in this book. Nothing beats hands-on learning. Even experienced epoxy users benefit from practice when trying something new. If you get stuck on something, go to our website and look in the FAQ's, glossary, literature, product data sheets, or MSDS and see if you can find the answer to your question. If you contact us with a question we've already answered we will point you to the information rather than answer your question directly- you'll learn more that way.

We think that part of our responsibility as a manufacturer is to provide quality products to our customers and the information necessary to use them correctly. The Epoxy Book and our published and electronic information have accomplished this. Beyond that, we think it is the customer's responsibility to read the directions and use the products in accordance with the information we provide.

Although we have formed a partnership in this fashion, the customer is the one ultimately responsible for the success of the project. So, while you don't need our permission to try something new, we suggest that you first try your idea on some scrap and satisfy yourself that you can accomplish what you desire. If you neglect this important step you will have committed your entire project to the test.

You'll find that The Epoxy Book is organized in sections starting with Safety and transitioning into Epoxy Chemistry. Then we get into Areas of Use, Measuring and Mixing, Techniques of Epoxy Use and finally, Painting and Finishing. 2018 Product Usage Estimations chart contains some useful information while the Search Tool in our blog can help in quick lookups.

One point though: This is a book about epoxy resin products and their use. It is not about construction. There are many great books about boat construction, furniture making, model construction, home repair and the like and we do not intend to duplicate or summarize them here. If you are looking for this information go to the links section of our website or use one of the Internet search facilities to find what you seek. We do however, offer detailed information on various projects including, Clear Finishing of Outdoor Wood, Table Top Coating with MirrorCoat and Rot Repair. Go to the Projects tab on our website for more information.