Wetting out

[tartan30cirrus]

I have got this horrible habit of forgetting to wet out an area before i apply thickened epoxy. I only seem to forget when i do small areas like filling holes. Is it true that wetting out is only necessary for porous surfaces. like wood, so that it doesn't suck the filler dry of epoxy before it cures. I filled a damaged area (hinge mounts for fwd hatch) and forgot to wet out on one side...mostly old epoxy, gelcoat, and the bottom which is stainless steel. It made me wonder what the consequences are of NOT wetting out and if there are times when it is NOT necessary. TX!

[Tim]

I don't feel it's necessary in many cases, but when you're bonding porous materials, wetting out does help ensure the best bonding. In instances like this, failure to do so may result in a weaker bond. How much weaker is up to interpretation depending on the application involved.

For filling small areas like you describe, it's probably not too significant, so don't lose any sleep over it.