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. Join me on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/nomadboatbuilding 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