Carey,

First (to make sure this never happens to you again), reading the CETOL literature it should have been totally compatible with the epoxy. So the problem is probably that the epoxy blushed. WEST tends to do that at the drop of a hat. If the blush doesn't get cleaned off, paints and varnishes stay tacky. Sounds exactly like your symptoms. So in the future, scrub the epoxy with water and a scotchbrite pad, maybe some dishwashing soap before putting on any paint, varnish, etc. You would have probably been OK with MAS, System 3 or one of the other non-blushing epoxies.

But that's for the future. For cleaning up this mess without chemicals a scraper would be best. Do not use a heat gun, it'll soften the epoxy.

Since the epoxy has been there close to 2 months, it should be fully cured. In that case it should be able to stand up to chemicals now. Orange Goop hand cleaner gets off gummy residues, is safe for skin and is non-toxic. I used it to get duct tape residue off my epoxy a few years ago. Goof-Off also gets rid of gummy residues, but it's petroleum-based, so it's toxic. I've also used that on fully cured epoxy.

I would recommend scraping and chemicals. Then when you're as clean as it gets, sanding. Finally wash it with water, then wipe it down with denatured alcohol. Apply a new coat of epoxy to reseal any cracks & scratches. When that cures, wash it as above to get rid of any blush. Give it a light sanding with #220, wipe it down with denatured alcohol, let it dry and you're ready for the CETOL, varnish, paint, etc.

Good luck,

Laszlo

Contact MAS Epoxy, they have a product called Bio-Solv which will work well. Give them a ring on the phone and talk about your problem, great company and you will really get to talk with a live person...

Bio-Solv is an environmentally friendly solvent that can be used in place of Acetone, Xylene, MEK, thinners and other petroleum-based solvents.

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Bio-Solv is ideally suited for a variety of marine, automotive and industrial cleaning and surface preparation applications including resin solving, paint and graffiti removal, vinyl graphic removal, adhesive clean-up, parts cleaning, and degreasing. Bio-Solv can be easily recycled though simple filtering or distillation for repeated reuse, and the low evaporation rate and high solvency formula can significantly reduce overall solvent usage. It contains no water and is completely reactive, unlike other green solvents which may contain up to 50% water.

Bio-Solv is a nonflammable, non toxic, high performance blend of green solvents designed as an alternative to hazardous and highly flammable petroleum based solvents.  It contains no Hazardous Air Pollutants and is not a HAZMAT.

Carey M. - Sorry you had the problem you did, but I have to correct your comment that "The Cetol and West manufacturers all claim there should be no incompatibility".

No one here on the tech staff answering phones and e-mails would ever say Cetol cures over epoxy. The issue is not blush - despite the  comments by Laslo. Cetol needs to be absorbed into the wood in order to cure properly - it is not a varnish. It is a polymer coating with a different chemistry. Since it's not fully cured it will probably come off with a solvent (acetone or lacquer thinner) or you can use the Bio-Solv or any other chemical stripper. To use a stripper just work in relatively small sections about 2 sq. ft. and neutralize with water before moving on to the next section.

FYI - Any epoxy hardener that uses amine chemistry in the hardener has the potential to blush - if you're told otherwise you're being sold a bill of goods. That said, some formulas blush more readily - others don't. All three companies, MAS, System 3, and West System, have systems that blush and systems that don't. I can tell you that for clear coating wood the West System 105/207 system is as blush free as ANY system being sold by any manufacturer, with the added benefit of being sandable and structurally strong after an overnight cure. Most "no blush" formulas are quite slow because the amines are large, hindered molecules and so don't easily react with the CO2 at the interface with the air but as a result react slowly with the resin as well. 

Laslo is right that blush is water soluble and comes of easily with water and can interfer with the cure of some coatings, particularly LPU's.