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How do you manage the inevitable drips and runs that come with working with Epoxy. I have read some articles where people use masking tape. Drips require sanding and can be hard to remove. I have used a dremel to speed this process up, but occasional scar the epoxy with to agressive application.
Any suggestions???
3 replies:
RE: Epoxy Drip Management
Here is a couple of thoughts:
1) If you are laying fiberglass over your hull, leave a couple of inches or more overhang to catch those runs.
2) If you are doing a fill coat and have drips, I use a cabinet scraper to shave off the drip close to flush; then, I clean it up flush with a sander. I found one of the best tools in getting rid of drips in tight quarters is using a cheap Black & Decker mouse sander with its triangluar shape. You can also use the mouse sander trangluar tip to sand drips down directly with little effect of gouging the surrounding area.
3) I kinda apply the fill coat epoxy similar to the techniques in applying varnish. a) I use a chip brush to apply the epoxy to a 1-2 foot square area, pulling across the hull or beam to beam direction. Brushing on the horizontal surfaces and pulling the extra epoxy down the sides. I then use a 2 inch epoxy roller to go from bow to stern (end to end) and smooth out the area I just brushed on epoxy.... You will then probably seen some tiny bubbles. I eliminate most of them by using my chip brush, but this time tipping off the bubbles by smooth/light strokes from bow to stern (end to end). The epoxy roller will lay down a more even coat but more thinly. You may need to apply multiple coats. My finally step is to use a heat gun to gently release any other bubbles. Don't buy an expensive heat gun. Get a cheap one from Harbor freight or Northern Tool.
Note: Do not use a big box paint roller! Use a roller made for epoxy, like CLC sells.
RE: Epoxy Drip Management
Not exactly(but could be) a drip related solution, but I found that in cooler weather, foam rollers left a lumpy finish. So I went to the brush-on varnish technique. Foam brush using vertical strokes, followed by horizontal strokes a couple of feet at a time. This leaves a pretty decent finish without a lot of sanding required. Foam brushes aren't created equal. The ones I got at CLC held up much better that the ones I got from True Value, which, when saturated, were a little too flexible. YMMV. Dave
RE: Epoxy Drip Management
» Submitted by JPS - Fri, 3/1/13 » 6:50 AM
For those horizontal surfaces, I use the timer function on my watch and go back every 15-20 minutes to smooth out the drips with a foam brush.