Interlux says 320 grit between coats, CLC says 400. Which one?

Interlux says 320 grit between coats, CLC says 400.  Which one?


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RE: Interlux says 320 grit between coats, CLC says 400. Which one?

I guess it depends upon what you are trying to accomplish. I have a friend who has built 2 CLC kayaks from plans. They are works of art that any cabinet maker would be proud of. I'm not sure that they've ever been in the water. Their purpose is to be perfect examples of my friend's talent, skill, and patience. For him, like an artist or sculptor, it's the joy of the creative process that matters,

I, on the other hand, am not an artist or even a craftsman. I'm an engineer by temperament. Though I do want my boats to be attractive and well-made, I'm looking for a utilitarian finish that is durable, presentable, and easy to clean and maintain --- a finish with the primary purpose of protecting the boat so I can use it.

I lightly sanded with 220 grit between coats of Brightside. I'm sure my friend would use 400. 320 grit is a practical compromise. There are few absolutes in boat building.

Cheers,

Dick

RE: Interlux says 320 grit between coats, CLC says 400. Which one?

   I'm but a perfectionist, sad to say.  I am an artist yet my job is technical and my hobbies of flying is too. That makes it very hard for me to side either to be utilitarian because my artist and perfectionistic values kick in and say that’s not good enough.  Visa versa.  I don't stop till it’s perfect but at the same time I’m calling myself stupid for wasting valuable time making it so perfect I would be spending more time on the water.  The compromise of 320 is a great idea.  Though the problem still isn't good enough for my perfectionist side.  LOL...  I guess I'll use 320 until the last coat, I'll use the 400.  Now how's that for a compromise. 

RE: Interlux says 320 grit between coats, CLC says 400. Which one?

Sounds reasonable. You also have a choice to wet or dry sand the intermediate coats. The final coat should always be wet sanded, but I dry sand the intermediate coats.

Have fun,

Dick

RE: Interlux says 320 grit between coats, CLC says 400. Which one?

Dick, 

Thanks for that tidbit.  It was my last question I was going to ask.  By the way,  I dropped the enthusiasm of creating a surgey/sterile room for the painting of my hull like I did for the varnishing on my first paint coat.  I learned my lesson.  Being now that I have a good amount of fuz particles and even a couple hair in my first thin layer of paint.  If I go back to the sterile ways for the rest of the coats of paint, will I be in the clear?  Meaning the other coats will fix my mistake if I just don't do it again?  Or do I need to sand the entire paint layer off and start over or will the next sanding and painting cover the dust that I see now?  I hope that makes sense.   

RE: Interlux says 320 grit between coats, CLC says 400. Which one?

A clean, dust and insect free, environment is very important for producing a perfect finish. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to achieve unless you have a friend with auto painting shop. That being said, the closer you can get to a clean-room environment the better.

As to your primary question, their are limits to what subsequent paint coats can cover up. I believe that the guiding principle is "surface preparation". You need to make the existing coat as smooth as possible before adding the next. That usually does not mean removing the existing coat, but rather touching up and sanding the existing blemishes until you can no longer feel them with your bare hand. Be careful not to oversand and create flat or low spots---and never sand through the epoxy coat without replacing it.

Ultimately, it gets down to trial-and-error, patience, and practice.

Cheers,

Dick

 

RE: Interlux says 320 grit between coats, CLC says 400. Which one?

Well explained.  Thanks   

RE: Interlux says 320 grit between coats, CLC says 400. Which one?

   A related question about surface prep  and Brightside.  Can Brightsides be sprayed, and if so has anyone attempted it?  How were the results?

RE: Interlux says 320 grit between coats, CLC says 400. Which one?

Oceanluvr,

Though I have not sprayed Brightsides myself, the Interlux Product Page for Brightsides says you can. I do know that Interlux Perfection 2-part polyurethane is highly toxic when sprayed and requires more elaborate breathing equipment than Brightsides.. I also know that Brightsides produces a very shiny finish when applied with a foam roller and tipped with a foam brush.

Cheers,

Dick

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