Re: Panels fiberglass rea

Posted by Laszlo on Sep 19, 2004

Hi Michelle,

1. Try a palm sander, they're smaller than ROSs.

2. Heat softens epoxy, but once it cools off it hardens up again. Softening doesn't start until you get over 120 or so degrees fahrenheit. (Now you know why you should not leave your black boat in the car with the windows up while you duck inside the store for some more sandpaper on a summer afternoon in Florida.) Seriously, though, this is the reason why so many boats are painted a light color. Dark paint deepens the heating and cooling cycles and may allow the epoxy to soften enough for fabric weave, plugs, etc. to show through the finish. The problem is worst in Florida and probably non-existent in Fungus Corner (Pacific Northwest) and NE Ohio.

3. Don't know, am not now, never have built a Sassafras.

4. You should always clean up anything that will be more difficult to get to or would interfere with a subsequent stage. Other than that, it's personal preference. I'd clean it up just to get it over with, but if you need to get away from sanding and/or want to overlap the curing of the glass with the sanding, that should work fine as long as the drips don't get in the way.

Good luck,

Laszlo

In Response to: Panels fiberglass ready? by Michelle Moran on Sep 19, 2004

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