Re: Passage maker ...new

Posted by Laszlo on Jul 24, 2007

Hey Paul,

Glad you were able to get the coat thickness under control. It really makes a big difference, however you manage it, in the amount of work and the final appearance (less work, looks nicer). And, you also end up saving money since you're not turning all that expensive epoxy into sanding dust.

Speaking of sanding, you don't need to sand off your first coat at this point, unless you'll be putting glass over the bumpy area. Keep the next coat thin and it'll tend to fill in the low areas. You can give it a light sanding after the second or 3rd coat. The really big bumps you can take out when you're doing the prep for varnish or paint.

As for that sticky feeling stuff, it can be one of 2 things. First, you didn't let the epoxy cure long enough. Second, the epoxy blushed. If it's the first, letting it sit for a couple of more days will make it go away. If it's blush, you can use plain water and a plastic scrubbing pad (a clean one, don't swipe your mom's dishwashing scrubber because it has too much grease & stuff in it - and she'll kill you :-) You don't need denatured alcohol for cleaning off blush. BTW, be careful with that stuff. It's flammable and the fumes can make you dizzy and stupid. Same thing if you absorb it through your skin. Wear gloves, have plenty of ventilation and keep it away from open flame.

One thing concerns me. You're talking about coating and sanding before you finished stitching. Coating usually works better if you do it after stitching, filleting & glassing is done. Make sure you follow the sequence in the instructions.

Finally, see if you you can lose that deadline. Make whatever deal you can with your mom, but epoxy comes ready on its own schedule. Depending on the temperature and hardener speed, it can be ready for sanding in as few as 10 hours or as long as a couple of weeks. You can't hurry it other than by warming it up. If you don't respect the time it needs, you stand to lose your entire investment.

Good luck,

Laszlo

In Response to: Passage maker ...new prob by Paul on Jul 23, 2007

Replies:

• Re: Passage maker ...new by John Pollard on Jul 24, 2007
  • Re: Passage maker ...new by Laszlo on Jul 25, 2007