Did I destroy my panels?

Hi again, I've written two posts about my problems with my first experience with epoxy. Following the advice in the responses, I tried correcting my mistakes, and it is not going well.

First, there is a lot of epoxy that squished out when I put the panels together. It's maybe 1 mm thick (see first photo in link below). Is that extra epoxy going to be a problem? I tried removing it using a heat gun and paint scraper, and while I was able to remove some, I gouged out some wood too (see second photo).

Second, this is very slow going, and I have no idea how I'm going to actually unstick the misaligned panels (third photo) since, obviously, I can't scrape the inside of the finger joints that are glued together.

At this point, I'm wondering if I have to replace the misaligned panel, and possibly the other panels with all the epoxy on the surfaces.

https://imgur.com/gallery/DugYDBR


9 replies:

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RE: Did I destroy my panels?

   Does not seem to be the end. Just sand the joint down fairly smooth,epoxy and tape the joint and fair it all in. Just expect to prime and paint over it, and Move on. It's your boat right? Just do it.

RE: Did I destroy my panels?

I’ve seen worse. As has been said before, sand the joint as smooth as possible and use thickened epoxy to smooth out the rest. A wood flour mix is realitively hard to sand so if you use that apply it as smooth as possible. Cel-o-fil is a bit easier to sand. You can also find some microballoons to fair it with as they’re the easiest to sand. Whatever route you decide to take it’ll probably preclude a painted finish. Structurally it’s not going to be a problem. You won’t even think about it when you’re out in the boat. Just enjoy the build!

George K

RE: Did I destroy my panels?

   I agree with George and Gerald. Literally, there is nothing you can't fix with epoxy, fiberglass cloth, "wood" putty, and elbow grease. Keep your eye on the prize. If you build a strong boat (and you will by following the manual), you will also end up with a satisfying, lovely boat.

 It's just putting one foot in front of the other.

RE: Did I destroy my panels?

When you get to the topcoat part use a Satin finish that stuff really softens Boo Boo's   

RE: Did I destroy my panels?

Thank you. Some follow-up questions:

1. I understand that I can sand down the excess epoxy. What is the purpose of additional epoxy, given that sanding will leave things pretty smooth?

2. What is the purpose of the tape (mentioned by Gerald Harding)?

3. George K says that the repair will preclude painting. My understanding is that painting is the recommended course if a bright finish isn't possible, due to the sort of mistakes I've been making. Why is painting out of the question, and what should I do instead?

4. What do I do about the misaligned panel? It looks to me like the misalignment will be a problem for later steps.

RE: Did I destroy my panels?

1. To fill in the low side of the misaligned joint. If it's already filled by the excess, you won't need to add any, just sand smooth.

2. Some of the boat designs specify a piece of fiberglass tape over the joints to strengthen them for the expected stresses. If your instructions don't specify taping the joints, you can ignore the taping comment.

3. George was recovering from a wild party with eye-burning visuals and meant to say "include", rather than "preclude"

4. It is misaligned left/right or up/down?

Laszlo

 

RE: Did I destroy my panels?

The misalignment is up/down, like so:

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RE: Did I destroy my panels?

Do you have a heat gun, or access to one you can borrow?

Epoxy is conveniently somewhat forgiving of these kinds of errors in that once cured, if sufficient heat is applied it softens to the point you can usually disassemble the joint.

After a bit of clean-up (scrape, sand) you can try again with a fresh mix of resin & hardener to make the joint happen to a more shipshape conclusion.

Don’t be afraid to use smooth boards on top of and underneath that joint when reassembling. With wax paper or polyethylene plastic sheet between the glued-up joint and the boards on both sides, weights or clamps can be of immense value in bringing those plank faces into proper alignment.

RE: Did I destroy my panels?

Yep, I meant to say it would preclude (prevent, make it impossible for, make it impracticable for, rule out, put a stop to, stop, prohibit, debar, interdict, block, bar, hinder, impede, inhibit, exclude, disqualify, forbid; estop) a bright finish.

Party on!

George K.

(My retinas are scarred for life)

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