Disposable Foam Rollers

Several recent threads have mentioned disposable foam rollers for applying epoxy or varnish to one's craft. I use these too.

How the <bleep> do y'all get the rollers off the frames after use, before the epoxy hardens, without making a tremendous mess? It takes a fair amount of force with the rollers & frames that CLC sells. Said force squeezes epoxy out of the roller which then wants to get on everything...


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RE: Disposable Foam Rollers

   I keep all my old rags and use them for this and also since all the stores went to paper bags I use those too.  Just wrap rage, paper over and pull ( while still keep your gloves on).

RE: Disposable Foam Rollers

If you have a plastic bag you're ready to use for the last time (like a grocery bag, produce bag etc), I find it helpful to put the entire roller inside the bag before gripping it from outside and sliding it off.  All the mess is contained within.

RE: Disposable Foam Rollers

When I'm using rollers I try to use my mixing stick to 'push' as much of the pox left in the roller cover - the disposable part - out of the foam & into a cup if there's something I can then use it on applied with a brush.

Then either I'll just grab it in my gloved hand, or wrap it in a rag or paper towel sheet or a plastic bag piece, then pull the handle out with the other hand.

Scraping any hardened epoxy off the handle shaft helps keep the force needed to mount a new roller, or get an expired one off.

RE: Disposable Foam Rollers

 I was having the same issue! The first batch of foam rollers I ordered from Lowe's came off just OK with my gloved hand, bu it was very messy. The second order of rollers, from Amazon, have a thicker cardboard tube and, man, I really had to work to get those things off and made an even bigger mess. I finally solved it just this morning:
Use a pair of channel locks and gently squeeze the wires of the metal frame that holds the foam roller, then rotate it and squeeze the other side of the frame. Not too much, just enough to make it slightly smaller, then test your roller. Does it slide on and off nice and easy, then you're good to go. 

Just make sure you don't squeze too hard or you will have the opposite problem.

Good luck!

RE: Disposable Foam Rollers

I find these small foam trim rollers to be best for epoxy.  I tip off with a foam brush after rolling.  They easily come off the handle after use and are relatively cheap.  

RE: Disposable Foam Rollers

   Yep, messy.  Same for paint, which I did a lot of to get my last house sold.  Old rags, bags, etc. and do it over a trash can so it all drops in.

On brushes, I ran across a tip on another boat site that I hadn't thought of.  When using chip brushes on resin, take your scissors and cut the bristles short by about half.  Stiffer bristles move the viscous resin better, and you get more of the loose ones out of it before they go into your epoxy.  Works for me.  Courtesy of OffCenterHarbor.

RE: Disposable Foam Rollers

Mark_N opined:

"I find these small foam trim rollers to be best for epoxy.  I tip off with a foam brush after rolling.  They easily come off the handle after use and are relatively cheap."

Agreed!

I use 'em too, sourced from the TrueValue hardware store where I work part-time. I tried the yellow foam ones on something-like-plastic cores that fit on 'standard-size' 9" wire frame roller handles, found them lacking. Even had a couple (I'd cut down to 3" long) begin to delaminate then disintergrate during a roll-out....

(And I love your post on the several different competition kayak builds you've done! Were I thirty (or more) years younger, I'd consider a kayak build - maybe - once my Waterlust is done & launched!) 

Mummichog admits:

"When using chip brushes on resin, take your scissors and cut the bristles short by about half."

I watched that very same OCH video before beginning my Waterlust build last Nov. Emphatically yes, halving the bristles on chip brushes is a worthwhile step! I've done it many times, reduces frustration over pulled-out bristles (the brushes', not mine!) 99%. Much better for pushing resin-soaked cloth around too when needs be!

RE: Disposable Foam Rollers

Had no idea what a "chip brush" was.  (I'm more of a boatwrong than a boatwright.)  Had to look it up.

Mother said I'd learn something new every day if I paid attention....

.....Michael

RE: Disposable Foam Rollers

I find these small foam trim rollers to be best for epoxy.  I tip off with a foam brush after rolling.  They easily come off the handle after use and are relatively cheap.

Tried those trim rollers out. Yes, they are lots easier to handle. However they soak up a lot of epoxy. Yesterday I was putting a fair amount of pressure on the roller to squeeze that epoxy out. Which generated a lot of little bubbles. Well, I needed more practice sanding, anway. Today I tried it without putting much pressure on. By the time I got to my third batch the epoxy inside the roller started to cook off. That thing was HOT!

I've gone back to the short-nap rollers from CLC...

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