Cleaning up epoxy in corners

(I just posted about mold on frames. This is part 2 of 2 in my series: The inside of my Skerry is a mess.)

I did a very messy job applying epoxy between the frame and the panels. Also, there were gaps that needed to be filled in. Which I have done, exacerbating the mess (see pictures below).

Sanding this epoxy is very, very slow, and quite difficult, since it is along a line where two, or sometimes three, surfaces meet. Any advice on how to clean this up? Or whether to clean it up?

 


3 replies:

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RE: Cleaning up epoxy in corners

A lot depends on what your goals with this boat are. If you're willing to accept a workboat finish, leaving the bumps unsanded won't affect the structural integrity or performance of the boat.

If you're looking to win best in show somewhere you can still pull a yacht finish out of this by going to a fully painted finish with varnished wood accents. In that case, you can cover the seams with a cosmetic layer of epoxy/phenolic microballoon mix, which is easy to sand, and smooth it all down that way.

Good luck,

Laszlo

 

RE: Cleaning up epoxy in corners

We found these little "riffler rasps" to be very handy for cleaning up stuff like that:

Riffler Rasp - 8 piece set (clcboats.com)

Laszlo's right; cut yourself some slack.  Less fussing about finish, more messing about in boats!  <;-)

.....Michael

RE: Cleaning up epoxy in corners

   This was a constant source of worry for me.  I ended up using all of the following:

* dremel tool with the detail attachment - great when it worked, often not enough room

* Sandpaper with round rubber blocks underneath - similar to dremel tool.

* Oval regular card scrapers - requires a lot of clearance

* Lynx mini card scrapers - this was super effective, especially the oval shaped one, since it can adapt to any radius. They also came in handy for cleaning up varnish drips. Hard to spend $25 on a tiny set of steel plates but you need what you need!

 

but seriously consider lowering your standards for the seams :) nobody looks there when your paint/varnish is going to be so beautiful on the flat spots.

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