Tea Count 2
Injuries 0
Time Spent 3 Hours
Stickiness Factor 11/10
Some in the boat building community may well question my decision to apply fibreglass tape and a coat of resin on the coldest night of the year (-7 here last night), but hey that's just the way I roll. Call me reckless, irresponsible or even just crazy man, but I'm a man who likes to live on the edge, take a risk and dance with the devil. So yes, I did apply tape and resin on the coldest night of the year and you know what, it was fine, the epoxy has cured overnight and the joints are tightly taped.
My irresponsible inner voice persuaded me to go for and I really must listen to it more often as every once in a while, well about one in a hundred times it turns out to be right!
Having learned my lesson when it comes to sanding fillets I made the unusual decision to spend time preparing the joints by masking off the rest of the boat to avoid spillage and thus reduce sanding time. I say unusual, preparation prior to starting a job has ever been my strong point, just ask my better half on that one. I'm pretty sure I get that trait from dad. The story of angle grinding mortar joints on a house extension with all the windows open still does the rounds now and then.
It turned out that this preparation was time well spent and I am thusly proud (is thusly actually a word – it should probably be “thus I am very proud” but never mind.) The fillets were finished nicely and very neatly and the tape applied. I also glued in the first BH. I put a coat of resin over the whole of the inside of half number one with great trepidation. This was the first time I have used the epoxy as a coating rather than an adhesive and it is vitally important to get a good finish if I want to leave it clear and see the wood through it, rather than painting.
It was by far and away the stickiest day so far. If there were prizes for stickiness yesterday would have won the gold medal. At one point I thought my wedding ring had become permanently stuck to finger. Not a problem you understand as I don't ever plan removing it but welding it to my skin is probably a little extreme. There are better ways of showing by devotion and loyalty.
Applying the tape was trickier than I thought and it seemed to bobble up a little in places and I'm not quite sure how bad this is. Everything has cured beautifully this morning, there don't appear to be any air bubbles under the tape but there are a few sort of “bobbles”. I had tried to get these out when applying the tape but this proved impossible. I wonder if I can sand them out or will that weaken the joint – who knows? Someone hopefully! The finish on the wood is not at all bad although it will require sanding before another coat is applied. Oh joy more sanding! This also concerns me. I have a nice clear finish, although not quite as smooth and flawless as I want, so sanding it and applying another coat seems logical. However, scratching the shit out of the clear resin with sandpaper seems a little risky. Will it a) simply look like a scratchy mess when I apply the second coat or b) will the second coat cover the sanding marks and give me a clear smooth finish – answers on post card please (or in the comments box below would probably be easier).
So I shall be having a busy weekend with her this weekend and see if I can make further progress. Snow is forecast so I may well take the two halves to the nearest hill and see how they slide. Sledging racing in two halves of a canoe, what fun!
If anyone can be bothered, I have forgotten to keep a tally of my hours spent thus far (I like the word “thus” it sounds good) so feel free to add them up and let me know. First correct answer wins a Mars Bar!
Happy weekend everyone.
You need a box of Nitrile Gloves. Available from B&Q or in my case the Mrs. She's a dentist. They keep the poxy off your hands, and avoid nasty reactions to the stuff.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to remove unwanted hardened epoxy a quick blat with a hot air gun will soften it enough to remove with a good scraper. You could even remove cured tape this way. I know, I've done it don't ask why!
If you sand back with medium/fine sandpaper you can overcoat with another layer of poxy and get a nice clear finish. It does tend to run due to its gloopy ness, try to have the surface horizontal and keep the coat as this as possible. In this cold weather the poxy will be thicker than usual. A couple of seconds in the microwave before mixing will make it a bit thinner but don't over-do it.
You will need all this info for your next build. Oh yes you will!
Port, thanks for the advice and for jogging my memory that I had actually bought some of the said gloves. I have now retrieved them from under the mounting pile of sandpaper and will ensure they get well used! Good advice on the sanding front so thanks again and I have now sanded the inside ready for the second coat. The tapes have been nicely feathered so will hopefully disappear on the second coat. Mt garage is heated and sits at around 18 degrees so the "poxy" ( I like that abbreviation) seems fairly viscous. The next build? Hmm we'll see! Thanks again.
DeleteHello. magnificent job. I did not anticipate this. This is a splendid story. Thanks!
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Thanks :-)
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