Hull finishing and finishing epoxy

[GJ. Nelson]

The Method I Use

I suppose I will be mentioning something everyone
Knows but just have not mentioned. Two things that
take a lot of the pain out of working with epoxy. I
am presently working on an eight foot long barge.
Lots of glass and epoxy and I don't like to work
with either. After assembly I sand the hull and
fill any major problems with Micro-fill. (sands
like balsa) While that is setting I look for minor
problems and fill them with Squadron putty used
mostly by plastic modelers. After that all has cured
and sanded another check for any other missed
areas then comes the epoxy. I mix up the two
parts and then add Acetone 15 to 1 and mix
completely and apply with a brush either outside
or in a fan ventilated area. After that has cured I
apply a second coat and when it starts to get tacky
I apply the glass (if used) and paint it on with more
diluted epoxy. Once that is cured another coat
mixed 5 to 1. When that is cured comes the sanding.
I use a cheap orbital sander loaded with #220 grit
wet or dry paper and plenty of water. It gets messy
but it takes much of the work out of sanding. The
epoxy levels quite well when thinned and much less
sanding is required. If the glass is hidden then I go
to primer and wet sanding. If not I add thinned epoxy
coats until I'm satisfied. Just be sure if you use
Acetone to use adequate ventilation or it could
ruin your day. (week, month, life even)
So far I have used one and one half gallons of
Acetone and a huge amount of epoxy on the barge
and I'm not done with that yet. My hobby room has
an outside door, window and a 24 inch exhaust fan
in the ceiling so fumes are not a problem. Speeds
up curing time too.
Gary

[TEX]

No ... not everbody knows that an what makes it real nice is that it
comes from somebody who hates workin with the same stuff I do. TEX

[GJ. Nelson]

Thank you Tex,

Something else I should have said sense
I mentioned using Micro-fill*. The warning.
Wear a filter mask when sanding. It contains
glass dust (ground glass). Also keep your
hands away from your face. You don't want
it in your eyes and you don't want to ingest
it. Wash your hands or even take a shower
if you sanded a lot of it. The dust is very
dangerous stuff.
* Micro-fill made by NHP

Gary