Gap filling and epoxy question.

buckeye59 · Post by **buckeye59** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 8:11 pm

I'm allmost done stripping my voyager solo and due to some dumb mistakes I made in the strip making process I'll have to do a lot more gap filling than my last canoe. If I'm reading Newfound Woodworks' "stripping notes" correctly, they say to do the sealer coat of epoxy before filling any gaps with thickened epoxy. I plan to fill with epoxy this time but was planning on having to mask off all the areas to be filled to prevent epoxy from staining the adjacent wood. It seems to me that they are saying that if I seal the wood first, (I was going to before glassing anyway) I shouldn't have to worry about staining since the wood is now sealed. Can anyone tell me if they have tried this? I will appreciate any and all input. Here is my last picture of my progress.
[IMG:800:600]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v498/ ... 040110.jpg[/img]

Fred G · Post by **Fred G** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 5:15 am

Thats how i do it. You can color match a lot better that way. I use bleached wheat flour for lightening the fill material.

ealger · Post by **ealger** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 10:33 am

When putting on your seal coat, be aware that the sealing epoxy may seep through those gaps that you are concerned with. Consider the size of the gap and if you feel that the epoxy is going to run through, then you may wish to put some masking tape behind the gap from the inside of the hull. This will save you a bunch of time when you start to cleanup the inside.

You might consider gluing up a small panel of test strips and practice filling using various fillers. Typically I've found that Cedar wood dust tends to darken when mixed with thickened epoxy so you can use Fred's trick to change the color.

Also, wiping down the hull with a damp-wet rag will tend to close up small gaps and nail holes (before you seal of course).
Ed...

Fred G · Post by **Fred G** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 1:36 pm

One thing I forgot to mention is that it is better to fill too dark rather than too light. It will be less noticable.

John Michne · Post by **John Michne** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 6:35 am

I never bother to precoat, saving a coat of epoxy and the time required to do it. As for filling the gaps, see my web site, http://michneboat.com. Scroll down to the bottom of the opening page and click on My Web Site. Then click Builder’s Corner, and scroll down to Filling the Cracks. Reducing the stain from filling with epoxy and removing it completely is explained, with photos.

John

davidb54321 · Post by **davidb54321** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 1:10 pm

Buckeye,

John knows what he's talking about so check out his site, often!