Ok, I'm still waiting for my sealer coat to completely harden so I can sand lightly before applying the glass. As per the newfoundland method (great video btw if you dont have them!).
in the mean time, I'm sitting here thinking, brush's, rollers, epoxy, glass etc. I noticed my brush's lost a bunch of bristles....well it's a bunch to me but I'm new at it and dont really know what to expect. I managed to get a few out with a razor easy enough, and figured the ones I didnt get I'll hit with teh sand paper before glassing. But what about after glassing? I'm shooting for a chem bond here so there wont be any sanding.
Does anyone use the foam brushs on epoxy? I do have a LOT of curve to the sides so I'll need some way to get epoxy there before doing anything else. I have some foam brush's for the varnish work, and I vagely remember reading somewhere someone using them for the epoxy work too on the wet out? Or is there a better way to keep from loosin the bristles?
bristle brushes, ugg Foam brush's for epoxy?
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Sonshine777
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Mon Aug 20, 2007 10:39 am
- Location: Camas, WA
Just a thought we used 7" foam rollers to apply the resin and squeegee for the cloth. They are cheep and apply the resin very evenly. The type we used are about 1 1/4" in diameter and have rounded edges. For the fill coats we used the roller to apply and a foam brush to smooth the bubbles the roller left.
The nice thing about the roller is it is fast and you can apply as little or as much as you need.
The nice thing about the roller is it is fast and you can apply as little or as much as you need.
Tom
Boy I re read that, and the video is going...just re watched it. I think I was confused a little. Newfound didnt sand the sealer coat before glassing, got that out of Nick and Macs books......
Starting to wonder if I aint reading to much ;).
Sonshine,
Thanks for the reply. Got tired of picking out bristles so was thinking a foam brush might be the ticket. I think I'm going to stick with my bristle brushs. I did clean it, and trim it and hopefully I can reuse it. Feels as good as new......I hope it doesnt loose bristle like it did new ;).
This kinda like a blind date.....excited, nervous, impatient, ready to rock all at once ;). Sorry for so many redundant questions.
Starting to wonder if I aint reading to much ;).
Sonshine,
Thanks for the reply. Got tired of picking out bristles so was thinking a foam brush might be the ticket. I think I'm going to stick with my bristle brushs. I did clean it, and trim it and hopefully I can reuse it. Feels as good as new......I hope it doesnt loose bristle like it did new ;).
This kinda like a blind date.....excited, nervous, impatient, ready to rock all at once ;). Sorry for so many redundant questions.
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canoeblderinmt
- Posts: 415
- Joined: Sat Jul 03, 2004 12:04 pm
- Location: Butte, MT
Dan,
I tried rollers on my last boat as there was a discussion about a year ago about using them and everyone was raving about how great they were. Guess I used the wrong rollers as I ended up with a bunch of very fine roller hairs in my glass. I went back to using an automotive squeegie to spread the glass and really like the control and the ability to push the resin into the cloth with it. You have to be careful on the first coat with the glass not to push the glass around, but I will use a squeegie from here on out.
Greg
PS: This method is touted and explained in yet another book, Building Strip Canoes, by Gil Gilpatrick.
PSS: He also builds stemless boats.
I tried rollers on my last boat as there was a discussion about a year ago about using them and everyone was raving about how great they were. Guess I used the wrong rollers as I ended up with a bunch of very fine roller hairs in my glass. I went back to using an automotive squeegie to spread the glass and really like the control and the ability to push the resin into the cloth with it. You have to be careful on the first coat with the glass not to push the glass around, but I will use a squeegie from here on out.
Greg
PS: This method is touted and explained in yet another book, Building Strip Canoes, by Gil Gilpatrick.
PSS: He also builds stemless boats.
" Choose to chance the rapids, Dare to dance the tide..."
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Patricks Dad
- Posts: 1476
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 1:11 pm
- Location: Warrenville, Illinois
The argument for using a bristle brush for applying the epoxy is that you can load quite a bit of epoxy onto a bristle brush. A foam brush won't hold as much so you won't be able to apply it as fast as you could with a bristle brush. A foam roller (rather than a roller with nap) wouldn't have the bristle problem but might be able to apply epoxy fairly quickly too. I haven't tried it. I was going to for the last boat I glassed but at the very last moment I picked up the brush instead (only because I was more familiar with the process with the brush and went the conservative route at the last minute).
I have gotten away from cleaning brushes at all. I buy relatively inexpensive brushes and throw them away. The glassing job I did last weekend (inside of hull) I used 4 brushes (2 each coat, switching about 2/3 of the way through when the first brush got kind of stiff as the epoxy in it began to gel). Of the 4 identical brushes 3 of them didn't drop a single bristle but one of them dropped about 30 bristles! I was amazed at the difference between these "identical" brushes. I can't explain why (they were all prep'd the same way to remove any loose bristles).
One more hint, find bristle brushes with dark (black if possible) bristles so they are easier to find when they do shed and end up on the boat.
I have gotten away from cleaning brushes at all. I buy relatively inexpensive brushes and throw them away. The glassing job I did last weekend (inside of hull) I used 4 brushes (2 each coat, switching about 2/3 of the way through when the first brush got kind of stiff as the epoxy in it began to gel). Of the 4 identical brushes 3 of them didn't drop a single bristle but one of them dropped about 30 bristles! I was amazed at the difference between these "identical" brushes. I can't explain why (they were all prep'd the same way to remove any loose bristles).
One more hint, find bristle brushes with dark (black if possible) bristles so they are easier to find when they do shed and end up on the boat.
Greg,
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/us ... ller+Cover
The epoxy goes on very fast and evenly, and in thin coats that can be squeegeed further to remove excess, much easier IMO than using brushes... haven't tried the squeegee-only method.
The foam rollers should give good results, eg, this type, WEST System 8002 Roller Cover:I tried rollers on my last boat as there was a discussion about a year ago about using them and everyone was raving about how great they were. Guess I used the wrong rollers as I ended up with a bunch of very fine roller hairs in my glass.
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/us ... ller+Cover
The epoxy goes on very fast and evenly, and in thin coats that can be squeegeed further to remove excess, much easier IMO than using brushes... haven't tried the squeegee-only method.
boy did I make a mistake today.
I was cleaning my brushes. Noticed the second use you lost almost zero bristles vs' the new brush's.
Well I tried a third, big mistake. I thought it was cleaned well. To say the least it wasnt. That sandy fuzz of hard epoxy that you can never get out at the handle end of the bristles...well I have those sand flecks everywhere now. Going to have to let it cure, sand, and keep on going.
Went to a new brush and was loosing bristles again...boy there has to be a better way to apply the epoxy.
The fill coat is on though and all is going well. Found a couple of small bubbles, hard ot see, managed to fill one, the other I'mgoing to leave. Stem strips are on and she's baking away.
I was cleaning my brushes. Noticed the second use you lost almost zero bristles vs' the new brush's.
Well I tried a third, big mistake. I thought it was cleaned well. To say the least it wasnt. That sandy fuzz of hard epoxy that you can never get out at the handle end of the bristles...well I have those sand flecks everywhere now. Going to have to let it cure, sand, and keep on going.
Went to a new brush and was loosing bristles again...boy there has to be a better way to apply the epoxy.
The fill coat is on though and all is going well. Found a couple of small bubbles, hard ot see, managed to fill one, the other I'mgoing to leave. Stem strips are on and she's baking away.
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Glen Smith
- Posts: 3719
- Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 9:08 am
- Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada
Do you prepare your new brushes in any way prior to using them?
I use cheap blonde bristle chipping brushes and I run a steel wire brush through the bristles first. Then I work at the bristles by hand flapping the brush back and forth through the palm of my other hand then I pull out any loose bristles. I do this a few times and then when I use the brush I may lose up to 6 bristles which I remove immediately. I throw away the brush when the coat is done.
I use cheap blonde bristle chipping brushes and I run a steel wire brush through the bristles first. Then I work at the bristles by hand flapping the brush back and forth through the palm of my other hand then I pull out any loose bristles. I do this a few times and then when I use the brush I may lose up to 6 bristles which I remove immediately. I throw away the brush when the coat is done.
Glenn,
I do try to get some of those loose bristles out before I run the epoxy, as I do comb my rollers with a brush before hand. I didnt think to use a wire brush, heck not sure if I have one or not but that's an easy fix. I'll give it a try and see how that goes.
I did just get back in from looking at the boat. There are specs all over the place, I orignally thought they might be bubles, and tipped them off, but they're still there and they aint bubbles. I got to thinking and I'm wondering if it wasn't from when I scraped down the edge of the foot ball coat, applied it on the outside for this reason). My big brush was no where to be found so I brushed with a couple small paint brush's and could have easily missed or piled a small pile of dust. What I did notice was once I hit it, it went everywhere.
SO the next step. I was thinkinig of sanding again, but do you think I should just scrape the bumps off and then apply coat 3?
Some of these bumps are bigger then I had thought so, though I'm sure some came from the paint brush, the old epoxy, I bet most of it's from me scraping that edge down. It worked well btw. I did get on maybe 1" long section that is a just a tad bit white, you'll have to look awful hard to find it though. Also found the big brush again so that problem is solved for the next go around.
Sand or scrape? After thinking abou it for awhile I think I'm going to opt to scrape...... No real drewls, just those specs that's going to take awhile to get rid of, and a few bristles I can see. She's definatly wet out and ready for a final coat. Though my stem pieces might take a small batch of fast at the very end to finish them off, I can still see the weave in a few spots where it sucked up more then I had put on.
I do try to get some of those loose bristles out before I run the epoxy, as I do comb my rollers with a brush before hand. I didnt think to use a wire brush, heck not sure if I have one or not but that's an easy fix. I'll give it a try and see how that goes.
I did just get back in from looking at the boat. There are specs all over the place, I orignally thought they might be bubles, and tipped them off, but they're still there and they aint bubbles. I got to thinking and I'm wondering if it wasn't from when I scraped down the edge of the foot ball coat, applied it on the outside for this reason). My big brush was no where to be found so I brushed with a couple small paint brush's and could have easily missed or piled a small pile of dust. What I did notice was once I hit it, it went everywhere.
SO the next step. I was thinkinig of sanding again, but do you think I should just scrape the bumps off and then apply coat 3?
Some of these bumps are bigger then I had thought so, though I'm sure some came from the paint brush, the old epoxy, I bet most of it's from me scraping that edge down. It worked well btw. I did get on maybe 1" long section that is a just a tad bit white, you'll have to look awful hard to find it though. Also found the big brush again so that problem is solved for the next go around.
Sand or scrape? After thinking abou it for awhile I think I'm going to opt to scrape...... No real drewls, just those specs that's going to take awhile to get rid of, and a few bristles I can see. She's definatly wet out and ready for a final coat. Though my stem pieces might take a small batch of fast at the very end to finish them off, I can still see the weave in a few spots where it sucked up more then I had put on.
coat 3 is on. I think I'm going to add one more coat. Want to blend in the stem reinforcing strips. I made a stupid mistake and cut them out of the old glass I had (5oz) instead of using the 3.25oz glass I replaced it with. So there is quite the lip there.
The football piece is almost completely invisible in this coat. Might have to do a small 5th coat just on the ends to blend in the seem after the 4th full coat goes on...we'll see...then again maybe I should just do a partial 4th coat over the stem strips, and then a 5th to competely hide it?
Thoughts?
Back to the dust whatever it was. I think I may have touched the boat with my shirt. the same shirt I wore while blending in the football peice. I'm almost certain this is where all the dust came from. I went and checked the shirt and my upper right chest area is solid with epoxy LOL! DOH. It cleaned up fine though with a pro scraper.
One last question....for now ;) Sharpening a pro prep scraper?
The football piece is almost completely invisible in this coat. Might have to do a small 5th coat just on the ends to blend in the seem after the 4th full coat goes on...we'll see...then again maybe I should just do a partial 4th coat over the stem strips, and then a 5th to competely hide it?
Thoughts?
Back to the dust whatever it was. I think I may have touched the boat with my shirt. the same shirt I wore while blending in the football peice. I'm almost certain this is where all the dust came from. I went and checked the shirt and my upper right chest area is solid with epoxy LOL! DOH. It cleaned up fine though with a pro scraper.
One last question....for now ;) Sharpening a pro prep scraper?
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Glen Smith
- Posts: 3719
- Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 9:08 am
- Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada
so in otherwords I should have blended in the stem glass strips between the fill and the 3rd coats?
I waited till after my tack down coat was on and set up to put them on as in the newfound video. They dont show them blending them in or when though....
That and I had a thicker hunk of glass on the stem strips then for everything else. Figured I'd use that old glass for something lol. But now looking back that my have been a mistake.
I waited till after my tack down coat was on and set up to put them on as in the newfound video. They dont show them blending them in or when though....
That and I had a thicker hunk of glass on the stem strips then for everything else. Figured I'd use that old glass for something lol. But now looking back that my have been a mistake.