Fiberglass & epoxy application during very hot weather?

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mneubauer
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Fiberglass & epoxy application during very hot weather?

Post by mneubauer »

Thanks to all for your posts. They have helped me immensely during my Ranger 15 build.

Where I am building is my garage which is not heated or cooled. The current temperatures have been in the high 90s F and low 100s for the last few weeks and expected to stay the same throughout the time I plan to start glassing.

I have West System 105 and 207 along with Bear Mountain glass. What advice and cautions can you give me to keep me out of trouble ( quicker dry or slower, more runs? don't use this tool , etc.)
Mark
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Cruiser
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Re: Fiberglass & epoxy application during very hot weather?

Post by Cruiser »

The only real impact the temp will have is to shorten your working time by a few minutes.

Important points
- clean up the area and remove anything not to do with glassing, you need a clear space to work
- create a mixing station area
- get a helper, it can be done solo, but you are just asking for issues if you are too rushed
- read about the process and have it clear in your head how to proceed
- when applying resin, keep things moving, get the epoxy on the boat and spread ... don't mess around trying to make it look pretty or even, just get a generous coat on and keep moving (the squeegee process will remove excess and tidy things up) ... keep looking back and add a little if you see a dry area
- figure out how you will do your timing (think "Siri set a timer for 25 minutes") for when to go back and start removing excess resin

For me the first epoxy/glass application was terrifying ....you can do nothing better than reading/research and making sure you have a clear idea in your head of how to do each step. Take a look at Ted's videos on applying the glass .... they are worth the time and give good advice.

Brian
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Patricks Dad
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Re: Fiberglass & epoxy application during very hot weather?

Post by Patricks Dad »

As Brian noted, having a helper mix epoxy helps a lot. Things will go faster than "normal" at higher temps. Stay with the job well after you are "done" to check for bubbles forming (esp when glassing the inside if temps are rising). Look for opportunities to glass during times when the temp is declining.

If this your first time, mix up a batch and do some test wet-outs on a scrap of wood to get a feel for how things will go.

It will go fine.
Randy Pfeifer
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sedges
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Re: Fiberglass & epoxy application during very hot weather?

Post by sedges »

Control sweat! Wear absorbent clothing with long sleeves. Maybe a wrist band and head band to prevent sweat dripping on to the uncured resin or the glass before resin is applied. Sweat will make a milky blotch.
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Jim Dodd
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Re: Fiberglass & epoxy application during very hot weather?

Post by Jim Dodd »

Great advise !
I might add that your epoxy will wet out your cloth better, as a result of warmer temps.
That is good !

Keep a blow drier handy to warm the hull, in the areas of bubbles. Warming the hull expands the air in staple holes, and gaps. Once the bubbles appear from warming the hull, hit them with a brush. and that should be the end of them.
Yes, stay with your hull a few hours after you finish wetting out the cloth.
Good Luck !

Jim
Keep your paddle wet and your seat dry!
mneubauer
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Re: Fiberglass & epoxy application during very hot weather?

Post by mneubauer »

Fairing the hull-3.JPG
Outer stem-2.JPG
Thanks so much for all your advice.

I will be testing the epoxy on scrap today.

I love the suggestion to control sweat, sedges. Yesterday as I was fitting and shaping and refitting the stem the sweat was running off the end of my nose like a waterfall.


Here is how the stem fit turned out.
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Mark
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Re: Fiberglass & epoxy application during very hot weather?

Post by Cruiser »

One of the steps to prepare the hull for glassing is the crack/hole filling. I was observing a building class (at BearMountain) and picked up a technique on filling the imperfections that I used on my last 2 builds and I really like it and I believe it saves much time.

I don't use staples, so the idea of filling hundreds of holes is not something I think about, I use this for those spaces/cracks etc that I missed during the build.

First put a layer of tape on either side of the imperfection, leaving just the imperfection opening (a bit of the edge will always show) ... once you have them all done, mix up a batch of epoxy and colour it with wood flour and cabosil, till it is about the colour of the hull when wet.

Use a putty knife and fill the cracks/holes and work it in some with the knife, wipe it smooth with a cloth dampened with lacquer thinner, remove the tape as you do each one.

The epoxy will take several hours to setup and you want to start the glassing before that happens, so plan this to fill the areas, just before you are going to lay the glass and are ready to start applying epoxy.

The beauty of this method is that you will notice I never said "sand" or "allow to cure" or "dry" ... you just apply, wipe and remove tape .... then straight to glassing. The fill bonds and smooths with the new glass and for most intents, goes invisible, with very little effort in hull prep ... I believe this is a real time saver that provides superior results.


Brian
Last edited by Cruiser on Tue Aug 14, 2018 7:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
mneubauer
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Re: Fiberglass & epoxy application during very hot weather?

Post by mneubauer »

Thanks Brian,
You answered a question I had in my mind. My manufacturing of the strips produced poor fits between courses of strips. I will be using your filling technique often.
Mark
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Cruiser
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Re: Fiberglass & epoxy application during very hot weather?

Post by Cruiser »

Please note the correction to use lacquer thinners, not mineral spirits as originally posted ... denatured alcohol will also work to dampen the cloth ... or if you don't have those just use a clean cloth.


Brian
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