Heat Gun/Epoxy Bubbles- maybe I'm crazy

Arctic · Post by **Arctic** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 2:47 pm

Just want to throw this out and see what your opinion are:

Is it feasible to use a heat gun- to heat up the air bubbled areas on my hull- and get them hot enough to be workable- you know apply fresh epoxy and try to smooth over?
Or am I crazy? Somehow this idea just says bad idea to me- but I wanted to put it out there and get your thoughts- because hey, you never know.

Note: the epoxy injection method seems to be working the best so far- I am just having dificulty drilling the little hole in and getting the syringe in. I even got large gauge needles from the drug store to try out (figuring the sharp end of the need would make a nice clean puncture in the bubble) the only issue there is the epoxy is just a little to thick for the needle- I am going to heat it up a bit and see if I can't get here to flow a little better
If this works- It will probably be the easiest and quickest way to go- wish me luck!

Mark,
Cantley, Quebec.

mtpocket · Post by **mtpocket** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 2:57 pm

I've never tried anything like that before but I would be worried about delaminating the glass on the outside of the hull. Another concern would be the color of the area that has been heated. It might be darker than the surrounding areas after the exessive heat or if not careful, you could char it to a really nice shade of black. This is where Glens advice of doing a test panel would come in very handy. If you have some scrap that you could use as a test panel, glass it and try the heat on it first. You can always throw it away if it doesn't work. You don't want to throw a boat away. Good luck

Post by **Patricks Dad** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 3:54 pm

I'm probably missing something but I don't see how heating it would allow the air to escape. The root problem is air trapped below/within the epoxy. Heating it might allow the bubble to move a bit but at the end of the day unless you get the air out, you've still got the bubble. I think persisting with the syringe and filling the bubbles is your best bet.

Arctic · Post by **Arctic** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 5:38 pm

Thanks PD,

I am sad to report the syrings method is not going all that well after all- while most of the bubbles is being filled, it is not all and it is still unsightly. I was talikng about this with my wife and decided these are my options for this problem:

1. Leave it as is and live with it. (I wouldn't be happy with that)
2. Fill as best I can with the syringe (not working out after all)
3. Scrape all the glass and epoxy off- start again ( not a task I want to get into) and there is the risk I will run into the same problem.
4. Sand the bubbles away and fill the space with epoxy- a second coat will cover this as well- Use patches of glass for larger areas.

Out of all the the above options #4 has worked the best so far- it blends in the nicest and looks the best- unless you look closely for it you don't really notice it. I also figure with a second coat of epoxy- additional sanding and varnishing- this might turn out the best, cosmetically speaking. As far as hull integrity goes- the bubbles are far enough apart and small enough -I don't see this as a major issue.

I am leaning towards that option now- but as always seek more experienced input/advice.

Thanks,

Mark,
Cantley, Quebec.

Glen Smith · Post by **Glen Smith** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 5:50 pm

Mark, are you making two holes in each bubble that you try to fill? You need one hole for the epoxy injection and a second hole for the air to escape. With just one hole, you can't entirely fill the bubble.

Arctic · Post by **Arctic** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 7:56 pm

1-4 Glen,

Works much better with 2 holes- I think I'll give this a second chance.

Thanks,

Mark

Tommy G · Post by **Tommy G** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 9:21 am

Arctic,
I have experienced the same issue or close to it. Just wondering what worked for you in the end. You leave off with advice to try to use two holes. Or did you end up sanding them all out and putting epoxy over the spot as mentioned that they are small and far enough away that it does not likely effect the integrety of the hull. This is the same as the inside of my canoe.

I appreciate any help you might be able to give.

Tom Gelinas

Arctic · Post by **Arctic** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 11:23 am

Tommy,

What a frustrating problem! I know how you feel.
For the larger bubbles: Using a dremel tool- I drilled a very small hole in the bubble- then used a syringe to fill it out- it worked quite nicely.

Unfortunately, I also had alot of smaller ones to deal with- too small to use the method above. I sanded them down and filled them with epoxy- did it work? Well sort of. It is not the ideal solution asthetically speaking- but it does work.
That said, until I pointed out the blemishes to people- they never noticed them.

Other (more drastic) options I considered were: 1) Paint over it (hide it), but in the end I love the look of the wood too much, blemishes and all.

2) Scrape off all the glass and epoxy on there and start over again- messy, expensive and no guarantee that it won't happen again (bubbles that is).

In the end, I am happy with what I did and how it turned out- just remember- nothing in life can be perect- nor should it be.

Good luck, let me know if I can help out anymore.

Mark,
Cantley, Quebec.