sanding and a further layer of epoxy on a lumpy hull.

alick burt · Post by **alick burt** » Sun Jun 22, 2008 4:31 am

I have just spent the past couple of days glassing my hull which has ended up far more uneven than I would like.I started on friday and did my wetout followed by a second coat which was squeegeed over to finish it off.Yesterday I put a coat on with a brush and again found that once squeegeed over it looked fine.
Then i made my biggest mistake in that I don't think I waited long enough before attempting the next coat.
I poured some resin onto a flat area and on attempting to spread it out it seemed to all lumpy and pull around what was underneath it.
I decided to stop before i made even more mess and resolved to return today.
My plan now is to give the whole thing a good sanding as it is now quite hard and then follow this with a carefully applied brush coat.I am using west system 105 resin and 207
hardner.
the question/s are..
1.Do i have to sand the hull to a perfect flat surface before this final coat or can I rely on it filling a few uneven areas?

regards
Alick
2.would It be best to do my sanding today and leave my coating till next week or do I have to do both today?

Rick · Post by **Rick** » Sun Jun 22, 2008 7:40 am

Alick, you will need to sand the epoxy so that the next coat has some tooth to bond onto, but sanding to a perfectly smooth surface can wait until all the fill coats are on. Epoxy fill coats will bond to the sanded layer underneath even if there are dots of glossy unsanded surface here and there.... most of the surface area should be sanded to a dull finish, to make the bond as strong as possible... don't sand so much to remove gloss that you sand into the glass.

Since the epoxy has hardened enough to sand, you can apply the next coat at any time... good luck!

alick burt · Post by **alick burt** » Sun Jun 22, 2008 8:56 am

Thanks Rick
I've been sanding all day and I don't think I've sanded too far as my epoxy layer seems very thick even when I have sanded off most of my lumps.It is all looking a lot better!.I think i'll finish sanding it all to the same degree and put my final coat on next weekend.
What I now have is what you desribe.A basically flatted area with a few dots where the sander hasn't reached.Its all being sanded with 80 grit so the key should be fine but will my scratches show?

Many Thanks
Alick

canoeblderinmt · Post by **canoeblderinmt** » Sun Jun 22, 2008 11:35 am

Aleck,
Glad your sanding went OK. The next coat of epoxy should fill in the scratches left by sanding. When I am at your stage, and I have a few low spots that are still glossy, I just take some 100 grit and scratch them up a bit by hand to be sure I have a good bond throughout. The last coat or two of epoxy usually brings these low spots up and things usually seem to even themselves out. Post us some pics, OK?

Greg

alick burt · Post by **alick burt** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 9:02 am

Thanks for that little gem Greg.I've just given the hull another brush coat and I can see things aren't perfect as I still have a few minor bubbles but it is my first attempt and I still think it looks good.Hopefully you can see in the picture!
cheers Alick

canoeblderinmt · Post by **canoeblderinmt** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 12:02 pm

Alick,
Looks pretty sweet! We are our own worst critics, amigo. When people see your boat, they will be blown away by the beautiful rich color and contrasting woods. They won't even notice the little blemishes you are seeing now. Plus you can always do some spot filling as needed. I think your canoe looks very nice: deep rich color and great contrast on the accents and keel. Keep going, she'll be wet before you know it!

Greg