Sanding fiberglass/epoxy
Sanding fiberglass/epoxy
Hello all,
I had previously thought that i had some problems with my fiberglassing, although now, i am thinking that what i had was normal... maybe!?
I have some good pictures that i could email to someone to look at for me. unfortunatly i dont have any web space to put them on... is there any other way to post them for today?
what i have is what i think ted moors referes to as the profile of the cloth still showing in my top surface, sanding appears to smooth the surface, but i wanted to ask and get advice rather than sanding into any cloth.
I had previously thought that i had some problems with my fiberglassing, although now, i am thinking that what i had was normal... maybe!?
I have some good pictures that i could email to someone to look at for me. unfortunatly i dont have any web space to put them on... is there any other way to post them for today?
what i have is what i think ted moors referes to as the profile of the cloth still showing in my top surface, sanding appears to smooth the surface, but i wanted to ask and get advice rather than sanding into any cloth.
- Glen Smith
- Posts: 3719
- Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 9:08 am
- Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada
- Glen Smith
- Posts: 3719
- Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 9:08 am
- Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada
Erik, here are the pics you sent me but resized. It looks like the epoxy has been applied quite thickly but roughly. There doesn't seem to be any bubbles or floating glass. You should be able to sand without any fears. However, if you oversand, you might hit the glass in some places. The usual places are along the keel-line, the sheer and near the stems. Follow Ted's instructions and you should do fine.
If you have been sanding with 80 grit, it looks like it might be time to switch to 120 grit. All other comments and suggestions are welcome.
If you have been sanding with 80 grit, it looks like it might be time to switch to 120 grit. All other comments and suggestions are welcome.
- Glen Smith
- Posts: 3719
- Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 9:08 am
- Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada
Erik, as a comparison, I am posting a closeup picture of one of my boats showing what the glass/epoxy looks like. This is 6oz cloth with a wetout coat and two fill coats of epoxy. No sanding and/or varnishing has been done. This is just the epoxy surface as it appears after application. You can see the reflection of the ceiling tiles and lightbulb. This was my fifth boat.
Last edited by Glen Smith on Thu Jan 19, 2006 12:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Glen Smith
- Posts: 3719
- Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 9:08 am
- Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada
Erik, I did mention that it was my fifth boat. My first one looked a lot like yours. This stuff takes practice. Just be careful when sanding and keep the sander moving at all times. If there is one spot (or more) where you feel extra sanding is required, do it by hand instead of leaning the sander into it. If you remove less than the ideal amount of epoxy, you will have a slightly heavier boat. But if you sand into the cloth then add more epoxy to cover it up, you will have a slighly heavier boat anyway.
- Glen Smith
- Posts: 3719
- Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 9:08 am
- Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada
That's right, attempt to sand evenly so you obtain a smooth surface and just remove the high spots. If you have applied enough epoxy you should be able to do this without hitting the cloth. Stop and clean/inspect the surface often. Some builders do the rough sanding with 120 grit paper then for the finer sanding they switch to wet sanding but either method will cut into the glass if you oversand. Take your time and don't be overstressed by this procedure.
- Glen Smith
- Posts: 3719
- Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 9:08 am
- Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada
- Patricks Dad
- Posts: 1476
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 1:11 pm
- Location: Warrenville, Illinois