Big project that will pay big dividends. I'm going to be taking delivery of my friend's Amphitrite in the next couple of months in Grenada. We'll keep an eye out for you guys 🤙
The resin is cured, it's gumming up your sand paper because it is laminating resin (no wax). It stays tacky until it's sealed from the air. This resin is used to allow multiple laminating sessions without sanding in between. To get the resin to cure to a hard finish, you need to seal the surface with either a layer of polyester with wax (flow coat) or PVA.
Good work brother, I appreciate your attention to detail. I’m curious as to why you didn’t alternate between woven and chop though? If you saved the math you could have engineered plans drawn up and sold them online 👍🏼
1. if you plan to laminate layers buy poly that doesn’t have wax in it (maybe you actually used that and you actually had a laminting surface and thats why your sandpaper gummed up). If you use poly without a wax you end up with lamminating surface and don’t need to sand for next layer. Only use finishing resin or better yet finishing gelcoat on the last coat to completely cure. Benefit of using gelcoat with wax is that you will end up with flatter surface. 2. it takes a ton of microbaloones or any filler material to make a fairing compound >>>mix multiple smaller batches of resin and add the filler to it 3. When you activated the resin with hardener spread it on the surface to extend the working time don’t leave it in the pot for it to accumulate the heat. I’m surprised that you haven’t encountered any “smoking pots” because how you are doing things
Thank you for the great tips, regarding the 3rd, are you saying not to mix in hardener but just "paint" it on surface then spread the faring mixture? If yes then I'll try a test patch since faring is my next job here. Also I'll be on the look out for wax additive, can that also be added to the faring to aid in a sandable surface? Thank you very much.
With regards to #3. You do need to add the hardener. But mix up smaller batches, then apply. Once I mixed up a larger batch of epoxy in a paper cup, it started to flash and smoke. I could hardly hold onto the cup because of the heat. I was down in my cabin doing g reinforcing. I had to throw the cup outside on the ground. The next day when inspecting my patch, the heat of the epoxy had lifted the glass off the hull. I dont know if that may be part of the reason your glass work had the air underneath. Did you feel any heat from your container when you were applying the resin? Anyway, great to see it's taking shape! Cheers!
@Richard-nb4iv the pot didn't get hot but I know what you mean. On the first batch of epoxy that I mixed while fixing our keel that happened and lost most of it. For the most part using poly I get enough work time by using very little MEK due to the hot climate.
Cool project! :) We're right next door in Peake. I tip my hat to you for doing a big project like that in this heat :)
Cool, stop by & say hi. The heat was the hardest obstacle hands down. Thank goodness for the Christmas winds helping. Last month was brutal.
Big project that will pay big dividends. I'm going to be taking delivery of my friend's Amphitrite in the next couple of months in Grenada. We'll keep an eye out for you guys 🤙
Great, sorry for late response, some messages got lost haha.
Great progress
Thank you
The resin is cured, it's gumming up your sand paper because it is laminating resin (no wax). It stays tacky until it's sealed from the air. This resin is used to allow multiple laminating sessions without sanding in between. To get the resin to cure to a hard finish, you need to seal the surface with either a layer of polyester with wax (flow coat) or PVA.
Thank you for the great advice, I'm looking for those products.
The resin here has no product lable, just the name of marina store printed lol.
Good work brother, I appreciate your attention to detail. I’m curious as to why you didn’t alternate between woven and chop though?
If you saved the math you could have engineered plans drawn up and sold them online 👍🏼
I do only on the top side, thanks for watching.
1. if you plan to laminate layers buy poly that doesn’t have wax in it (maybe you actually used that and you actually had a laminting surface and thats why your sandpaper gummed up). If you use poly without a wax you end up with lamminating surface and don’t need to sand for next layer. Only use finishing resin or better yet finishing gelcoat on the last coat to completely cure. Benefit of using gelcoat with wax is that you will end up with flatter surface.
2. it takes a ton of microbaloones or any filler material to make a fairing compound >>>mix multiple smaller batches of resin and add the filler to it
3. When you activated the resin with hardener spread it on the surface to extend the working time don’t leave it in the pot for it to accumulate the heat. I’m surprised that you haven’t encountered any “smoking pots” because how you are doing things
Thank you for the great tips, regarding the 3rd, are you saying not to mix in hardener but just "paint" it on surface then spread the faring mixture? If yes then I'll try a test patch since faring is my next job here. Also I'll be on the look out for wax additive, can that also be added to the faring to aid in a sandable surface? Thank you very much.
With regards to #3. You do need to add the hardener. But mix up smaller batches, then apply. Once I mixed up a larger batch of epoxy in a paper cup, it started to flash and smoke. I could hardly hold onto the cup because of the heat. I was down in my cabin doing g reinforcing. I had to throw the cup outside on the ground.
The next day when inspecting my patch, the heat of the epoxy had lifted the glass off the hull.
I dont know if that may be part of the reason your glass work had the air underneath.
Did you feel any heat from your container when you were applying the resin?
Anyway, great to see it's taking shape!
Cheers!
@Richard-nb4iv the pot didn't get hot but I know what you mean. On the first batch of epoxy that I mixed while fixing our keel that happened and lost most of it. For the most part using poly I get enough work time by using very little MEK due to the hot climate.