The "Sun Wind II" Vintage Marblehead High Flyer wooden sailboat is coming along swimmingly...
Today started off by sanding the first epoxy/fiberglass coat from yesterday.
No matter how careful you are with your squeegee, you'll have some sags, runs, drips, areas where the cloth floats, ripples, low spots, etc... They need to be sanded level.
Wash off the Amine Blush: Start by washing the hull. Most epoxies leave a film on the surface once they are dry. It's called an amine blush. It comes off easily with warm water, so get a wash cloth or small towel and rinse it in hot tap water. Ring it out and wipe down the hull. Rinse and repeat several times. Let dry, or blow dry if you're rushed.
Sand the Hull: I used 180 grit paper and sanded by hand so that the paper would conform to the curve of the hull. Got most of the high spots leveled down. The idea here is that you lower the high spots, runs, sags, drips, etc... and then paint on a second coat of epoxy to raise the low spots and fill the weave.
The next day you will then level that second coat and hope that the entire hull is now smooth. You might have to do a third coat. But don't freak out about added weight. You are sanding off some of the first coat, and most of the second (and possible third coats) so that in the end you really are left with one nicely built up coat and a smooth hull with no weave showing.
Yes, you will sand the final coat and leave it sanded. The epoxy should not be your outer layer, and you put will either varnish or paint over that sanded epoxy, both of which need some tooth to hang on to.
Here are some close-ups of my hull after the first sanding. You can clearly see high spots that have been sanded down, and low spots where the weave is still showing. Subsequent coats of epoxy should fill those low spots and will then be sanded flush to the hull by the final coat.
Next, I filleted in thickened epoxy at the hull/fin joint. This is only to conform with the Vintage Marblehead rules for the High Flyer division that say your garboards must have a 1" radius because that's how they were made back in the day. I'm not a fan of this rule, but whatever... I used epoxy thickened with phenolic powder, but micro-bubbles would probably be better because they lighten the weight of the epoxy. I suppose you could also use Bondo... tomorrow I will fair the fillet and then add more thickened epoxy only if needed.
Here's how it looks after the second coat of epoxy has been brushed on.
Tomorrow I'll lightly sand this second coat and see how fair the hull is. If needed, I'll add a third coat.
I also rounded over the bow piece and painted on some epoxy. Didn't wrap it in fiberglass cloth though... is that a mistake? Hmmm...?
Peace!
Today started off by sanding the first epoxy/fiberglass coat from yesterday.
No matter how careful you are with your squeegee, you'll have some sags, runs, drips, areas where the cloth floats, ripples, low spots, etc... They need to be sanded level.
Wash off the Amine Blush: Start by washing the hull. Most epoxies leave a film on the surface once they are dry. It's called an amine blush. It comes off easily with warm water, so get a wash cloth or small towel and rinse it in hot tap water. Ring it out and wipe down the hull. Rinse and repeat several times. Let dry, or blow dry if you're rushed.
Sand the Hull: I used 180 grit paper and sanded by hand so that the paper would conform to the curve of the hull. Got most of the high spots leveled down. The idea here is that you lower the high spots, runs, sags, drips, etc... and then paint on a second coat of epoxy to raise the low spots and fill the weave.
The next day you will then level that second coat and hope that the entire hull is now smooth. You might have to do a third coat. But don't freak out about added weight. You are sanding off some of the first coat, and most of the second (and possible third coats) so that in the end you really are left with one nicely built up coat and a smooth hull with no weave showing.
Yes, you will sand the final coat and leave it sanded. The epoxy should not be your outer layer, and you put will either varnish or paint over that sanded epoxy, both of which need some tooth to hang on to.
Here are some close-ups of my hull after the first sanding. You can clearly see high spots that have been sanded down, and low spots where the weave is still showing. Subsequent coats of epoxy should fill those low spots and will then be sanded flush to the hull by the final coat.
Next, I filleted in thickened epoxy at the hull/fin joint. This is only to conform with the Vintage Marblehead rules for the High Flyer division that say your garboards must have a 1" radius because that's how they were made back in the day. I'm not a fan of this rule, but whatever... I used epoxy thickened with phenolic powder, but micro-bubbles would probably be better because they lighten the weight of the epoxy. I suppose you could also use Bondo... tomorrow I will fair the fillet and then add more thickened epoxy only if needed.
Here's how it looks after the second coat of epoxy has been brushed on.
Tomorrow I'll lightly sand this second coat and see how fair the hull is. If needed, I'll add a third coat.
I also rounded over the bow piece and painted on some epoxy. Didn't wrap it in fiberglass cloth though... is that a mistake? Hmmm...?
Peace!
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