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Author	Message Text
1JimD	03/29/2021 09:44PM   Any time you sand epoxy ? It will dull, just like if you sand Varnish. That haze will disappear once you add Varnish. Good Luck. Like Tom ! I'd be willing to help, if I lived closer !
CabSauv	03/29/2021 03:45PM   After glassing with three coats of epoxy I did some wet-sanding before adding another coat. After the initial sand with 120 grit the canoe acquired a haze that is proving difficult. What have I done? Thinking the haze might have be a result of scratching from the sandpaper, I followed the 120 grit with 220 and 440. The haze persists
tumblehome	03/29/2021 06:55PM   I’m going to interject here. Have you watched any videos on building a stripper or do you own any books on its construction? Some of these mistakes or questions do not arise with instruction before going through the steps. I’m not sure how you arrived at the finished stems of the canoe in your previous post. The haze in your epoxy is scratches and they disappear with varnish. There is no need to add a forth coat of epoxy after the third unless something went wrong with the epoxy job. At this point you are only adding weight. Do you live in MN? I’ll help you if you need it but you need to acquire some instructional media too. Tom
CabSauv	03/29/2021 08:41PM   Thanks Tom. Yes I’ve watched videos up the wazoo but not seen any mention of haze. Your experience is encouraging though I think I do need to add another coat as I have several areas where the fabric still shows if only in certain light. Also, there were a couple areas where epoxy hardened into small drips under the tumblehome. As I sanded these down tiny air pockets were exposed. It seems prudent to add a coat to fill these in. Am I thinking right about this? Yes I’m in MN but down near Winona. If you’re in the neighborhood I’d love a critical eye to guide me.
CabSauv	03/29/2021 08:55PM   I had meant to add a photo with my original pose. Here it is...
1JimD	03/29/2021 09:11PM   Most videos don't stress the importance of generously Filling the weave. If you wet out your cloth and added three Fill coats, with most epoxies you have enough to fill the weave.. Guessing you don't believe you have. Your option now, is to hand sand, stop when you see the weave, move to a different spot. If you don't notice a lot of weave ? Don't add anymore epoxy, as you will end up sanding most of it off. It won't add any strength ! Just Weight. If you still feel you need a coat ? Remove the dust, and wipe down with Acetone. Roll on a coat Then you will have to sand again Always add enough Fill coats to totally fill the weave on the outside. Add Fill coats , while the previous coat is still tacky, for the best bond, clearest finish, and fewest runs ! Waiting longer between fill coats ? Causes trouble down the line. Bit of advice . Don't walk away from your first Wet out coat, until it is just about tack free. That is when outgassing shows up. You need to be there to address them
Grizzlyman	03/30/2021 10:00AM   1JimD: " Bit of advice . Don't walk away from your first Wet out coat, until it is just about tack free. That is when outgassing shows up. You need to be there to address them " 100% on this. My last build bubbled like crazy. If I wasn’t there It would have looked like a bubble bath! I did it I January in a heated garage and my guess is it was a temperature differential between the wood and the air/epoxy.
tumblehome	03/30/2021 01:56PM   Out-gassing can be eliminated by raising the temp of the shop and the canoe before glassing. Just before you glass, allow the temp to level off or drop. This is especially important on the inside where the trapped air cannot escape anywhere except into the fresh epoxy. When I used to glass canoes, I would raise the temp of the shop to 75’ or more. When I was done glassing, the shop temp would have dropped to about 68’. If working in a garage, use a space heater to warm the place up and turn it off or regulate the temp with the heater to prevent it from rising again until at least 6 hours after the last coat is on. For anyone ready to glass a canoe, air temp is very important as well as the temp of your epoxy. It is designed and formulated for use at around room temp. Too cold and the epoxy is too thick, to hot and it sets-up too fast. I do like to warm up my epoxy a bit to let it flow and soak into the glass easily. Tom