Preview: How to Use Epoxy, Part 2 – Getting a Smooth Finish for Paint or Varnish

17 Responses So Far to “How to Use Epoxy, Part 2 – Getting a Smooth Finish for Paint or Varnish”

• 

  Tom Guhl says:

  I have a 12 ft bowsprit that I have just removed badly pealing Polyurethane (not 2 part) that lasted ~ 4 yrs and done by the previous owner. I believe the bowsprit is teak. I was thinking of coating with clear coat epoxy assuming that could be a long-lasting finishing coat. After watching many of these epoxy videos by Russell Brown & Eric Blake I more at a loss in how to proceed in protecting that timber with the minimalist work. I have a LOT of teak on this my boat (topside and below) and am not interested in being a slave to getting a high maintenance mirror Bristol finish. Most all my outside teak is now being maintained with Semco sealer.
  Suggestions in how to protect a teak bowsprit that doesn’t require stripping/refinishing every 2-5 years. Thanks for any guidance provided.

• 

  Stephen Feinstone says:

  I rolled and tipped exactly as you demonstrated leaving a very smooth surface. I came back an hour or two later to find very small bubbles all over the surface. What’s going on and how to prevent it?

• 

  John Brame says:

  And on epoxy dust again. As I am doing 2 or 3 epoxy coats on the spars before varnishing I decided to try wet and dry sandpaper between coats. Seemed to work well and no epoxy dust using water as the lubricant.

• 

  John Brame says:

  Excellent video and well presented. On the sanding issue again even doing a small sanding job for a short time ( 5 minutes or so ) the dust would get in my eyes and cause havoc. Sore eyes for a day or two. Did some research and found this helmet which sucks in air through a filter and pushes the filtered air down across your face. This process also eliminates fogging.The helmet is light enough to not feel cumbersome.

• 

  Hugh MacRae says:

  Great Video’s! I’ve rebuilt a Transom on a Sea Ox, built a Phil Bolger stitch & glue car topper and wish I had seen the video’s before I started the projects as I learned as I went along. They would have saved me a lot of time ,effort and sanding.

• 

  Chris Noto says:

  Thanks, Eric, for an informative and interesting video. I watched it last night, and put one of your techniques to work this afternoon! After some cleanup, sanding, puttying, and more sanding, I was brushing a first coat of primer on the inside bottom of my 35 year old Bolger Teal. I noticed a bit of crud in my otherwise smoothly brushed surface, and your “poke it with the brush” technique came to mind. It works a charm here in Atlanta, just like it does in Brooklin, Maine. Yay!

• 

  Bob Burk says:

  Thanks, really informative and timely. Appreciate the comments as well.

• 

  Paul Fitzgerald says:

  I always use a sharp cabinet scraper on epoxy, not sandpaper.
  Less dust, no clogging, great surface and easy to resharpen.

• 

  Ugo Polla says:

  Blush is a big issue for me. It can all but be eliminated if not significantly reduced by keeping shop temp close to 70 and humidity low. With these conditions Mas and Raka can eliminate blush. Also find it good practice to over coat epoxy only after it has cured for a week or so eliminating an possibility of paint-coating interacting with base coat epoxy. Also the “cured epoxy will fine dust sand much more readily not clog the sandpaper. Good series, the novice can learn much .

• 

  Sean Kelly says:

  I don’t think you stressed enough on how important it is to water wash to remove amine blush. It is imperative that you do this before sanding. In simply sanding the epoxy you risk leaving some amine, or just pushing it around, which may negatively affect subsequent bonding. 205 hardener can really blush. It’s just basic practice to water wash and scrub all fresh epoxy before you do anything else to it.
  Not sure what the point of using 1026 Sealer is. That sealer is intended to be absorbed into and seal wood fiber. Your wood is already sealed with epoxy. Might as well make your first coat varnish, it’ll build thickness faster.

  • 

    Eric Blake says:

    Hey Sean,
    You are correct. I have for the most part stopped using 205 hardener all together for this reason. I have switched to 207 for everything. It does blush after three days but, no epoxy
    is truely blush free, but at the pace we work we are well beyond those issues by then.
    While the 1026 sealer was just what I had on hand to demonstrate a clear finish, while it may seem pointless to use over epoxy, I often use it to give the wood a nice hue, as many of the varnishes we are using nowadays are virtually clear. These pieces aren’t meant to be everything you need to know as much as tips and techniques. Thanks for your input.

    • 

      Geoffrey Allan says:

      I get the point of your demo and this is slightly heading off in the wrong tack, but just out of interest and from your experience, would you get enough UV protection for the epoxy with the 1026 sealer? And you’ve found that 1026 to epoxy bonds okay? It represents quite a nice solution for some cases, hence the question.

• 

  Carolyn Harrington says:

  Hey Eric,great video.After using the West System building the “Babson” from Wooden Boats,we pretty much followed the example you gave except for the quick application of the second coat of 205.I hope I don’t sound like Dr. MOM, but sanding Epoxy is even worse than inhaling it.The microscopic sand that penetrates your pores or is inhaled will NEVER dissolve,pretty similar to asbestos fibers.The great Tom Morris,founder of Morris Yachts,died at a relatively early age,of, in my opinion,exposure to these carcinogens.Ya gotta watch that sand,man!

• 

  Jerry Julian says:

  Do you power sand similar to hand sanding? I am a model builder and work on smaller surfaces.

  • 

    Eric Blake says:

    Hey Jerry,
    Yes, the idea is to leave as much of the epoxy on the surface as possible and get a smooth finish.

• 

  Michael Seibert says:

  Excellent video – I wish I had seen it before barrier coating my Lightning. I have never had the nerve to re-coat epoxy before drying and sanding. I could have saved tons of time and effort using fast hardener and re-coating before it was dry. Since my deck project is coming soon, I am really looking forward to Part III.

• 

  John Bukowsky says:

  Very interesting. Learned a great deal from Part 1 & 2. Thank you for the educational series.