Preview: Mastering Epoxy with Russell Brown, Part 8 – Fill Coating

29 Responses So Far to “Mastering Epoxy with Russell Brown, Part 8 – Fill Coating”

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  Ang Roberts says:

  can you fill coat with W/system 410 filler more than once if needed? If so, can you continue to hot coat the second coat and third fill coats or wait to cure between each fill coat? Also, I’m working with carbon fiber instead of fiberglass… does that make any difference related to my questions above?

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    Nate Rooks says:

    Hi Ang,

    Yes, you can do more than one fill coat. I don’t think you want to hot coat fill coats though, as you’ll be fairing after the fill coat (see Part 9).

    And as far as fill coats, you can use the same processes for carbon as fiberglass.

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  Alan Gideon says:

  You mentioned being able to add a second filler coat the next day if the weave is still visible. If doing so with that delay after the first coat, is it necessary to remove any blush by washing, or is that still within the time frame to not need that?

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  Ang Roberts says:

  1) When do you use microlite on a fill coat and when do you use just clear epoxy on a fill coat?
  2) On part #8 Did Russel wait till the previous coat completely hardened or did he apply within
  2-3 hours?
  I’m fiberglassing a rudder and centerboard and would like to know what’s the best procedure.

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    Nate Rooks says:

    Hi Ang –

    1) The fill coat should have some microlite filler in it. If you watch the next couple of videos in the series, you’ll see the fill coat allows fairing, and then you can do a “gloss coat,” which is just clear epoxy with no filler.

    2) I believe this fill coat was applied after the previous coat had cured, but it is possible to “hot coat” it.

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  eddie somers says:

  Very informative. I am soon going to be fill coating a 15 Ben Garvey I am building. I used 10 oz cloth so I am thinking maybe I should use a little thicker roller cover maybe 3/8 nap? I am also wondering if the 50% mix would work the same on heavier cloth? Thanks

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  Thomas Lanz says:

  Question on the mixing cups, I have considered using disposable plastic cups. If you are using coffee cups, is their any concern for contamination of whatever chemical the cup is lined inside with?

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    Nate Rooks says:

    Hi Thomas – it seems to be pretty common/acceptable practice to clean paper coffee cups and use them without concern for contamination. Maybe stay away from any that are egregiously stained, but it’s a much better proposition than going through plastic cups. Another concern is that most plastic cups I’ve seen do not have completely flat walls and bottoms – Russell insists on using flat-walled and -bottomed cups so that no resin or hardener has the chance to hide from the other and a full mix can be achieved.

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  Murray Irwin says:

  Wonderful series. Dumb question; cleaning rollers and brushes – any tips? I’ve tried with brushes and found vinegar is OK of the cheap brushes, but not much good with rollers. Using thinners still leaves a sticky mess – there’s got to be a better way?

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    Steve Stone says:

    Hi Murray. Good question, not dumb. I’ve never seen anyone try to keep rollers or brushes after using epoxy. Let them sit out overnight til they cure (so the curing/hot items don’t go in the trash bin with paper/shavings that can catch fire) then throw them all away. Thus the need to get chip brushes etc rather than expensive brushes.

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  John Jeffery says:

  Do you let the epoxy harden completely between coats? I thought it was better to apply the second coat while the epoxy was still slightly tacky.
  If hardened, do you have to sand between coats?

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    Nate Rooks says:

    Yes, to get good primary bonding, it’s best to hot coat, so applying the second coat after the initial cure but within 24 hours. Yes, if it fully cures, you’ll have to sand and prep between coats.

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  Roger Knight says:

  Excellent tutorial. Thank you.

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  James Turk says:

  Helpful series AND love to know where the mixing cups come from?

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    Nate Rooks says:

    Hi James –

    Most of Russell’s mixing cups are recycled, washed out coffee cups. To-go/soup containers from grocery stores also work well. You can also find similar flat-bottomed and -sided paper cups at some hardware, paint, and boat stores.

    He also cuts the rolled lip off for easier scraping.

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  Julian Kuffler says:

  A great way to learn and not spend any money on gas.

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  Anthony Skinner says:

  Is there an Episode 9?

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    Nate Rooks says:

    Anthony –

    There IS a Part 9 – it’s on gloss coating. It’s being edited and will be released soon.

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  Ronald Kerr says:

  Love the way you roll those hard edges around. I really struggle trying to not get bubbles I guess practice makes perfect 😊

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  john bade says:

  Where’s part 9?

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    Nate Rooks says:

    Hi John –

    Part 9 is being edited and will be released soon.

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  Michael Mittleman says:

  Russell, as always, another brilliant and information-packed episode. One point not clear from the videos is the length of working time available for a given task. For episode 8, there seems to be plenty of time to apply the fill-coat and then revisit with foam rollers. How long is that? Especially with the warm ambient temperature of your shop, i expect curing to set in fairly quickly.

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    Nate Rooks says:

    Michael – With the shop around 70 degrees, Russell was able to work with the fill coat for at least 10-15 minutes without any issues. It will probably go even longer, but he works to be very efficient and choose specific sections that can be completed in that timeframe.

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  Jeff Harding says:

  what hardner are you using for this part? love your videos

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    Nate Rooks says:

    Hi Jeff –

    Russell uses 207 for all of his projects due to the combination of working time, low amine blush, and clear-coat options.

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  Dan Merson says:

  Great series. Does 410 become transparent?

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    Nate Rooks says:

    Hi Dan,

    None of the fillers will be completely transparent.

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  Dick Bracken says:

  Great stuff. I was mesmerized.

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  John McCarthy says:

  Great series