Glass'en in the rain... Now what?

[Carl]

Soooo...

Work on Monday started a bit tough...but in the end we finished up ahead of schedule.
I took the opportunity to get down to the boat to glass the Starboard strut pad in and maybe complete the port side, it was already set in, just needed a sanding then top laminate.

Hull was already prepped...but gave an alcohol wipe, a once over with sandpaper, a quick vacuum and a final damp wipe.

Thin coat to hull and pad with straight mixed epoxy.
Did the Capt Patrick secret thickened vermiculite mix, spread with notched trowel on the backing pad.
Made up a second batch, spreading it out on the hull when I felt this uneasy cold feeling...it was drizzling!

Sunny sky with one dark cloud straight up.

What to do, what could I do? I slapped the pad down in place pushed and pushed till the sides oozed, wiped what I could.
No more cloud, no more rain...I cleaned up and went home.

Soooo - -

Do I leave?

Do I pull up and start over?


Obviously if it pulls up I have to pull up and start over.
My concern is if it feels solid...do I leave.
I know the deck was wet...so the epoxy was also wet on the pad..the hull part, I was pretty much over it so it stayed dry.

[mike ohlstein]

If it's not tacky after 24 hours (maybe 36), it's fine. Cured is cured. If it is tacky, it has to be removed and re-done. Uncured is never going to cure.... Moisture is definitely an enemy but even more important is temperature. If something like that was to happen again, the immediate solution is to apply heat which will aid in the cure by maintaining the temperature and dry the surface at the same time. Keep a hair drier (not a heat gun) or two handy.

[mike ohlstein]

I saw that cloud. I was at the Cyclones game.....

[CamB25]

Are you glassing over the pad? The strut is thru-bolted through this pad, correct? If so, it probably doesn't matter.


https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs ... /app.20195

[Carl]

Are you glassing over the pad? The strut is thru-bolted through this pad, correct? If so, it probably doesn't matter.


https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs ... /app.20195

Yes, glassing over, a backing plate on top, then though bolting.

My concern is if it didn't set up and cure I'd have a gooshy pocket (technical term) as the strut pad bridges over the center portion, center being where the strut gets bolted...top and bottom of pad rest on the heavily built up sections of the stringers with a lil gap in the center that's supposed to be epoxy filled.


Thanks for link

[Carl]

I saw that cloud. I was at the Cyclones game.....

Oh sure you saw it and didn't call to let me know???
That was mean...guess that's why your mean team leader.

Guess I should be glad, it was just enough of a drizzle to just about wet out everything...but at the end of the Island where I live it poured for a minute or so with puddles. Bright clear sky when I got there.



Blow dryer-- Didn't have one of those around. But even if I did...heat the open epoxy? How would I know it was dry? Or sandwich and heat back...but 1" double layers ply....I don't see heat getting through it too well.

I was unprepared...I thought about scraping the epoxy off...but didn't have a place to put it...only two rags.

[mike ohlstein]

What you don't want..... is to allow the epoxy to get too cold (or too hot) while it's trying to cure. So a cold rain is not good. In areas with high humidity, cure times can become extended as well. A little warm air blowing on any exposed epoxy (or polyester, or gelcoat) is never a bad thing unless it's already 95 degrees and you don't have any 'slow' hardener. Four years as a multi-manufacturer authorized tub & shower repair guy talking here.....

So you can sometimes save an under-catalyzed batch by adding external heat. An over-catalyzed batch will be brittle and can't be saved. If there's smoke coming out of your mixing cup, start over.

Give what you did a day. If it's tacky, it needs to go. You can't save it by putting more epoxy over it. If it's soft, it will never harden. If you can poke your fingernail into it without leaving a mark, you're good.

[Carl]

I knew about being hot it cures faster...cold slower. I did not know about high humidity slowing it down too...
That explains why on the hotter day I still had a slow cure...I was dripping from the humidity and rushing to lay it up quick. But that was polyester for the exhaust reducers which really sets up quick.

I'll pass by boat later and see what it feels like. I can only test from around the sides as its the goop between the hull and pad.

Thanks

[Joseph Fikentscher]

You can always drill a hole and check for cure, then fill it in.

[Carl]

You can always drill a hole and check for cure, then fill it in.

Good point...guess I can drill them sooner then later and really find out.
I already have location as I plugged the old holes in bottom with squeezy earplugs as I had struts lined up perfect.

[Brandon33]

I would drill a couple of holes and see what you’ve got. Chances are it’s all good. Another thing I personally would do is run screws with washers through the existing holes into the backer from underneath to really suck it down to the hull and squeeze out any and all air. Just coat the screws in wax so if any epoxy makes it’s way to them they don’t stick to it. Same technique works for re coring decks and stringers. If you’re bedding things with polyester or vinylester some 1/4 chop added with the cabosil really adds some strength. Another thing to add is when you’re thickening epoxy or any resin for bedding, keep in mind that it’ll kick faster than if it’s just strait. Which is working to your advantage in this scenario.

[Carl]

Thanks for all the advice.

Side ooze set up perfectly.
Drilling the strut holes out produced nice dry chips, nothing soft or gooey inside.

I think they call that dodging a bullet, I'm not usually that lucky.

Sanded it all down and got a layer of cloth over it..


I'll toss shafts in tomorrow, install struts and we move onto glassing in the shaft logs.
Maybe...think I'll tweak motor placement first. I'd like to adjust so I can keep one spare shaft...right now one motor is forward a hair, the others back a tad. That means 2 spares and I'd rather not.

[Tony Meola]

Carl

One thing Mike did not mention, holding an electric hair dryer in rain can lead to a shocking experience. I think Mike is out to get you.

[Carl]

Carl

One thing Mike did not mention, holding an electric hair dryer in rain can lead to a shocking experience. I think Mike is out to get you.

Not to mention the only hair dryer I have access to is my wives. Taking hers to use on the boat, for fiber glassing...well lets say electrocution sounds like a better way to go.


...guess I could use my daughters, but hot pink.
Toss up there, my wife, electrocution...or the guys seeing me working with a hot pink blow dryer.



Tony- Mikes not the leader of the mean team for nothing...ruthless and diabolical in his seemingly clever, helpful ways.

[mike ohlstein]

[Carl]

LOl...

...is that a tub of uncured resin??

[Yannis]

Can you even get electrocuted with 110v?
Perhaps zzzzz’d a bit but really in danger?
We all here have 220v...that’s true danger.

[Carl]

Can you even get electrocuted with 110v?
Perhaps zzzzz’d a bit but really in danger?
We all here have 220v...that’s true danger.

I'm not sure and don't want to find out.

[Yannis]

I agree.

[scot]

I agree with Mike.. "cured is cured". If it sets to non-tacky you are good. In the future, keep a trash bag or some plastic wrap around when you are glassing on cloudy days. If it looks like rain, lay the plastic over the uncured epoxy. Once cured, the plastic will peel right off.

Good luck.

[Tony Meola]

Can you even get electrocuted with 110v?
Perhaps zzzzz’d a bit but really in danger?
We all here have 220v...that’s true danger.

Yannis

It is actually the amps that kill you, so yes 110 can kill you. Usually it gives you a pretty good jolt, at least from what I have experienced. But if you have a weak heart, all bets are off for any voltage. By the way if you really want to have a really good electrifying experience, try grabbing a spark plug wire while the engine is running.

[Carl]

[quote="Tony] By the way if you really want to have a really good electrifying experience, try grabbing a spark plug wire while the engine is running.[/quote]


Tony - I had HEI in my car for several years..always adjusted the timing with every tuneup with my hand over the distributor going a little clockwise, counterclockwise.

Rebuilt the motor with sisters boyfriend...his dad was a high end boat motor guy...anyway. We put motor in and he's about to adjust timing..but reluctant...tells me he always gets shocked....what ?? I put my hand on to adjust and wa wa woom! Shocked like hell. And every time after...

[Yannis]

I have tried the spark plug trick, Tony, and I still remember it!

[DanielM]

110vac can and will kill you.

My little sister lost a good friend due to a short on a wet dry vac when she was about 24 years old. When I first started working with 110vac the training I received said more people die from 110vac than the higher voltages. They attributed it to prevalence, complacency, and the fact that most work 220vac and above is done by skilled tradesmen. I have no idea if that is true but I try my best to respect it.

I did tangle with 110vac once in my HVAC days. Cut into a hot wire. It obviously didn’t kill me but I did drop multiple ‘F’ bombs and throw my side cutters as hard as I could while I had my little cussing fit….then I had to climb down the 3 stack roll around scaffold and walk across the very full car dealership to pick my side cutters. Then walk back to the scaffold, climb back up and go back to work while everyone silently watched me. Kind of embarrassing.

Anyway my point is, be very careful. Depending on how well you are grounded, the path the voltage travels, and the available amperage, 110vac can be deadly.

Carl, thanks for all your posts. I enjoy watching your progress. Keep at it.

When I glassed in the front windows on my boat it started raining pretty hard on us and we had a few guys hold up a tarp over us as we finished glassing under the tarp in the rain. That was about 15 years ago and it still looks fine, so I’m with the “cured is cured” group. I was using polyester resin so YMMV but you should be good.