Cypress again

In Memory of Vicroy · Post by **In Memory of Vicroy** » Sep 16th, '07, 16:54

Just sanded out the bubbles and put another coat of epoxy on....mo bubbles and the heat gun won't get rid of them. So I'll have to sand out this coat too.....how about if I cut the final coat pretty good with alcohol (or something else) to thin it so the bubbles will rise & pop??????

UV, tiring of this......

In Memory Walter K · Post by **In Memory Walter K** » Sep 16th, '07, 18:39

Vic-I don't know if this helps, but when building rods, one of the things you do when mixing the 2-part flexcote is to let the mixture sit for a short while before applying. The wait allows the bubbles created while mixing, to rise and pop on their own. You still will probably need the heat gun (what I use), but you start off with much less. I also wouldn't hesitate to hit the surface of the epoxy while waiting with the heat gun to expedite the de-bubbling process. Walter

Charlie · Post by **Charlie** » Sep 16th, '07, 19:05

UV the bubbles may be coming from the air in the grain of the wood. I have seen wood blow big bubbles. If the wood warms as the epoxy cures the air in the grain expands. Try epxoying the wood in the late afternoon as the day is getting cooler. Works much better.

In Memory of Vicroy · Post by **In Memory of Vicroy** » Sep 16th, '07, 19:10

Walter, thanks....I did that, but the bubbles seem to come from the brush. One problem might be that I'm using the real slow 209 hardener 'cause I had some left over from the hatch project. I am probably the world's most pitiful painter to make matters worse. I'll get a finer hair brush tomorrow, and maybe some foam brushes, try thinning it. If that don't work.........maybe try to polish it out with some rubbing compound and the orbital buffer. A shame, 'cause but for the bubbles it looks great.

UV

In Memory of Vicroy · Post by **In Memory of Vicroy** » Sep 17th, '07, 16:17

Update.....steel wooled out yesterday's air bubbles, put another coat on this time with a $12 china brush and cut the epoxy about 25% with denatured alcohol.....still some bubbles, but not as bad, plus the bubbles responded this time to the heat gun real well. I'm doing this in my shop in the a/c, say 75 degrees all the time.

Anyway, this is the final coat, plan to let it cure for a couple of days then buff out with the 3M compound & wax and declare victory. Looks plenty good for government work.....

Thanks for all the help, Faithful.

UV

CaptPatrick · Post by **CaptPatrick** » Sep 17th, '07, 19:42

Vic,

Glad you didn't ignite the project! Be careful trying to polish epoxy...

Epoxy is a soft surface, even after it's fully cured for a long time, & won't stand up well to the frictional heat of a buffer. Likey to goo up & drag in compound & lint. Mellofhess!

Wet sanding through 1000 grit & hand waxing might give you better results...

Br,

Patrick

In Memory of Vicroy · Post by **In Memory of Vicroy** » Sep 17th, '07, 19:50

Thanks for giving me the courage to just declare victory and end this debacle, Ole Fart. I'm doing it for Mr. Bill & Miss Janie next door to the camp, and it be done, done, done......let it cure for a day or two, grind off the drips on the underside, and deliver it to them Friday morning with a drum roll. No polishing needed, it looks just fine.

The enemy of good is better.

UV

capy · Post by **capy** » Sep 18th, '07, 10:18

UV,

I'm a day late and a dollar short, but if you ever do it again, this worked real well for me.... I cast some seahorses and shells in some casting epoxy once as gifts. This stuff had a pot life of 1.5 hours

After mixing the epoxy in a wide mouth bowl, I put a lid with a 3/4 thru hull on it and sucked on the mix with a vacuum cleaner......then before application I chilled it in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Never had a bubble.

In Memory of Vicroy · Post by **In Memory of Vicroy** » Sep 18th, '07, 13:29

Paul, thought about doing something to vacuum it, never thought about doing it that way. Well, may try it, since last night a damn bug of some sort walked around on my "final" finish. How long did you let the shop vac suck on it?

UV

In Memory of Vicroy · Post by **In Memory of Vicroy** » Sep 18th, '07, 14:55

OK, got the Coonass vacuum de-bubbler assembled....quart glass jar, a plastic transmission funnel all cleaned up with a foam gasket out of an old outdoor light fixture in the big end, fits perfect over the top of the jar, then the shop vac hose fits perfect over the little end.....time to steel wool out the old bubbles and bug tracks, then suck some epoxy....don't even think I'm gonna thin it....the man who invented the bunker buster bomb has my trust...let ya'll know after while.

UV

In Memory of Vicroy · Post by **In Memory of Vicroy** » Sep 18th, '07, 17:10

Well, utter failure....guess the bubbles are somehow coming out of the wood, even with boucoup layers of epoxy on it. I bz done, gonna steel wool it out tomorrow, hand polish and wax. I got better things to do than finish off a thrown away slab of cypress.

UV

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Cypress again

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