Tim Diebert

Well now that you are all warmed up and in the groove for answering stupid questions...here's one for ya. I will want to put two sets of reef points into my high end nasa quality poly tarp main. My plan WAS to sew in some sort of reinforcing for the grommets. I did have two rows of reefing in my main last year, but only backed up the grommets with lotza duct tape...they burned out in no time. I did a ton of reefed main sailing last year...a very windy year and am hoping for another this year. We have one of those extra excellent Pfaff commercial machines here (one of the nicest things we own) but it is a straight stitch no zigg zaggin. Could we sew something in there that will work? HA!! I love this, asking a high quality professional sail maker how to make poly sails. HAhahahahah. Sorry. :oops: I absoflaminlutly guarendamntee that when I get a real main I will be coming to you PJ. I am thinking of changing the sail plan shape some and want to experiment with the poly version first before comitting to a biaxial radial kevlar carbon fibre gaff racing sail. So...type on dude...type on.

It has been 15 years since I worked (for a living) on boats...other than building my own and fixing my own that is....I have never used 5200, I just assumed it was a bedding compound, not an adhiesive. Thanks for telling me. That pictorial essay would be cool Ed. (Plus we get to see airplanes ) Good advice on the product names etc. Anything aircraft related is always the best stuff. Sikaflex is a pretty common item from most chandlers I would suspect. Although, being a dry lander (lake sailer)these days I have to mail order all that stuff. Hey Nelson T....anybody in sunny Spokane sell good polysulphides? I get down there now and again.

Have you got a fav compound Ed? You use that two part stuff? Thiocol That stuff if wonderful for decks. Agreed on the contrasting color plan. Done that too. I guess 50 years of doing this has taught you a few things eh? I was brought up in the airforce...Dad was an airframe mech for a while...ended up flight engineer on 707's. I miss the smell of a hanger. I heard Sika came up with a deck seam compound...in a tube. I gotta get some of that for some hatches I am building....or I should say will be building.....soon.

Well....I had mostly just cruised this place for the longest time...then decided to speak up now and again. But I have watch this groovy place for a good long time (The BYYB board bugs me somehow...). I can tell you that you three here have brought more folks out of the woodwork (uh hum) and even the last 3 days have been much busier with new threads more banter etc. A week or two ago seemed there was not a new thing at all for a whole day or more. I could be my imagination though...I had one of those misspent youths...and most of adulthood tool.....well, actually it never stopped. :infinity: It is :arrow: aweflaminsome :idea: to have :!: you all here!!!! :shock: :shocked!:

My favorite is Sikaflex...when I can't get Boatlife. I am sure it is NOT available in clear...but what do I know? The idea is own the colors that match your surfaces that you will be bedding to. On anything through bolted I use a cotton wicking on bolts before bedding...below the water line use a wicking for sure. Silicone has no place on a boat IMHO. You will find most boat builders (or any wood workers for that matter) will run you off their property if you are found using it. It contaminates a surface and does not allow for surface films to cure properly. I have seen fish eye and cratering (severe) just from a trace (from a finger tip) of silicone on a surface I was finishing. And you can't just hope the next coat will be fine...you have to strip what finish is on there and even resand the wood (if that is what is contaminated). Fun. For this reason you should never spray Armourall (or like products)on anything that may be near a surface that might be finished one day. The old shipwright I used to work for would yell at boat owners that brought the stuff into the shop. Old Ron was not a mellow dude. I watch him come close to throwing a boat owner (his client, a judge no less) into the drink off the work float one day. My co-worker got there first and subdued the old bugger. (Ron was almost 80 at the time and could do a full days corking(Caulking)...and beat most 40 years old in an arm wrestle.) Ed's advice is perfect...minimize the sqeeze out with masking tape, scoop up most of it then wipe the rest with a rag and light thinners. Jake. All your fitting added to the boat (cleats, pad eyes, cannons, radar) should be bedded in a proper material...NOT SILICONE. Your fingerboard. DOAH silly silly fellow. Simple shrinkage my friend. Both the neck wood and fingerboard NEED to be quartersawn. All my wood spends a good deal of time in my climate controlled storage room so that every single piece on every guitar is the same EMG before construction. Some call it seasoning. Equilibrium Moisture Content. It is as dry as it is ever going to get in THAT environment. Ideally...you should have stored (or seasoned) for a year or so) your (perfect edgegrain)material in the very room that guitar was to spend it's evenual days. Then all would be perfectness. :angel: If your neck still fits the pocket...or close enough, just resand and re-fair the neck...may need some fret ends re-done as well. Hopefully it is not too severe. You can call me anytime you need to know anything about this stuff. Numbers on my website.

Jake Old Chap. Silly Cone has no place on a boat...and you in the middle of paint and varnish!! Tisk tisk. Toss that stuff and get ye some polysulphide of some description. Boatlife, Sikaflex or 5200... whatever. Cleans up with regular thinners, so it won't effect the finish below. Take it from a chap that has bedded hundreds of fittings on boats of all descriptions.

DAMN that Craig! Does he not realize the seriousness of this situation!? Give me his phone number...and that Ed guy too! I'll tune these blokes up! :2gunfire: :shocked!: :scatter:

Nautical Nooky of course :wink:

Don't do it PJ!!!! (have another beer instead)

...ya, and what JO said (she likes my avatar)

Welcome to the Messy Forum Dingo Dude! It is such an honor to have such a highly esteemed forumolator in our midst. I am sure you will add much color and content to this very laid back...dare I say...somewhat conservative crowd. I find Frank new forum format wonderful...clear, easy (once you get the hang of it) and MUCH faster than the old one. Another reason I like this forum is many of the posters are in my time zone. Sometimes, for a simple fella like me, it makes things easier. So have you figured out when you are coming to BC yet? Or did you not notice my ivitation on the weather thread over on WBF? Things are a bit slowish here right now, be patient...we can start a rucuss of some sort I am sure... WELCOME

...you know, the shiney white kind.

Man......way to go PJ. It is nifty having an expert to fill in the blanks. So, you are saying then...that this high end poly stuff I am playing with has no direction then...to the scrim? There is no 'better' way to orient the sail when cutting? In other words....pathetic loosers like me ...that use poly...are doomed? That's a pile of typin for an early Wednesday morning Bub. Thanks for the info. Fascinating stuff.

...I not entirely sure there Ed....but them might be fightin words.

I can relate to that one Frank. I love those 'chop jobs'. The same guy in my photo essay got me that way. I sent him a picture of me playing a new guitar I made for myself. He sent it back with his head on my body...with MY new guitar. :roll:

I guess it turns out I have too much time on my hands. Can't imagine why. It seems like the only thing I do is work. Anyway, here's this. Seeing as how my funny mug (specially those crazy eyes) has made a monor topic of discussion on this wonderful forum, I thought I would share with you the origin of that image (my first avatar). I had just discovered how to take my own picture with this new (used) digital camera we just bought. I emailed that googly eyed image to a good friend in L.A. He is quite a clown and we do have some fun at times. Oh, I should mention he is also a client and currently has five of my instruments and one more on order. (the best kind of friend) Anyway....he also got a new digicam and the war was on. I should mention that my buddy H works in the movie biz and has lots of props. http://www.timtone.com/NuttyPeople.jpg[/url]

....just for Jo.

Wow. That fella had a lot to say...but seemed to forget to say just exactly what the 'scrim' direction should be....and how a poly sail should be made. I will be replacing my poly main this year...with another poly main, but am graduating to a 'real' headsail cut down from an old jib a friend gave me this winter. I know Paul is in the real sail business, and if I had some real money he would be the man to get it...but I am wondering if he will enlighten us with his oh so infinite wisdom on all things Poly. (looking for another avatar to irritate further) :vamp:

I once said to a sailing buddy of mine, "at least you don't have to pay all those taxes buried in our fuel costs for your sail boat." He told me in return that the government was trying to come up with a way to tax sailboats...using the sail area as a guideline. :evil: I thought it was bad in Canada for taxes...having to pay a tax on your own labor is beyond reason. ...but then again, I don't live in Bagdad...so maybe it's not so bad after all.

The Isetta is my favorite mini car. I have owned 4 Austin Minis. One was a Country Estate Wagon. 850. I have a little modified and turbo charged 3 cylinder car right now that I love...but then, that is kind of off topic now...idnt it.

Old Googly Eyes.....THE BIG VERSION Just for Fintan. I just don't see what all the fuss was about

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A rare a beautiful thing indeed! These tiny older 'mini' cars have seen a resurgence in popularity and collectability in recent years haven't they Gordy? Man, there are a lot of them too! I was reading a web site a short while ago where all the members of this club had little old wee cars. Fascinating. I think North America is heading for its time of wee cars...the days of cheap gas are going bye bye