adla Posted April 21, 2004 Posted April 21, 2004 it was tonight or bust, eh? i am boOoked and busy until after saturday so the phone was turned off tonight and away i went on the other side of the boat... i want to share the pics (a more sober and serious me ... but not much) let me say that upon contemplating the possiblity of building a boat..the various builder websites really fired me up...i lurked here a bit and then *JUmPED* right in ~~~~ i share the following photos and the only disclaimer is that i'm not a gardner (don't look at the yard) and i am in so many of them because it is me that glasssssses the boatsie. all that aside....if this helps anyone at all the way other builder sites have helped me...then more power to the internet! 20 pumps of west system epoxy 3 times and 10 pumps twice (they have it all figured out at west) and the hull side was done in 45 minutes...i don't think the data is precise enough for a boat journal but it is a better estimate than my bleary sunday activity...and i use the slow hardner...always [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin] Quote
adla Posted April 21, 2004 Author Posted April 21, 2004 more [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin] Quote
adla Posted April 21, 2004 Author Posted April 21, 2004 still more...btw it got dark....here AGAIN (where is the sun when ya need it) [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin] Quote
adla Posted April 21, 2004 Author Posted April 21, 2004 more..i try to keep the pictures small enough..... [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin] Quote
adla Posted April 21, 2004 Author Posted April 21, 2004 fini [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin] Quote
Frank Hagan Posted April 21, 2004 Posted April 21, 2004 Excellent progress shots! I think they might give some the confidence that it really isn't that hard, as long as you prepare for it first and take it one step at a time. Quote
Barry Pyeatt Posted April 21, 2004 Posted April 21, 2004 Thank you Adla, that is a nice progression in photos. I think that almost anyone can see that it is possible to fit the fabric and spread the epoxy without a lot of hassle. Now then for review. What weight and width fabric did you use How much of it did you get? Is it too much, not enough, or just right? West system epoxy and slow hardner? What size batches and how many did it take per side? What did you use for spreading it? What was the temp range that you were working in? Don't mean to be redundant, but there are a lot of builders that find this step a little intimidating and some find it downright difficult as we have seen. And how is it in the light of day now that you have it glassed? So...what is the next step for you now with the glassing/epoxy? :? Quote
Fintan Murphy Posted April 21, 2004 Posted April 21, 2004 Adla, I'm still in awe of your progress. :shock: One question though, it appears from the pictures that you are not even wearing gloves when working with the epoxy? I know that you have a lot of experience with glass before, but I'm assuming it was polyester, and I don't know what adverse reactions can develop from that. I do know that you can build a hypersensitivity to epoxy, where even a small amount can break you out in a rash. There are a few weekender builders to whom this has happened. When I was doing the glassing, I wore a tyvec suit and gloves, and still got some on me, which caused a rash. Please be careful, and take a break, you're showing all the rest of us up! (four years and counting :roll: ) Quote
Greg Luckett Posted April 21, 2004 Posted April 21, 2004 I quit using the latex work gloves myself. Mostly because the darn things ripped and I ended up with more epoxy on me than when I do not use gloves and am more carefull. For large jobs, like glassing an entire hull, or hard to reach places, I wear heavier rubber gloves with felt liners that also cover about half of my forearm. Any epoxy that gets on my skin I immediately wipe off with a paper towel, then at the end of the batch I wash with GoJo and handsoap. This works good for me. I suppose if Adla is very carefull, she would not get much or any epoxy on her skin. I change squeegees and wood tools used for spreading when the wet/sticky epoxy builds up too much to keep it off of me. Quote
Charlie Jones Posted April 21, 2004 Posted April 21, 2004 I , on the other hand, never touch epoxy without gloves on. I work with the stuff EVERY day and it's my job. If I get sensitized, I'm screwed, so I wear gloves and an apron. I have quit with the latex gloves too though. I've been using some vinyl gloves from Walgreens. I think they are called "velvet-touch" but I can't recall. They are at the shop . They are a lot tougher than the latex gloves. Enough so that I can turn them inside out as I take them off, then when the epoxy has cured, turn them back right side out and use them again if I only did a small job. I've managed to use a single pair four or five times that way. Only for little jobs of course- if I've done major work I just dump 'em. Adla- 45 minutes huh? NOW you see how I did the entire hull of a 22 footer in a day and a half Looks like very nice smooth work. Congrats. Quote
Greg Luckett Posted April 21, 2004 Posted April 21, 2004 Gee, maybe because I grew up on Galveston Bay, swimming for hours in the polluted water and breathing all the chemicals from the surrounding plants that I am immune to epoxy effects. I miss the smell of the polyester stuff.....makes me homesick when I do smell it. When doing NBC warfare training in the Navy the gas training did not bother me much either..... :roll: Everyone else was puking and crying and I was wondering what the heck? Quote
Greg Luckett Posted April 21, 2004 Posted April 21, 2004 You know of course that I am joking? :wink: Quote
adla Posted April 21, 2004 Author Posted April 21, 2004 it isn't that i don't have gloves....i do somewhere...a whole package of them and when i work with the mat glass i use them. i think you can see from the photos that i was well up on the spreader and tried pretty hard to keep the epoxy on the cloth and not me. My other hand held the cup from the bottom so i could keep a hand/eye on what the epoxy was doing. a couple of times i was movin' a bit slow and i don't change cups for each batch (wild and crazy gal) so, i could feel it tryin' to heat up and go off...at which time i got it OUT of the cup and on the top and spread it around...nothing sets epoxy off faster than more epoxy that is trying to do the same. I've never had a skin sensitivity to it (but i can't eat shellfish) But back to why i didn't wear gloves: 1) i probably just forgot 2) epoxy only got on the finger tips of the right hand 3) they don't make mini gloves and i have a hard time getting anything done in gloves 4 times the size of my hand It isn't that i am trying to recommend my methods...i am quite used to epoxy/resins and the sensitivity to their little natures and you can't get that from photos or what i am saying is that i can't share how or when the stuff starts to turn on the person applying it. If this process is given some thought and planning though i think this should be a less intimidating step. I would tell a person who was glassing for the first time that gloves are a good idea and that they should use a different cup for each batch but pretty much everything else is the same and this includes tack cloth... when i used to work in the welding shop someone had to buy me (and i don't know where they found them) long leathers that were made for a child...because the gloves and stuff that were in the shop just flopped around on my hands and i couldn't really work in them....when things say one size fits most ~ they aren't talkin' about me. a. Quote
Greg Luckett Posted April 21, 2004 Posted April 21, 2004 Adla, I know what you mean about gloves not fitting well. My hands are large and most of the gloves are one size fits all, or made in China where people have small hands (and hat sizes), so the Large is really too small for me. I have had similar problems with shoes too. I try to avoid anything made in the East Asia area due to bad experiences with sizing not being what is advertised. For instance, my shoes come from countries in Europe, where people are closer to my sizes. Come to think of it, unless your body size is very small, you should be able to find some good rubber gloves at the grocery store...the kind for doing scrubbing or dishes. In any case, thanks for all the great pictures and sharing your experiences with us. Quote
Bob Taylor Posted April 21, 2004 Posted April 21, 2004 Oh, I remember those days!!! Mix a batch of epoxy, set it down to answer the phone, watch it catch on fire. Good times!! You've done a nice job there and your efforts will be rewarded soon. The first sail removes from your mind all of the more unpleasant aspects of boat building. The sticky fingers, splinters, sanding dust EVERYWHERE, expense (time/money), etc. I assure you, the memories of the "not so fun" activities will fade quickly and you'll be consumed with wanting to get out on the water. People will go out of their way to come over and ask you about your new gem. The key is to not slow down!!! Your at a phase now where things start coming together really fast. Plan, execute, assess progress, press on!!!! Quote
adla Posted April 21, 2004 Author Posted April 21, 2004 Barry asked: What weight and width fabric did you use i used 5 oz cloth How much of it did you get? Is it too much, not enough, or just right? i think it was something like 15 yards? Not enough to finish the inside but just about EXACTLY what i needed for the hull bottom ~ i'll find the receipt and revisit this question West system epoxy and slow hardner? i used the 105 epoxy and 206 hardner...i can think of only a couple of applications where i might use a faster hardner but they don't include big jobs. What size batches and how many did it take per side? small batches and one side seemed to suck up the epoxy more than the other...so it was a bit different for both sides. What did you use for spreading it? Plastic BONDO (brand) spreader & a little cheap brush for slopping it on the sides What was the temp range that you were working in? 60's probably...ish Quote
Dave R1 Posted April 21, 2004 Posted April 21, 2004 Adla, you make my head spin. You're doing a great job and I appreciate that you are documenting it with so many photos. It also looks like you're having fun. Keep it up. Quote
adla Posted April 21, 2004 Author Posted April 21, 2004 Barry these are for U here are some morning after pics...lOOks like a bIG moth landed on the wet epoxy *gross* :x and the one side is a bit dryer than the other (i ran out of epoxy just after finishing...hehehe) but it is saturated and will get a quick sand and second coat anyways...i plan on using kevlar on the chines and keel bottom...and then when i get it in the water i plan on running in to things.... that way when i really do...i can say i planned it. [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin] Quote
Steve Tarry Posted April 21, 2004 Posted April 21, 2004 Adla, you are an inspiration. Tell me, though, all you glass experts out there... What do you do with the bits of fabric at the bottom of the photos? Do you wrap them around while things are still wet or trim them off once things get hard and cover the edges when glassing the top? If so, are they difficult to trim? I've never done glassing and this step (as Barry suggested) does have me a bit concerned waaaayyyy in advance of need. Quote
Barry Pyeatt Posted April 21, 2004 Posted April 21, 2004 When the epoxy begins to set, you take a box (utility) knife with a fresh new blade and just zip it off. It leaves a very nice clean cut edge to it. If you wait until it sets up completely you have a mess when you try to cut and pull it loose. Makes for a lot more work....sanding, shaping, filling, sanding, more sanding, etc. Just becertain that you don't pull the cloth away from the plywood while doing this. Cut and then pull the waste material away. This isn't all that difficult to do. A lot more is made of it than needs to be. It is a new experience and a new "skil" to learn. Not a major challenge. REALLY! :roll: Quote
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