I have been doing thin coats with a foam roller on my Chesapeake 16lt but I still have areas with unfilled weave. I have been scuffing the hull after each coat other than the last which I put on after 2 hours while still tacky (according to the “cotton ball test”). My questions are do I just scuff the unweaved areas or the whole surface and do it use a chip brush or a foam roller. Thanks.
I would not bother scuffing if its been less than 72 hours…
Fwiw, its also not uncommon if doing careful, thin fill coats to have a phase where it will become spotty and some spots will appear filled and some need an additional coat. So, you don’t need to add fill coats to the entire hull, just the sections that need more.
I find these areas that tend to need extra coats tend to be on the more vertical sections..as the epoxy, due to gravity, faĺls off.
Robert,
It may not be unfilled. When you put on thin coats, the weave pattern can actually print through. Here are the 4 stages of weave filling as described in the CLC weave filling shop tip:
Concerning the thickness of the coat, CLC says Too thick, and it runs off the boat onto the floor (and your shoes). Too thin, and nothing seems to change; you don’t seem to be filling the weave at all.
They also say we recommend using a roller to put on this and subsequent coats of epoxy. It gets the goo deeper into the hardened weave.
CLC’s recommendation is to lightly sand to knock the top off the pattern after the second coat (picture 3). If you’re doing really thin coats, I’d say after the 3rd or 4th.
It usually takes me 5 coats, if I’m applying with a foam roller, to completely fill the weave. Don’t be discouraged. It sounds as if you’re just about done. Read the shop tip, proceed and think happily of all the sanding you’re avoiding and all the epoxy and weight that you’re saving by using thin coats.
Laszlo
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Laszlo, what grit sandpaper do you recommend for printing?
That depends on your sanding experience/skill level. When I first started out with fiberglass/epoxy work, I used #220. A quarter century later I’m using #80. Pick the part of the range that most closely matches your current skill set. The finer grades take longer but you’re less likely to do damage.
Laszlo
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Is the printing just visual or is it bumpy?