Looks great. (1) sand with 120 to smooth surface before applying glass (2) NEVER thin epoxy - there is no need. Even if you are using MAS LV epoxy you can thin the epoxy by setting the containers in a warm bucket of water. Or you can do what I do which is mix the epoxy and then stick it in the microwave when my wife is not looking for a few seconds. I find 5-10 seconds sufficient but it really depends on the microwave and how much epoxy you are mixing at a time. Be very cautious in using a microwave until you get a feel for doing this.
Dave,
Thanks for the info. I do own a sauna and could just put the resin and catalyst bottles in there at 100 degrees for maybe 1/2 hr!
Lou
Hi Lou,
Itās looking great. with respect to your questions:
- yes, as already mentioned by dave, sand lightly with 120. you only need to sand to get rid of barbs and hooks that will snag the glassā¦you are not otherwise trying to āsmoothā the surface.
- i donāt double glass a lot. though if i was using my kayaks as hard as nick does, i would do that. there are different layup schedules that Nick describes in his books and i typically go with the ālightā layupā¦becuase i like to keep the boat light and i am predominantly a flat water paddler. that said, if you are double glassing, it can be a convenient way to also get the outer stems glassed. i donāt know if its easier. bigger pieces of glass themselves create their own challengeā¦so i typically handle glassing outer stems with a seperate pieces of 4 oz glass just for that purpose and pull it back typically 4 inches into the hull so that i have a lot of space to fare it in.
- for paddling comfort you need back support and the backband provided by CLC works fine in my opinion. but as you mention, you need cheek plates for its installation. i have a couple boats with that set-up but i replace the clc seat with something more substantial that i typically get from redfish kayaks - the presculpted seat that i cut to fit between the cheekplates. https://www.redfishkayak.com/minicell-foam
here is a picture of a redfish seat cut to fit between cheekplates and a stock CLC backband:
more recently, i have dispatched with cheekplates and backbands entirely and use redfish custom seats which has an integrated back support and cheekplates https://www.redfishkayak.com/seats
they are very slick but the cost is a lot moreā¦but in the scheme of things, pretty good value for a custom made element like a seat.
here is a picture of the custom seat in one of my boats:
anyway, both of these arrangements are very comfortable. but just to be clear on the question. you need back support to paddle effectively. but i do not consider the clc foam pad to sit on comfortable for any length of timeā¦and if you get uncomfortable, it gets miserable quick.
congratulations on your great progress.
h
Umm - epoxy hardeners are not allowed to be shipped by air because of their carcinogenic properties. Epoxy resin contains BPA which is a hormone disruptor. Uncured epoxy fumes can also cause allergic reactions, the worst ones being when fumes are inhaled deep into the lungs. Do you really want to heat a carcinogenic allergen that can mimic an estrogen overdose in the family food preparation unit, releasing some fumes into the family living space and saving some in the enclosed space in the microwave for infusion into the next item that is cooked in there?
Laszlo
Lesson learned. Thank you.
Lazlo,
Thanks for the info. This may be why when Nick tried to lower the viscosity of his mix, he just went after the resin. I do think his method, shining a 40 watt lamp onto the resin bottle wonāt do much, but I could be wrong.
Lou
Laszlo, just curious do you ever do āsignificantā epoxy work inside? By āsignificantā, for example, I mean glass an entire hull. Do you always wear an organic vapor mask when working with epoxy? Please do not take this the wrong way. I am just curious. Having seen my father (who was an early epoxy researcher for PPG in the early 1960s) become allergic to epoxy (probably the hardener and not the resin) I am always super careful about wearing gloves but I never wear an organic vapor mask when applying wet epoxy. In the old days when using polyester or vinylester resin I always did but not with epoxy (sanding is a different story). David
Absolutely not. Itās been either outdoors or in a 2-car garage with the 17-ft wide door open. Iāll work outdoors without the VOC mask but in the garage I wore one even with the door open. I also wear gloves, eye protection and occasionally Tyvek sleeves as needed. Iāve got extra incentive to do so because I seem to be above-average sensitive to the fumes. If Iām somewhere indoors that epoxy is being used and I donāt wear a VOC mask, Iāll develop a headache (probably from the allergenic effects irritating my sinuses).
Since wearing the VOC mask and having good ventilation is pretty much the max I can do to avoid exposure, I donāt worry about the carcinogenic and hormone disruptor effects.
Laszlo
Lou, re warming resin to reduce viscosity. I ended up building a plywood cabinet to keep it around 25C. It is insulated with an old foam camping mat and some foil designed to go behind wall mounted radiators. Its heated using a 20W reptile heater and an STC1000 temperature controller. A bit rough and ready but it works fine, and although its extra work it does mean that the epoxy is ready to go whenever I have some free time.
Iām using MAS low viscosity and slow hardener and using this I can easily roll or brush the resin.
And yes, another thumbs up for wearing a VOC mask.
Wow. This is a great idea and I found a combination thermostat and 20 watt heater for $25 on Amazon Amazon.com : BN-LINK Seedling Heat Mat with Thermostat Controller Combo Set, 10" x 20.75" Plant Heating Mat for Seed Starting with Temperature Control for Indoor Growing, Plants Germination, ETL Listed : Patio, Lawn & Garden