I've begun to sand and notice a few small gaps that are about 1mm wide gabs between two strips. They taper to fine points on both ends. the gap overal length is about 5 inchs. Do I do anything about it? Do I fill it with wood flour/epoxy? or just leave alone and let the epoxy fill it in while layin the FB cloth?
What boat, what strips?
Laszlo
Night Heron Hybrid 18. Deck strips. It is located inbetween two strips. Aparently I didn't lay the next strip tightly into the grove in that area so it left a small gap about 1mm or less wide and tapers at both ends where the edge of each strip joins back and tightly.
If I was worried about strength, I'd fill it with epoxy/woodflour putty. If I was worried about looks, I'd plane or sand a piece of wood to fill it in.
Good luck,
Laszlo
Thank you for the advice. Though curious, could you explain in laymans terms how to create a piece of wood smaller in width of a toothpick but as long as 5'' tapered? I can see the idea of making it stick out a bit then sand it flush, I get that part but how to make it narrow enough to puzzle it into the crack? Last question. I've heard that the woodflour becomes much darker. Though if I sand a stock of the same strip to make sawdust, wouldn't that allow it to match when mixing it with eopxy to fill it?
A guy could cut a wood strip as thin as able, then plane or sand it down as thin as needed from there. Just clamp a long piece to a solid work surface for the planing to take place away from the clamps. I have also been able to use a bandsaw to taper cuts down to even thinner than a toothpick.
As for the wood flour/epoxy color, my experience has always resulted in darker goop even when adding dust from the same wood species. If I was trying to color match to a light colored wood, I would try mixing in almost entirely cellulose on a test batch; that is one way I know of to end up with a light epoxy fill.