Epoxy Gurus...help!

[Eric Adams]

As the sides are vertical, would you only glass the top and is it even necessary? Couldn't I just epoxy the top and sides with 207 and call it good? I am using luan on the top. 3/4" ACX (looks like AAX ) on the sides. I basicly just want a good looking finish. A deep clear nat wood finish.

[doug hodder]

Dean...Absolutely no problem at all. Everything that is painted is in marine grade fir, everything showing is in sapele mohogany on the hull or honduran mohogany on the decking. I planned that one. I just coated it out in epoxy and built up the layers until it was like a car hood. doug hodder

[Eric Adams]

PS I applied an epoxy clear coat today in the garage and it was bucketing rain, so humidity was way up, closed the door and fired up the stove, no blush.......... Doug Hodder

We use a kerosene "salamander" type heater...should work the same I am guessing?...

[doug hodder]

Eric......No No No. kerosene heaters put out a ton of moisture, and a Salamander is going to be brutal, one and the same, just depends on your oil field experience. I used one for a while and did away with it. It rusted up the tops of the table saw and the jointer..They will put moisture in the air and you may have a problem with the finish. Do what you want, but my experience was negative. A wood stove ventilates to the outdoors, kerosene heaters don't. In terms of wood. I think that you get what you pay for. Luan is inexpensive, check out the grain, If you are happy with the look go for it, but do a test first. I have had problems with it looking uniform. It's not uncommon to find putty patches in it, at least that is true with the home depot stuff. I would recommend getting a good quality interior mohogany, and sealing it with epoxy, or ultimately, a marine grade mohogany okume or better. You can get a better grain match from a reputable lumber dealer, if that is important to you. Doug Hodder

[Guest]

You beat me to the punch on that one Doug, but being that I do live in a rather humid location, I use a good paste wax on all my cast machine work surfaces. It helps keep them rust free.

[doug hodder]

It also keeps down on the rings from the beer bottles Dean........... Just joking, not really though..... I have resurfaced a lot of my tools and if people think it doesn't matter, just surface your saw, or jointer, and wax it. you can't believe how much smoother it is......doug hodder

[Guest]

Well... I reached my quota about 15 years ago, but I do remember the beer bottle rings.
Now days it's forgotten coffee cups half full with a wicked looking fur growing on the surface of the coffee!

[asianflava]

The test pieces I did were painted so I didn't see if the adhesive shows thru. I don't usually put much down, just enough to hold the cloth down around the curves. Thanks for the input. I'll keep it in mind when I want the wood to show.

About glassing the entire trailer (6oz?). I will clad the tear with aluminum so the finish is not that important. I was thinking about doing it because I am using relatively thin 1/8in ply. I would like the cloth for impact resistance as well as abrasion resistance from the floating aluminum skin. I also don't want moisture to get between the wood and the skin.
I am definitely taping the joints and seams with bid cloth for added strength.

Should I bother? or will just taping the seams and epoxying (sp?) the sides be enough?

[doug hodder]

Dean.....I wish it was only coffee mug rings. For us, it's just the dog and me and living up in the woods, so I fall back on a lot of bad habits. My plan is to have this tear done in the next 6 weeks. I m looking forward to attending some of the outings of the No. Calif. bunch this coming summer. I"m looking forward to showing off what I have built. Jesus, I hope I don't make a fool of my self. I'll get pictures posted this weekend in my album......Doug Hodder

[Guest]

Flava,
Again I'm no expert at all about fiberglass, but I have read just about all that has been said about it on the boat building site that I help administrate. Somewhere on there I read some charts about impact resistance in relationship to different weight cloth, BUT... It was for both surfaces being glassed.
I would think that you might want to consider glassing both sides of your 1/8" material if you want to get the impact resistance your talking about.
Like I say, there is some good info on glassing HERE.

[Guest]

Dean.....I m looking forward to attending some of the outings of the No. Calif. bunch this coming summer. I"m looking forward to showing off what I have built. Jesus, I hope I don't make a fool of my self.

Hey Buddy,
If that tear turns out half as good as the Malihini, (And I'm sure it will be just as nice) you'll be the talk of the gathering I'm sure!
I'm going to stop by the Dam Gathering, just to meet everyone in person and to check out all the teardrops.
Looking forward to seeing you there!!!

[doug hodder]

Dean BINGO!!! 1/8" material is too light on the exterior without a backup- material or glassing. Your least expensive method might be backing it up with another layer of 1/8 luan, there is a point at which you need to decide what is most to your advantage, expensive glass cloth, or cheap luan...laminated to it. Doug Hodder

[doug hodder]

Dean...Looking forward to it, in the mean time if you're ever going up HWY50 towards Tahoe, gimme a hollar!! doug hodder

[Guest]

Doug your right about cost.
I've got a bit of a handicap when it comes to building stuff.
I tend to build on Emotion rather than Budget.
(Wish more of my customers used that rule)
I guess it's a Norwegian thing... something to do with skull thickness maybe?.
It's a weird affliction too, because I wish I could count how many times I've scoffed at the cost of something, thinking..."I could build it myself, better and with less money!"... WRONG!!! (Not to mention the countless hours I've wasted just to save a buck)

[doug hodder]

Dean...don't talk to me about cost..... I'm a Scotsman...Doug Hodder