Exterior Wood Finishes

[c_amos]

I have been sanding, and grinding and generally not having much fun of it for a little bit now (varnish gumming up, weather getting in the way etc).

Well, tonight I put the first coat of thinned epoxy on my combing boards, as the base for the Epifanes that will cover them.

I say back, and just stared at them.. Maybe it was the acetone fumes, maybe it was the visions of looking at the finished product with the summer breeze at my back, but they look beautiful.

The effort spent to do the wood right seems effort well spent. Even at this stage. I pray the finished product proves to be the 'wood done right'.

also,

I am sure this is common knowledge to all, but I had not know until today (probably even on this forum somewhere and I just missed it although I now think I have now read most every thread here)

White vinegar makes an excellent solvent to remove epoxy from one's hands, if you prematurely remove your gloves.

And a third thing......

I appreciate your indulgence......

I really am thankful to have a place to come type these things,
where I know there are others who can appreciate, and understand
why....

Thanks.

[willie]

I finally finished my boards, and winch pads. Must have put 10 or 15 coats of Epifanes on....at least it seemed like it!Sand a day, varnish a day. My little helpers thought i'd never quit! Then WE had a week or so of early spring like weather,so spent a day working like crazy getting the boat back together. Then, wouldn't ya know it, it turned off cold again and snowed. Couldn't believe it! Sheesh! Anyway, i'm ready now for the next warm spell.

I even went and bought some sunbrella and made some covers for everything before taking them back to the boat. Easier to measure everything close to the sewing machine. When i told the xo what the plan was, she got this screwedup look on her face, and said "you can't make them fit like that, going around the winch pads,over this, around that, and,and,and...!! I'm not doing it, YOU can learn to sew!"

So i did.
And they turned out great. But i have new respect for the MRS.

When i got the boards back on the boat, i fit the covers, and installed snaps. Used little stainless screws to install one half on the wood at various locations, and then installed the other half in the covers so they fit pretty good. Had a couple of days with gusts to 45, and they stayed put, so guess they'll work. I'll take the camera next trip if anyone is interested.

So being new to this boat thing, and varished wood and covers, and sunbrella.... a couple questions.
Will the covers wear out from the sun faster than the varnish? Might be easier to varnish, than make new covers!! Will they really help much? Seems like they should if uv is the problem with the varnish disappearing. I know the tiller varnish from this summer is about gone. So it will be interesting to see how the coamings fare with the covers. Does sunbrella shed water? Or are the covers just gonna create a little microenvironment for mold and meldew under them?
I'm ready to go SAILING!!

[Bill]

Our last sail & tiller covers lasted about 25 years . . .

[Mike Goodwin]

[QUOTE=willie]I finally finished my boards, and winch pads. Must have put 10 or 15 coats of Epifanes on....at least it seemed like it!Sand a day, varnish a day.

Why are you sanding Epifanes??

[willie]

Well, it was actually a very light sanding, with 320 grit. Guess i did it 'cause it says to! Now that i've done it, looking back i think i'd just put on varnish, maybe sand down the next to last coat to remove any imperfections, and then put on a nice last coat. Sanding between every coat, no matter how light, just makes dust you have to clean off. How do you do it?

[commanderpete]

You get conflicting advice as to whether you need to sand between coats. Some say to sand between each coat to give it "tooth." Others say you only need to sand between the finish coats.

I think it depends on how much time elapses between coats. If it sits more than a day, I would rough it up.

One problem with sandpaper is that the sand comes off the paper, making it more dusty.

I kinda like the Scotch-Brite pads. They come in different grades.

[commanderpete]

I also like the sanding sponges for heavier sanding, especially on curved areas.

Sears sells their own brand which is cheaper.

To get rid of the dust I'll first brush it off and then wipe it with a piece of old T-shirt very lightly moistened with alcohol.

The Sunbrella sheds water and dries quickly. Its gonna work great.

No covers for the handrails?

[ebb]

Great thread, great tips, guys,
You're probably not using gloves for the varnish, but I would for ANY two-part:
If you are not in the field, good ole soap and water will wash off fresh epoxy. Liquid handwash dish soap ('with Grapefruit Seed Extract, Aloe & Vitamin E') works fine, must be the vitamin e. We all use latex or vinyl gloves - I get epoxy above the cuff on the lower forearms, in the hair, ALL the time and often don't get to it til after the operation is over:

Gojo type orange hand cleaners work great and the pumice helps scrub off half hard epoxy. My favorite is Permatex PARR Paint and Resin Remover in the 15 oz bottle. It's handy. It is a looser formula so you can get your hands and arms clean of the cleaner easier when you're away from water just using paper towels. Doesn't seem to have anything nasty in it.

I buy latex gloves by the box, like them because they are thin and intimate. Recently HAD to use some vinyl ones. They have a thicker smoother not-so-snug feel, yet have not found that to be a problem. When wearing gloves you are not aware of the epoxy you're getting on your hands, so I'm continualy semi-psychotically 'drying' them all the time. What I've noticed is that the vinyl wipes off MUCH easier and drier. So I don't transfer epoxy as much to handles and cups and cans and stuff. Really like the difference.