Sunday, October 14, 2007

Hi all. Building Devlin's Godzilla 25

I added some build pictures of the progress so far. I've had a lot of fun building it, although I'm two months behind on my self-imposed schedule. Here's my blog address: http://boatbuild.wordpress.com/

I'm looking for pictures of other Godzilla's, either the 22 or the 25, other than the ones on Devlin's site. Anyone have some? Shots of other small tug-style boats would be appreciated too.
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6 comments:

  1. andymfish MSNOctober 14, 2007 at 10:26 AM

    Tom, great job...  Bummer about the delamination,  That was a lot of work down the tubes but it looks like you finally got her fixed.  Keep posting as you go - keep us informed...   Andy

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  2. tomlarkin MSNOctober 17, 2007 at 8:12 PM

    Thanks Andy. Do any of you experts have an idea of what might have caused the fill layers of epoxy to not adhere to the underlying layers?  My guesses are:   "When I was adding the fill coats I reused the mixing buckets and the foam roller. Maybe the partially-catalyzed resin contaminated the mix. Maybe I didn’t mix the epoxy enough (although the layers cured fine). Maybe the humidity changed and dampened the hull between coats." http://boatbuild.wordpress.com/2007/09/16/epoxy-bond-failure/   Any other thoughts? I'm pretty paranoid now when I add epoxy.

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  3. Kruez KrueskampOctober 17, 2007 at 11:17 PM

    Hi Tom,   Welcome to the group. The reason your epoxy didnt adhere between coat/layers is more likely because you did not sand or wash between coats.   Epoxy has a component that rises to the surface to seal the air and other potential contaminates from contaminating the cure/hardening process. Polyester resin utilizes a wax that must be removed before the next coat can be applied.   In the case of Epoxy, it's called an "amine blush". The following is from the West System on-line user manual. located here: http://www.westsystem.com/   Cured epoxy-Amine blush can appear as a wax-like film on cured epoxy surfaces. It is a by-product of the curing process and may be more noticeable in cool, moist conditions. Amine blush can clog sandpaper and inhibit subsequent bonding, but it can easily be removed. It's a good idea to assume it has formed on any cured epoxy surface.   To remove the blush, wash the surface with clean water (not solvent) and an abrasive pad, such as Scotch-brite(TM) 7447 General Purpose Hand Pads. Dry the surface with paper towels to remove the dissolved blush before it dries on the surface. Sand any remaining glossy areas with 80-grit sandpaper. Wet-sanding will also remove the amine blush. If a release fabric is applied over the surface of fresh epoxy, amine blush will be removed when the release fabric is peeled from the cured epoxy and no additional sanding is required.   It should also be noted that you can remove the bush easily with a mild detergent in water. Just be sure and rinse well then dry.   Hope that clears things up for you.   -Kruez-   PS: Nice Project...    

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  4. andymfish MSNOctober 18, 2007 at 10:12 PM

    Kruez is right.  I also know that when I talked to the experts at WEST Systems they told me that especially the first and second epoxy applications need to thoroughly bond with the subsurface of wood.  This also applies to bonding with older fiberglass layers...

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  5. abutler MSNOctober 19, 2007 at 12:31 PM

    I am preparing for my first experience in fiber glass and I am very interested in this subject.     I don't want to be negative, but if he didn't wash off the first layer again (after peeling off the one layer and prior to the second layer) won't the same problem occur? I would think that it could appear to be a good strong bond and then fail at some other time due to the lack of washing.   At this point, is the best thing to do to just go on like you washed it or take off a few layers.

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  6. andymfish MSNOctober 20, 2007 at 8:50 AM

    It sounds to me that you got good bonding with the  intial coat.  I think that it is imparative that before applying the next and subsequent coats you need to sand and wash the surface.  WEST Systems has a lot of great information on their website http://www.westsystem.com/.  I also found that 'Canoe Craft' by Ted Moores etal. is excellent for coaching a person through the fiberglassing process.   Keep us posted...   Andy

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