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Happy Weed Appreciation Day! 🌱🌿🌻
An extra trippy Merlin.
- Thread starter Gamma1214
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Trust me, you won't be able to see a staple hole when I'm done but any filling will be inadvertent. 
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I'm slowly but surely getting this hull prepped for the next steps but it's certainly trying to be difficult. Unfortunately, I changed too many things (hull shape, wood glue, wood species) to be sure where the problems lie and I'm kind of assuming that it's just a bad combination of strip width, twisting over the chine instead of stripping to & away from it and (possibly) species. Here's what's happening now & what I've done to correct:
First, I don't fill staple holes as I don't care about cosmetics like divots. Shoot, I usually have cracks that show light thru the hull when portaging and, because they get filled with epoxy during the glassing operations, I've never given them a second thought.
For this hull, however, there are other issues that will become complicated by open cracks so I rolled the canoe on the rotisserie, turned out the shop lights in the strongback 1/2 and shone a trouble light onto the outside of the hull. I then applied clean release tape to anything that remotely appeared to be open in hopes that I could collect some sawdust in any cracks and mitigate anything that might bleed through in the next steps.
With all of the potential cracks taped off, I rough sanded with the horseshoeing rasp & then started in with the longboard
It went reasonably well although the pressure of the twisted wood did pull this hull away from the forms a bit more than the previous builds and the hull was oil-canning a bit as I was sanding. If you're ever building and this starts, stop immediately and add shims to stabilize the hull.
I did this but not in time as the flexing broke a couple of the glue joints (and split one strip where the glue was, obviously, stronger than the Pine).
At this point, I've got it sanded to 180 grit, I re-glued the broken joints (never had that happen with the Gorilla wood glue but the other 2 hulls didn't pull away [and, subsequently, oil can when sanding] as badly as this one did) and pulled the hull together tightly with ratchet straps. I'll have to clean up those joints on Friday when I get back to it but I think I'm about ready for this build to get fun.
First, I don't fill staple holes as I don't care about cosmetics like divots. Shoot, I usually have cracks that show light thru the hull when portaging and, because they get filled with epoxy during the glassing operations, I've never given them a second thought.
For this hull, however, there are other issues that will become complicated by open cracks so I rolled the canoe on the rotisserie, turned out the shop lights in the strongback 1/2 and shone a trouble light onto the outside of the hull. I then applied clean release tape to anything that remotely appeared to be open in hopes that I could collect some sawdust in any cracks and mitigate anything that might bleed through in the next steps.
With all of the potential cracks taped off, I rough sanded with the horseshoeing rasp & then started in with the longboard
It went reasonably well although the pressure of the twisted wood did pull this hull away from the forms a bit more than the previous builds and the hull was oil-canning a bit as I was sanding. If you're ever building and this starts, stop immediately and add shims to stabilize the hull.
I did this but not in time as the flexing broke a couple of the glue joints (and split one strip where the glue was, obviously, stronger than the Pine).
At this point, I've got it sanded to 180 grit, I re-glued the broken joints (never had that happen with the Gorilla wood glue but the other 2 hulls didn't pull away [and, subsequently, oil can when sanding] as badly as this one did) and pulled the hull together tightly with ratchet straps. I'll have to clean up those joints on Friday when I get back to it but I think I'm about ready for this build to get fun.
It's getting close! Can't wait to see some fiberglass on it.
I do the same with tape on the gaps to try and prevent resin running through the hull. On the last few builds I've used thickened epoxy as a seal coat on the entire hull before fiberglassing. I really like this. It doesn't take much resin and completely fills all the staple holes and cracks so there is no epoxy bleed-through to the inside of the hull. I apply it with a squeegee and then scrape off as much as possible.
Alan
I do the same with tape on the gaps to try and prevent resin running through the hull. On the last few builds I've used thickened epoxy as a seal coat on the entire hull before fiberglassing. I really like this. It doesn't take much resin and completely fills all the staple holes and cracks so there is no epoxy bleed-through to the inside of the hull. I apply it with a squeegee and then scrape off as much as possible.
Alan
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Alan, I've seen, in your threads, that you do that and it makes sense but won't work here. For this boat, I'll need bare wood.
I'm sure that some are wondering about the "extra trippy" part and this might make more sense w/ a little back story:
I have been known to disappear into the woods, my son is a very accomplished forager and both of my daughters work Renaissance Fairs (PA and WV). This, along with an affinity for tie-dyed, my willingness to drive vehicles that most would sell for scrap and my lifelong tendency to prioritize happiness over wealth, leads my brother-in-law (whom we love dearly) to refer to us as "a buncha hippies" (we're pretty sure he means it in a good way). Sometimes you've just gotta roll with it.
Several years ago my daughters ran across a product called Unicorn Spit. I have no idea what's in it; it's listed as a gel stain but the girl on the YouTube videos makes some really cool-looking projects with a definite hippie, tie-dyed vibe. When I was doing test panels at the beginning of my Raven build, there was one test panel that I didn't post pictures of. I had to be sure that the stain would not interfere with epoxy adhesion so I made a panel & broke it. All systems "go" as it tore the strips themselves apart instead of the glass tearing away.
Back to real time, I cleaned up the repaired glue joints, shimmed as needed between the hull & the top of the forms and hung the strongback on the rotisserie again, flipped it on its side, wet the hull with water, enlisted the help of the friend who owns the garage, squirted various colors of Unicorn Spit on the hull, lightly misted with water again, covered in plastic, wet that so the plastic was slippery and smeared the Spit below the plastic with our hands.
The hull was then flipped to the other side, the process was repeated and, finally, the strongback was taken off of the jackstands and the staining process was repeated one more time to blend the sides with the bottom.
I did find that it was easier to blend the colors together if the plastic was not stretched tightly before laying it on the hull and our experimentation saw no benefit of wetting the plastic. In fact, it was probably easier to "scrunch" it (to spread & blend the colors beneath it) if it were left dry.
In addition, I noticed that the areas where the colors were not blended as well were, to me, not as attractive so I grabbed two plastic shopping bags, put one on each hand, and started dabbing at the areas with extra spit and then dabbing that onto the transitions between 2 poorly blended colors. That broke up the harsh line between colors enough that I thought it looked ok.
The resulting mess was allowed to dry overnight, I cut a piece of (30 inch wide) 4 oz e-glass to cover the football and the hull was draped in 50 inch wide 4 oz e-glass which was smoothed out with a paintbrush & allowed to rest overnight.
I went over this morning, lifted the glass on the starboard bow and traced my daughter's trillium on the hull with pencil (I should have left a larger area of yellow for that); the cloth overhanging the sheer was then trimmed and the glass was wet out. As hoped, the epoxy lent a 3D effect to the Unicorn Spit and we now have an "extra trippy" color coat that can't scratch off unless I manage to penetrate the whole way through both fiberglass layers. (should also aid SAR in locating me should I take this one into the woods)
One issue that I have noticed... my digital camera has a hard time taking pictures of it. I'm not sure if it can't identify the shape when it's trying to focus or it simply doesn't want a permanent record of this to exist.
I'm sure that some are wondering about the "extra trippy" part and this might make more sense w/ a little back story:
I have been known to disappear into the woods, my son is a very accomplished forager and both of my daughters work Renaissance Fairs (PA and WV). This, along with an affinity for tie-dyed, my willingness to drive vehicles that most would sell for scrap and my lifelong tendency to prioritize happiness over wealth, leads my brother-in-law (whom we love dearly) to refer to us as "a buncha hippies" (we're pretty sure he means it in a good way). Sometimes you've just gotta roll with it.
Several years ago my daughters ran across a product called Unicorn Spit. I have no idea what's in it; it's listed as a gel stain but the girl on the YouTube videos makes some really cool-looking projects with a definite hippie, tie-dyed vibe. When I was doing test panels at the beginning of my Raven build, there was one test panel that I didn't post pictures of. I had to be sure that the stain would not interfere with epoxy adhesion so I made a panel & broke it. All systems "go" as it tore the strips themselves apart instead of the glass tearing away.
Back to real time, I cleaned up the repaired glue joints, shimmed as needed between the hull & the top of the forms and hung the strongback on the rotisserie again, flipped it on its side, wet the hull with water, enlisted the help of the friend who owns the garage, squirted various colors of Unicorn Spit on the hull, lightly misted with water again, covered in plastic, wet that so the plastic was slippery and smeared the Spit below the plastic with our hands.
The hull was then flipped to the other side, the process was repeated and, finally, the strongback was taken off of the jackstands and the staining process was repeated one more time to blend the sides with the bottom.
I did find that it was easier to blend the colors together if the plastic was not stretched tightly before laying it on the hull and our experimentation saw no benefit of wetting the plastic. In fact, it was probably easier to "scrunch" it (to spread & blend the colors beneath it) if it were left dry.
In addition, I noticed that the areas where the colors were not blended as well were, to me, not as attractive so I grabbed two plastic shopping bags, put one on each hand, and started dabbing at the areas with extra spit and then dabbing that onto the transitions between 2 poorly blended colors. That broke up the harsh line between colors enough that I thought it looked ok.
The resulting mess was allowed to dry overnight, I cut a piece of (30 inch wide) 4 oz e-glass to cover the football and the hull was draped in 50 inch wide 4 oz e-glass which was smoothed out with a paintbrush & allowed to rest overnight.
I went over this morning, lifted the glass on the starboard bow and traced my daughter's trillium on the hull with pencil (I should have left a larger area of yellow for that); the cloth overhanging the sheer was then trimmed and the glass was wet out. As hoped, the epoxy lent a 3D effect to the Unicorn Spit and we now have an "extra trippy" color coat that can't scratch off unless I manage to penetrate the whole way through both fiberglass layers. (should also aid SAR in locating me should I take this one into the woods)
One issue that I have noticed... my digital camera has a hard time taking pictures of it. I'm not sure if it can't identify the shape when it's trying to focus or it simply doesn't want a permanent record of this to exist.
The Horror!
I don't know that I'd go so far as to say it looks great but I really like it none the less.
How rough was the wood surface after getting it wet with unicorn shpit and water? I assume you weren't able to sand the raised grain without the risk of losing color? Did the cloth still lay down ok?
Any special plans for the interior or trim or will they be a surprise as well?
Alan
How rough was the wood surface after getting it wet with unicorn s
Any special plans for the interior or trim or will they be a surprise as well?
Alan
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LOL You had an inkling of what was coming... was it as bad as you feared?
@Alan Gage :
Interior will be plain Pine & Cherry (after all, it's the part I'll see when I'm paddling)
The S
I was actually surprised at how even it was when I laid the glass on it. For the test panel, I'd scotch brited the s
Yes, there are places where the wood grain shows through, especially on the lighter colors and the Cherry strips cause a color change, especially in the yellow (has a weird green color). I think I could have buried the wood grain by putting more on or going with darker colors but it doesn't look bad as it is (if you're into that hippie s
I think it would work very well for a solid color boat. If I were to do another tie-dye, I'd be more careful to keep the flow lengthwise on the hull. I started out that way at the bow but, as I worked my way back, I found the colors were starting to run across the hull instead of down it.
According to the Unicorn Spit lady on YouTube, it can be washed off & reapplied. I didn't do this because 1) I can't imagine it would come off cleanly and 2) it wasn't that important.
I'll almost certainly do another (Maybe green, brown, yellow & a little orange)... maybe your Bloodvein build next Fall.
processing.............processing...............
That will certainly make you stand out on the lake ... may scare any wildlife, but you won't be missed, for sure.
Any thoughts on impeding the flow of epoxy into the wood now? Think I would worry some about how well the epoxy will penetrate the glaze.
Any thoughts on impeding the flow of epoxy into the wood now? Think I would worry some about how well the epoxy will penetrate the glaze.
@Gamma1214
You scare me ... Are you all right?
Are you still taking your medication regularly?
What does your therapist say?
Is there still hope?
You scare me ... Are you all right?Are you still taking your medication regularly?
What does your therapist say?
Is there still hope?
That is very impressive Gamma! I love it! You should name it "Furthur"
i like it when other people make bold choices....so i don't have to! good for you to plunge into psychedelia.
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I worried about that in the planning stages and that's why I made the test panel. I'm unsure if you clicked on the "spoiler" above so I'll include the picture again here.
Application was the same except that I ran a scotch brite pad across it. I was very skeptical until I broke the panel. As you can (hopefully) see, the glass was stuck well enough that the strips themselves tore apart instead of the glass tearing off as it would have if the panel had been painted.
As you can see in the 1st picture above, it appears to have broken along a glue joint which, to me, would indicate that the epoxy bond through the s
I'm more worried about being held for psychiatric evaluation.
Hmm... I don't need a full sized bus though... maybe an old VW microbus...
I'm not sure how you'd apply it to a w/c and, if you did, I'd be worried that Benson or Robin would be making a road trip with intentions of doing bodily harm.
Fortune favors the brave. Paddle it and love it. You’ll make new acquaintances at every put in/take out 
Perhaps you should name it Spliff.
Perhaps you should name it Spliff.
Yeah not something I would try.
Bonding depends on the make up of the paint.
Back in the Polyester Resin days, I heard stories of guys Varnishing a hull, before applying glass with Polyester resin.
I can't confirm, as I had not seen one, done that way.
If you had bent the wood, away from the glass ?
Do you get the same result ?
I think that would be a better test of the bond.
Good Luck !
Jim
Bonding depends on the make up of the paint.
Back in the Polyester Resin days, I heard stories of guys Varnishing a hull, before applying glass with Polyester resin.
I can't confirm, as I had not seen one, done that way.
If you had bent the wood, away from the glass ?
Do you get the same result ?
I think that would be a better test of the bond.
Good Luck !
Jim
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I'm not sure what you mean... The way I broke it, I put the glass toward the floor, put one end on a block & jumped up and down until it broke. I thought it would be most likely to pull away from the wood by bending in that direction. You think it would have been more prone to separation if bent to failure with the fiberglass layer up? (actually, I guess that's how a rock would bend it)
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