​4 inch foam roller sleeves in quantity?

[Guest]

I love using a 4 inch foam roller, to augment (or often instead of) using a brush in epoxy work. Or varnish/poly work.

My roller work is always better than my brushwork, even when foam brush tipped out. I think I just have better fingertip control and loading application with a good foam roller and a plastic pan. I think some of that is that I’m not brush tugging and pulling at frayed ends, but rolling across and compressing them instead.

Some years ago I bought a gross of disposable chip brushes from a local manufacturer, and that was a five or six year supply. I should probably get another gross ordered and picked up directly at the factory. That was a good per-piece price.

But I’d now rather have a quantity of 4 inch foam roller sleeves. I like rollers and pans. A gross of foam rollers would not be too many.

Anyone have an on-line source for 4 inch foam roller sleeves in quantity?

A thin-ish nap is preferably for my uses; I’m not doing whole boats and can load a thin nap foam roller as needed without Scot’s-anguished slathering it on or squeezing an ounce of resin out of the foam when I toss it.

if you please, my good fellows, in some on-line economical quantity if not quality. 50 or 100 or 144 gross.

Y’all’s builder-folk must use more rollers than me.

 

[Jim Dodd]

I'm a Foam roller guy myself !

Caution in foam rollers, some don't hold up to epoxy. I've had good luck with rollers from RAKA.

Yes, Time for a hunt !

Jim

 

[Guest]

I'm a Foam roller guy myself !

Caution in foam rollers, some don't hold up to epoxy. I've had good luck with rollers from RAKA.

Yes, Time for a hunt !

Yeah, it would suck to buy some mass quantity of foam rollers that fell apart in epoxy work. The little 5-packs of Home Depot “High density, smooth surface, doors and cabinets” rollers seem to hold up well. “Ideal for all sheens”

Rather than hunt for a quantity bargain I should have made the trip to HD and bought an additional supply of those. I was running low on foam rollers and had a pack of “Smooth surface, ¼ inch nap, premium white woven” fuzzy rollers. I’ll stretch my roller supply and use those on the less visible areas. “Premium one coat, latex & oil paints” blah, blah, bah.

Gawd they sucked. I had little control loading the fuzzy roller and slathered on a too thick urethane top coat. Drips and sags and near puddles and never, ever again.

Off to Home Depot to buy a couple 5-packs of foam rollers. After I spend an hour sanding away the fugly drips and sags.

I’d still like to find a source to buy decent quality foam rollers 50 or 100 at a time

 

[flyingbison]

Can't vouch for the quality, but here's a bunch for less than $1/ea with shipping included:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/200-LINZER-...c06211f&pid=100677&rk=3&rkt=5&sd=112485106501

 

[deerfly]

I usually get some of that from these guys http://store.raka.com/Tools.aspx

 

[Guest]

Deerfly, thanks.

I see a Raka order in my future. A buck a piece beats Home Depot’s $1.60 each if you buy at least four 5-packs at a time.

I have been working on a small repetitive build project that requires epoxy and urethane coats rolled out the necessary days cure times apart. This ain’t boat work; I have used a bunch of foam rollers on those eight small pieces; two coats of epoxy top and bottom, four roller sleeves. Two coats of spar urethane top and bottom, another four. Aaaand I’m doing a third coat of urethane on the top, plus one. I’ve used 9 foam sleeves on a couple square yards of surface.

At that consumption rate I’d rather a bulk order cost 50 cents each, but ya takes what youse can find. At least I have confidence that the RAKA rollers won’t fall apart in epoxy use.

 

[deerfly]

np Mike and yeah if you buy in bulk I don't know of a cheaper alternative than Raka for those roller sleeves, foam and chip brushes too. Sounds like you're on a project where bulk makes a lot of sense. And of course their epoxy is easily one of the top three brands available IMO and very competitively priced too. Their customer service and order turn-around times are first class as well. Give them a try, I think you'll be very pleased on all counts.

 

[Guest]

yeah if you buy in bulk I don't know of a cheaper alternative than Raka for those roller sleeves, foam and chip brushes too. Sounds like you're on a project where bulk makes a lot of sense. And of course their epoxy is easily one of the top three brands available IMO and very competitively priced too. Their customer service and order turn-around times are first class as well. Give them a try, I think you'll be very pleased on all counts.

If I read that link correctly the foam rollers are still a buck a apiece, up to a thousand.

I will be ordering some roller sleeves, and maybe some foam and chip brushes as well. I go through those disposables PDQ.

I am really tempted to order some Raka epoxy as well, but face the usual dilemma. I just received a gallon of West 105 resin and a fresh supply of West 206 slow hardener. My 105 was near empty; I switched pumps and checked the 5 to 1 pump ratio. Spot on.

So I have a full can of 105, a full (as yet unopened, got some left) can of 206, and a nearly full can of 206 fast. I’m not a boat builder and those cans will last me for at least a couple years.

In the proportions that I mix resin, a calibrated squirt or four at a time, the pumps are awfully handy, and I’ve become practiced at estimating how many squirts are needed with little to no waste. heck, I squeeze out any leftovers on the foam rollers on something else prepped beforehand, even if that if the feet of the sawhorses stored outside.

BTW, it wasn’t 9 foam rollers for those eight pieces; I stupidly built four and liked them so much I built another four a week later. 18 foam rollers so far this month.

Jeeezy freaking peezy. I coulda built a canoe, maybe two, with that many foam roller sleeves.

 

[Alan Gage]

If you'd finally just bite the bullet and build yourself a canoe you'd have a good excuse to buy some Raka resin. Look around the internet. People with skills much less than you possess build really nice canoes and kayaks all the time. Making a utilitarian canoe that isn't made to hang on the wall is a snap.

Alan

 

[Jim Dodd]

If you'd finally just bite the bullet and build yourself a canoe you'd have a good excuse to buy some Raka resin. Look around the internet. People with skills much less than you possess build really nice canoes and kayaks all the time. Making a utilitarian canoe that isn't made to hang on the wall is a snap.

Alan

That needed said !
Come on Mike ! The adventure of a lifetime awaits you ! I don't care if your boat floats when you get done or not ! You will gain knowledge, and the confidence, that will enhance your life !
Build a canoe, or if you have to, a kayak !

Love Ya Mike ! But some times you just need a nudge !

Jim

 

[Guest]

If you'd finally just bite the bullet and build yourself a canoe you'd have a good excuse to buy some Raka resin. Look around the internet. People with skills much less than you possess build really nice canoes and kayaks all the time. Making a utilitarian canoe that isn't made to hang on the wall is a snap.

All true. I have seen a neighbor who has no shop and few skills built two decent looking CLC kayaks, admittedly from a kit.

This hull, outfitted as a solo with a rudder and sail thwart, intrigues me as much as any boat kit/plans out there.

http://www.clcboats.com/shop/boats/...ootlegger-strip-planked-tandem-kayak-kit.html

Come on Mike ! The adventure of a lifetime awaits you ! I don't care if your boat floats when you get done or not ! You will gain knowledge, and the confidence, that will enhance your life !
Build a canoe, or if you have to, a kayak !

I have some confidence in my boatworking skills. I have resurrected 20 some (30?) canoes or kayaks/decked boats, many of them dumpster ready freebies. I do get the urge to try my hand at building, but it passes quickly upon further reflection:

I know how slow I am in the shop. A home built boat, especially from scratch, would be at least a year’s project. Maybe two. I am not sure I want to commit that much time and effort into a boat. Especially my first attempt at building; I’m making the 7[SUP]th[/SUP] and 8[SUP]th[/SUP] folding blue barrel tabletop in the shop. I finished #’s 5 and 6, and despite having previously made 4 examples managed to screw up a half dozen times.

The supply of quality lumber hereabouts seems paltry or special order pricey.

Given the above my likeliest first build would entail buying a full kit of plans and materials.

See the Micro Bootlegger kit above. $1900, plus rudder and controls cost. I’ve got 2K+ in stuff before I even open the box. My near pristine (when I got it) Monarch was $1000, and that was the most expensive boat I’ve ever bought.

I enjoy having a fixer-upper canoe I the shop more than any other project, but I haven’t found a likely candidate since last summer. Probably why I’ve built now 8 tabletops and only have four barrel using friends to give one to.

 

[Jim Dodd]

I totally understand Mike ! Each to his own !
I'd never recommend a kit ! The cost of strips is just plain Crazy ! Cedar for a stripper, at max should be less than $150.00. No doubt you have enough toolage to mill strips !
I really hope you can forgive my nudging !
But if you decide to walk the wire, we'll be here to steady you !

Jim

 

[Alan Gage]

I agree that kits are too expensive to make much financial sense. Maybe you've got enough canoes to keep you happy for now but that would sure be an easier first build than a decked boat. Haven't you been looking for a relatively lightweight solo for day trips?

Clear cedar is a specialty order for nearly all of us but you should still be able to build a cedar strip canoe for around $500.

You'd need 2 sheets of plywood for the forms. Use carbon paper to trace the forms onto them then cut them out with a jigsaw and finish them with a belt sander. That will take a day or two if you want to work slow.

Run your cedar boards through a table saw or use Jim Dodd's method with a circular saw. One day

If you want to do bead and cove figure another day to router the edges. Or use square edge strips and plane them as needed when installing. It's not a big deal and that's how I've done my last couple boats. Most strips don't need any planing at all.

Build a strongback and mount the forms. No need for fancy or complicated. That will take another day so it's now been less than a week and you're all ready to start stripping.

Laying the strips is easy and repetitive. Use staples. Lots of staples. Nothing complicated at all until after the turn of the bilge and even that's no biggy. Fitting the angle cut strips on the 2nd side can be daunting but it gets a lot easier if you're not worried about perfection. Nothing needs to be water tight here. Epoxy will fill any gaps later. I'll give you 1 1/2 weeks to get it all stripped if you spend a few hours on it every day.

Spend another day sanding it. I think most people spend way too much time on this step. It takes me about 2-3 hours to to sand the outside.

Now you're ready to fiberglass! Start in the morning. Bury a couple bias cut strips of s-glass at the stems and then put down a single layer of 6oz. e-glass on the whole hull. By mid-morning it's all wetted out. By mid-afternoon you can probably add dynel skid plates and start with your fill coats. It will probably take 3 of them. They'll be done by the end of the following day. Or do like I do and leave the dynel skid plates until the end when the hull gets a final sanding.

So now it's been 3 weeks and the outside has been fiberglassed. Take a couple days off while it cures and then flip it over to sand the inside. Again, don't spend too much time on this. This part of the job can kind of suck but if you don't worry about perfection it gets a lot easier. Don't worry about getting it perfect way up in the stems. Don't worry about getting it perfect at the turn of the bilge. Just get it so the cloth will lay in without gaps or air pockets. This is the difference between spending 3 days sanding the inside of the hull and spending 3 hours. You should be done sanding the inside in a day.

Next day fiberglass the inside. Another full layer of 6 ounce glass put down in the morning and by 10:00am you're done for the day. No fill coats.

Now it's time for trim. Lots of choices and options. This is where you can really trim weight. For convenience sake I'd stick with thin wood gunnels. Maybe something lighter than ash. Screw them on instead of glue. Much faster and if you change you're mind later just unscrew them and do something different. Spend a few short days cutting them out, gluing up for length (if needed) and profiling them. Make the trim at the same time.

While you're waiting for the epoxy or urethane seal coats to dry on the gunwales you can turn the canoe back upside down and sand the exterior smooth. Start with 80 or 100 grit and progress up to 150 or so. A few more hours work and the outside is ready for the final finish.

The inside should be cured enough for sanding now so get it ready for the final finish as well. Just a quick sanding with 120 grit should suffice. You don't want to cut into the unfilled cloth so just scuff it up a bit. Now apply your finish to the inside. Spar urethane is cheap, easy and effective and I know you know how to use it. Lately I've been using paint inside and out. It's also cheap and easy and hides lots of mistakes. Unlike many stripper builders I'm not particularly fond of playing 20 questions every time I take my boat out in public and the paint job seems to eliminate that. Knowing the boat will be painted also keeps me from spending a bunch of time color matching strips and making every joint perfect during the construction phase.

While the inside finish is drying flip the boat upside down again and apply the outside finish.

I lost track of time but I don't think it's been 1 1/2 months yet. Let those finishes cure for a week or so and then spend the last day installing the gunwales, thwarts, and grab handles. Nothing to it. It really is that simple. Just a series of steps to follow, none of which are very difficult. I've screwed up all kinds of things, including sanding through the hull, and it's always easy to fix those mistakes. If you can spend a few hours per day on the boat and keep yourself from chasing perfection you'll be done in no time.

2 sheets of ply - $75
Cedar for hull - 200 (can probably be gotten for less)
Raka Epoxy - 120
Fiberglass - 75
lumber for trim - 50
_____________________
Total - $520

To sweeten the pot I'll even send you one of my sliding pedestal seats for free.

Alan

 

[Guest]

Haven't you been looking for a relatively lightweight solo for day trips?

Clear cedar is a specialty order for nearly all of us but you should still be able to build a cedar strip canoe for around $500.

You under-estimate how cheap I am. Most of my favorite boats were derelict freebies or a couple hundred bucks at most (Monarch excepted). $500 is about my top end for a well built in-need-of-minor-TLC kevlar canoe, and I’d really need to want the make/model/layup at that price.

Run your cedar boards through a table saw or use Jim Dodd's method with a circular saw.

I’ve have seen my circular saw exactitude. I guess I need to buy a table saw. Now I wish I hadn’t given mine to my bro-in-law.

If you want to do bead and cove figure another day to router the edges. Or use square edge strips and plane them as needed when installing. It's not a big deal and that's how I've done my last couple boats.

I do have a router & table. I also still have the tips of all my fingers. Me and hand planers are a comical combination. If you mean a power planer I need to build a bigger shop first.

Build a strongback and mount the forms. No need for fancy or complicated. That will take another day so it's now been less than a week and you're all ready to start stripping.

You are mistaking McCrea time for Alan Gage time. By a factor of 10.

Fitting the angle cut strips on the 2nd side can be daunting

Christ on a crutch even Alan Gage used the adjective “daunting”. I have given up by now.

I'll give you 1 1/2 weeks to get it all stripped if you spend a few hours on it every day.

I have two words for you. Bwa, haaa, haaa”. Wait, that’s three words. My ROTFL at your week and a half estimate of McCrea time remains.

Spend another day sanding it. I think most people spend way too much time on this step. It takes me about 2-3 hours to to sand the outside.

That really is an issue. Provided I have some cold beer and funny lettuce I enjoy sanding. Two to three hours would turn into two to three days. Or weeks.

Now you're ready to fiberglass!

Oh. My. God. I’ve been putzing in the shop for months and am just now getting to laying epoxy and glass? I can’t go on; what’s the market for half finished strippers. Looking on Craigslist under “Half dressed strippers” provided no answers.
Can’t I just get part time work saying “Would you like fries with that” and save up to buy a factory custom solo Keewaydin 16?

To sweeten the pot I'll even send you one of my sliding pedestal seats for free.

You betcha. If I start building tomorrow you have at least a year to get that made. Er, two.

 

[Alan Gage]

You are mistaking McCrea time for Alan Gage time.

But I did adjust for McCrea time. If I decided I wanted to build a canoe and didn't have any other big commitments so that I could spend at least a few hours/day on the boat with a few longer days thrown in (with a couple days off here or there) I'd expect to be done in 3 weeks.

Me and hand planers are a comical combination. If you mean a power planer I need to build a bigger shop first.

Just a $10 palm planer. Remember this is 3/16" or 1/4" cedar; we're not working with oak planks here. The stuff is ridiculously easy to work with. A few quick swipes and you're good. And remember, joints don't have to be perfect. Mine sure aren't.

It's too bad one of us doesn't live somewhere the other person wanted to visit. We could knock out a canoe in no time.

Alan