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Paint stripper for Helmsman Oil Spar Urethane that is Epoxy Safe?
- Thread starter alsg
- Start date
Yesterday I applied a first coat of Helmsman using the same can that the last poorly adhered coat had come out of (I know, took a risk). I thinned the urethane with about 10-15% mineral spirits, which really helps to make this thick urethane spread more easily with a brush and self-level.
The results appear very good this morning. Everything seems well adhered and, thanks to the thinning, there are no brush marks, sags or drips to correct!
Then again, first coats are always easiest because you can really see what you are doing because of the contrast between the nice shiny wet urethane and the dull epoxy. Subsequent coats are harder.
It is too cold this morning to work on it so a second coat will have to wait. To lightly sand or not, that is the question. I know some report no issues without sanding. The one time I forgot, I got bad results but I'm not certain that was the cause.
The results appear very good this morning. Everything seems well adhered and, thanks to the thinning, there are no brush marks, sags or drips to correct!
Then again, first coats are always easiest because you can really see what you are doing because of the contrast between the nice shiny wet urethane and the dull epoxy. Subsequent coats are harder.
It is too cold this morning to work on it so a second coat will have to wait. To lightly sand or not, that is the question. I know some report no issues without sanding. The one time I forgot, I got bad results but I'm not certain that was the cause.
No expert here !!!!
I haven't thinned Helsman's.
I usually don't sand the first few coats, unless I have runs. I want to build a little thickness, Then sand before final coat.
I would have started with a new can ! Helps eliminate another variable.
Good luck !
Jim
I haven't thinned Helsman's.
I usually don't sand the first few coats, unless I have runs. I want to build a little thickness, Then sand before final coat.
I would have started with a new can ! Helps eliminate another variable.
Good luck !
Jim
Well, I've made a mess of things. I got 2 coats of Helmsman on, looking good ,and decided for a third. Peel city. I went to sand the hull again and now I have a lot of areas where the weave is exposed and stays whitish even when wetted out with mineral spirits. I fear there's no cure for this short of taking all the fiberglass off and starting over.
Had the problem the first time without thinning.
But that's the least of my problems now. I need to add some epoxy to bury the cloth again.
G
Guest
Guest
Arrgghhhh! The mystery continues.
Do the “whiteish” areas appear to be cloth lifting from the hull or more of a top surface discoloration? If the cloth is actually lifting simply burying it under more epoxy will not resolve that issue.
Bell used something on the interiors of their canoe that sometimes “blushed” (not amine blush) a cloudy white, not lifted or poorly adhered, just unattractive.
Cloth usually adheres well to wood with epoxy resin; removing the fiberglass will be a b*tch and you’ll need a heat gun. Polyester resin on the other hand is notorious for lifting from wood, and the glass removal would be easier.
Presuming you built the canoe yourself, and know that the materials were West 105/207 and spar urethane top coats I’m at a loss other than some contaminate that must still be present between the epoxy and more recent urethane coats.
The cloth is adhered fine. I've just sanded down into it. What's weird as I had two perfect coats of varnish but the third was a disaster.
Not localized.
G
Guest
Guest
Dammit Alsg, we want to know
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QblkQ-J6zio
How did the re-re-coats turn out over previously peeled layers?
I have a unique day paddling place I want to send you less than 2 hour’s drive from Gaithersburg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QblkQ-J6zio
How did the re-re-coats turn out over previously peeled layers?
I have a unique day paddling place I want to send you less than 2 hour’s drive from Gaithersburg
Mike, all the old varnish is off but I've been so busy with work (lots of travel) that I haven't had time to attend to trying out the Epifanes. I'm going to try to varnish this weekend if the weather is ok. But now you've got me all worked up about a new paddling location! Where is it?
G
Guest
Guest
Alsg, the upper Conowingo Pool between Holtwood Dam/Rte 372 Norman Wood Bridge and the Cold Cabin or (PA Fish Commission) Muddy Creek put in is a wonderful place to day paddle explore, especially when Conowingo Dam isn’t releasing water and it is actually more of a pool.
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/pa/nwis/uv/?site_no=01578310&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060,00010
Note the repetitive times when the gates open at Conowingo for power generation; head upstream on the west side before (or soon after) the gates open, cut over to the east side and take the free ride back down.
Besides that delightful paddle-in grotto on the NW end of Big Chestnut Island there are dozens of other islands, exposed rock face cliffs, thousands of intriguing rock whirl cavity depressions in the cliffs, including a towering broken one you can paddle into, and an absolute archipelago maze of shallow rocky contours below Holtwood Dam.
And the tailrace below Holtwood Dam on the Lancaster County side. Eh, don’t mess with the tailrace.
Put in at the PA Fish Commission Muddy Creek access if you have a PA sticker, otherwise put in at the Coal Cabin (unregulated) public launch downhill of Starrk Moon Outfitters.
http://starrkmoon.com/
The area between either launch and the Rte 372 Norman Wood Bridge on the York County side is a freaky rocky wonderland, perhaps unique in the mid-Atlantic region, deserving of exploration. Page 93 of the PA Atlas and Gazetteer.
Or, for a small surcharge, I will mail you a photocopy of a topo of the area in greater detail, showing all of the put-in’s, islands and suggested paddling routes to ride the release back downriver.
2 hours from Gaithersburg, but very much worth a day paddle explore before building chillers, towers and AC units get summer pumping and the electrical generation release starts earlier, with more gates open and turbines running.
I may be bias from having grown up along there, but it is a special area.
That sounds like an amazing place for a day paddle! And 2 hrs is nothing for me; my daily commute is an hour and quarter each way with light traffic. I'll email you about the topo map.
The first coat of Epifanes went on Monday as soon as the humidity fell below 75%. I was using the Epifanes unthinned and a 3" foam brush and was in a hurry because I had a late afternoon business trip. It's thick stuff, but it still was suprisingly easy to move around with the foam brush.
I work from one end to the other, one section at a time, using the staple holes to demark each section, working from the middle of the bottom and down one side and then switching to the other side to complete the section. I'm sure most of you do something similar.
When I finished applying the Epifanes, there were a couple of spots I had apparently missed and I touched those up. Touching up an area that is still tacky is usually dicey and those areas had some obvious brush marks when I left. I thought I would have to come back and sand those areas to level them. But the Epifanes must have a long open time and excellent flow/leveling properties. Because when I finally checked the finish this morning (got back from my business trip late last night), the finish appears perfectly level, no brush marks, no runs nor drips. I've never achieved that with Helmsman.
I know I should do a light sanding and apply another coat. But I am desperate to get on the water later this week/weekend! The humidity this week is going to make it impossible to put another coat on. So I think I'm going to call it "done". The interior has 2 coats of Helmsman and the exterior one coat of Epifanes.
I work from one end to the other, one section at a time, using the staple holes to demark each section, working from the middle of the bottom and down one side and then switching to the other side to complete the section. I'm sure most of you do something similar.
When I finished applying the Epifanes, there were a couple of spots I had apparently missed and I touched those up. Touching up an area that is still tacky is usually dicey and those areas had some obvious brush marks when I left. I thought I would have to come back and sand those areas to level them. But the Epifanes must have a long open time and excellent flow/leveling properties. Because when I finally checked the finish this morning (got back from my business trip late last night), the finish appears perfectly level, no brush marks, no runs nor drips. I've never achieved that with Helmsman.
I know I should do a light sanding and apply another coat. But I am desperate to get on the water later this week/weekend! The humidity this week is going to make it impossible to put another coat on. So I think I'm going to call it "done". The interior has 2 coats of Helmsman and the exterior one coat of Epifanes.
