Smoothing epoxy

[jdupre']

Chuck wrote:
"I tried something after the tape is pulled. You pull the tape and there is a small ridge that is rough , a little acetone on a gloved finger or a brush along the edge smooths it right out."

I did something similar to that on a wood bow a few years back. I was trying to get a smooth finish on the bow with spar varnish. It is devilishly hard to get all of those multiple surfaces smoothed out at the same time. After I had done the best I could, I set the bow aside to dry. When I checked it later, there were places the varnish was uneven, brush strokes, and a couple of small runs. I had a minor cussing spell, and took a rag soaked with mineral spirits and tried to wipe the varnish off. To my surprise, the top layer of varnish dissolved and I was able to smooth all the surfaces and got rid of the brush strokes and runs. It probably was the best finish I ever put on a bow.

I'm wondering if you could do the same with epoxy. Wait until it was set up to the right cosistency and rub out the the final couple of coats with a rag dampened (not soaked) with acetone. It would be similar to a french polish finish.

Joey

 

[Kayak Jack]

Joey, would it leave any kind of an oily residue behind? If so, it may not be a good idea.

And, we probably should wear protective gloves under that rag soaked in hydrocarbon solvents. They soak into our skin and affect us, probably badly.

That may account for some of the stories about how big are the fish we catch? Or, how good our chilli was that we cooked last night? Etc.

 

[jdupre']

Jack, don't know enough about epoxy to guess what kind of residue it would leave behind. I would imagine that the acetone in such small quantities would not effect the surface- maybe treat it like amine blush??. Don't you normally have to either sand or solvent clean an epoxied surface before you put on another coat?

I'm just thinking about saving a LOT of sanding time if you could straighten out the surface before it really sets up.

I'll try it with my knife epoxy to get a feel of what it might do.

Joey

PS: I just LOVE to experiment.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Like you, Joey, I like to experiment. As Socrates said, "Modification in everything!"

If it's less than 72 hours since the last coat, no, I don't sand. I scrape off drips and runs etc. (I'm pretty good at creating these, now. If you don't know how, I'll show you.) I don't think that most builders are wiping down with acetone. It is more than flammable - it's explosive. Don't do it inside.

Ask Mick what he does.