When Perfection

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When Perfection "Isn't"

dmgbear55

Rank: Mate

Registered: Jun 22, 2015

Last visit: Jul 06, 2018

Posts: 258
Posted: Sep 08, 2016 - 02:10 PM

Ok, so I went on a short vacation after getting the 3rd coat of the dark blue Perfection rolled and tipped. Timing worked well and I was thinking that the finish would be good and hard when I returned so that I could work out the imperfections that are inherent with a rolled and tipped finish. While I reported that the high quality brush dramatically improved this finish, it did not solve all of the problems. There still remain brush marks and to a lesser extent even roller marks.

The finish is very glossy and I was able with machine polishing to greatly improve the surface, but I finally concluded that I was not going to get the final result that I had intended from the start. I am treating this rebuild just like a guy rebuilding an old car would. I want the final results to be spectacular, so now we are going to spray this finish on. I had been led to believe that you could accomplish extremely high end results with the roll and tip method, but I think my expectations are just higher and my roll and tip skills lower than are required to get the final surface I want to see. Spraying Perfection is problematic in that the stuff is nasty, but I had already invested in the full face respirator so will reload the cartridges and go after it. I like how tough this stuff is and the gloss it is capable of, so will not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Because the spraying mix is even thinner than the standard roll and tip mix I suspect that I will be doing at least two more coats on this beast. I can't even begin to estimate how many hours I have spent sanding these hulls at this point. No matter because I can't go sailing just yet anyway. I had neck surgery last June and have not yet been cleared to go play with boats on the water yet. So I just keep sanding and sanding and......

Oh yea, the new sails aren't going to be here until October anyway. Just in time to need to start wearing the drysuit.

dg

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dg
NACRA 5.2 #400
This End Up
Original owner since 1975
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tominpa

Rank: Mate

Registered: Jul 29, 2015

Last visit: May 11, 2024

Posts: 582
Posted: Sep 08, 2016 - 03:40 PM

Arctic White was a much more forgiving color, and my expectations were to refinish a 32 year old boat that is mostly used on a lake with even lower expectations. That said, it is by far the best looking of anything out there of its type. I can see the imperfections, but anyone standing more than 6-feet away would not. The reflection and gloss are pretty spectacular, and I'm actually proud of the appearance...no excuses here. That said, the time and effort that went into sanding and finishing are such that I think spraying up new gel coat may have been a better option, again with the understanding, "perfect" is elusive. Another consideration is I use my boat. It gets scratched from the tiller handle, beaching, and everyday setup and take-down. It is holding up pretty good, but I will touch up the rudders and bottom of the hulls at the end of the season.

Regarding the hexamethylene diisocyanate exposure from spraying the paint, it is much higher than rolling, however, studies have shown insignificant breakthrough of HEPA/Organic cartridges, even with very high repeated use. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11297054 I was concerned whether I should replace cartridges, so I checked, and continued using the same ones.

This Side Up will no-doubt be amazing when you are done. I was curious how the buffing would work out, as I had heard the best shine is unbuffed. I'm glad at least one of us has the patience to go for perfection. Keep us posted on your progress.

Edited by tominpa on Sep 08, 2016 - 04:41 PM.

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Tom
NACRA 5.7 (1984 Sail 181)
Pennsylvania
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dmgbear55

Rank: Mate

Registered: Jun 22, 2015

Last visit: Jul 06, 2018

Posts: 258
Posted: Sep 08, 2016 - 11:04 PM

Well the boat got some touch up epoxy primer today. Then the big project is to clean the shop up and out so that over spray doesn't turn everything blue and I will tarp off a whole bunch of shelves, tables etc. and then will wet the floor down to control dust much better than before. I am also going to hang the hulls this time so I can get everything at once. I don't have to worry about the hulls swinging around when spraying.

I tinted the 545 epoxy that is normally a light gray to a much darker gray with some Transtint that I had. Amazing normally when I use this stuff with straight epoxy resin a couple of drops will turn clear epoxy black. After adding more drops than I counted I only managed to get to the dark gray. I decided I didn't want to mess up the properties of the primer too much with the tint. It should be dark enough now to get covered up a little quicker. I was unwilling to use some of the blue Perfection base since I may end up needing every last drop of the stuff to get the job done.

I really do think this will all work out. I hate learning lessons, but that is why I'm doing this project. Self taught can kind of suck sometimes though. But these lessons will pay off on the next project, which could be another beachcat or something bigger and heavier.

dg

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dg
NACRA 5.2 #400
This End Up
Original owner since 1975
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