I put my first coat of epoxy on the transom last evening. The results were less then encouraging. 
What appears to be "fish eyes" or the like is on the epoxy. This is a clear indication of contamination. The problem is not on the whole thing, but it is on about 2/3 of the transom. I don't think the stain was the culprit, but rather the wood conditioner I applied before the stain. When I seen the epoxy avoiding all these spots, my first reaction was to light it all on fire after hacking it all to bits with my axe. (refer to the TLC I gave it the day before).... but after a couple of seconds, knowing I could do nothing about it now, I started to come up with possible solutions.
1/ Once the epoxy cures, I could sand it down to near wood, clean it with my epoxy brand solvent, then apply a fresh test coat to a previously troubled area.
2/ If this fails to cure the problem, I'll have no choice but to sand the whole thing down to the bare wood. (thus sanding away stained area) And apply the solvent and epoxy, and forget about the transom being varnished. (painted hull color instead)
3/ If I still want a brightwork transom, I would need to glue a panel of mahogany on the back. likely in strips. Something for me to keep in mind, depending on how this plays out.
The evening wasn't a total loss though. I used the leftover epoxy to put a coat on 2 frames. "Eppiglass 9000" soaks into wood quite well.
Time: 30 min, (another 30 min with a coffee in hand staring in disbelief at my poor transom)
What appears to be "fish eyes" or the like is on the epoxy. This is a clear indication of contamination. The problem is not on the whole thing, but it is on about 2/3 of the transom. I don't think the stain was the culprit, but rather the wood conditioner I applied before the stain. When I seen the epoxy avoiding all these spots, my first reaction was to light it all on fire after hacking it all to bits with my axe. (refer to the TLC I gave it the day before).... but after a couple of seconds, knowing I could do nothing about it now, I started to come up with possible solutions.
1/ Once the epoxy cures, I could sand it down to near wood, clean it with my epoxy brand solvent, then apply a fresh test coat to a previously troubled area.
2/ If this fails to cure the problem, I'll have no choice but to sand the whole thing down to the bare wood. (thus sanding away stained area) And apply the solvent and epoxy, and forget about the transom being varnished. (painted hull color instead)
3/ If I still want a brightwork transom, I would need to glue a panel of mahogany on the back. likely in strips. Something for me to keep in mind, depending on how this plays out.
The evening wasn't a total loss though. I used the leftover epoxy to put a coat on 2 frames. "Eppiglass 9000" soaks into wood quite well.
Time: 30 min, (another 30 min with a coffee in hand staring in disbelief at my poor transom)
Keep the fait brother. A small set back has never killed anyone, well not all the time anyway.
ReplyDeleteuse the rest of the epoxy to get high and 'sail away' on your pieces in your basement.
Crazy man!! Keep it up.
Willy
Yeah a minor setback. but I trudge on.
ReplyDelete