The Poet Creek Express - Foamie Hybrid

[KCStudly]

Okay, I have a b-day coming up. I'll ask for a tripod (or borrow one) and see how much video my new camera will take on the 1 GB chip. I may need some pointers on how to post the video.

[KC's Mom]

I have 2 tripods, a short one and a taller one. You can borrow either or both.posting.php?mode=reply&f=55&t=48630#

[KCStudly]

You're on. Thanks mom!

[Wobbly Wheels]

the whole cabin being lowered thru the floor hatch in the loft

My experience is in flipping boats over so it might not help, but I try and round up old used tires. Wreckers will give away ones they can't sell to avoid paying to get rid of them. If you lay them on the ground, it will absorb that initial corner-crunching touchdown and make it easier to move the thing around.
Or is the plan to drop it right onto the frame ?
Sorry: gently lower it onto the frame...

That finish looks great. I need to read back and get the recipe you decided to go with : it really does 'pop'.

[KCStudly]

Sunday I sanded the bulkhead inner and curb side wall again, hoping to finish up with a third coat. I’m getting pretty frustrated with these pockets of goo that I keep getting. Seems like wherever I have a brush stroke that overlaps or a little thick area that didn’t get knocked down in the tip off stage, I break through with the paper, it gums up, and I am left with a jagged edge that won’t fair back or blend in. Sand a little more and it just breaks the edge some more making the problem area larger.

Thought I had solved that by being very careful to put on an even coat, not. Thought I had solved it by going thinner, but that left dry areas. Thought if I went back and tipped off very evenly that it would solve it, not. It does seem to have been worse on the bulkhead, so maybe it is an issue with the rougher surface holding more poly, or maybe it is due to the ‘high build’ product. I’m tempted to thin the top coat.

Anyway, here are the pics from Sunday.
Scuffing down.


Close up of gummy area.


Third coat. Hoping that this will blend and fill the gummy areas, but not much confidence that it will.




Monday I had a sour stomach all day and decided to take the evening off. On the way home I spied this super mega RV bus flat towing a very nice crew cab p/u that would make a super TV for any of our small campers on up to a much larger rig. Seemed ironic to me that the camper was towing the TV!


WW, the finish schedule so far has been RO sanding with 180, 220 and 320 grits (except the front of the bulkhead which only got 180 hand sanding, IIRC, maybe 220 grit on hand block); wiping with a dry Scott Shop Rag paper towel (I also experimented with using compressed air to blow the sawdust out of the grain, but this seemed to open up more pores); Minwax Red Chestnut stain (basically the time that it took to rub on, rub to equalize, wait a few minutes, and rub back off); Minwax High Build clear gloss oil based polyurethane applied with a synthetic bristle brush (intended for poly… maybe 2-1/4 or 2-1/2 inch…can’t remember… big box store, not the cheapest, not the most expensive); wait 24 to 72 hrs.; hand sand with the grain using 1x2 oak block wrapped in 1/4 sheet 220 grit; hand scuff with 1/4 sheet 3M greenie pad; wipe with paper towel; wipe with mineral spirit damped paper towel; apply a wet even coat of poly trying to hold a wet edge; tip off with long overlapping even strokes before tacky; and wait again.

I thought 3 coats were going to do it (like on the floor and doors), but tonight when I went out I had a few things I didn’t like. The areas that broke through into gum didn’t fill level, and I have a new issue. There were some areas that looked at first like fingerprints… small ridges. On closer inspection they look like little patch work quilt groupings of wrinkles, each group at random angles to the adjacent groups. Mind you that the overall impression is still pretty good, but when you start looking closer you notice these things.

So I busted out the 220 grit and greenie and scuffed it down again. About half way thru the galley section I realized that that panel was pretty good and I could have just left that area alone, doh.

The areas on the main wall panels adjacent to the door seal flange and toe kick/wire way spacer seem to collect wet poly and it’s harder to pull it away from those corners, and harder to sand there, too, but that’s not really where I am finding the gummy spots. It seems random as best I can tell.

Maybe I need to switch to the standard poly, getting away from the high build?

Not trying to quibble, just trying to learn.

[GPW]

Maybe give everything a little time to cure ...completely ...

[CampsALot]

I have to agree with the drying time.
I think that may have contributed to the wrinkles on my trailer. (They are not bad at all really)
The paint was going on the day after the canvas went on, I think the glue was not completely set and the paint softened it.

That being said, it certainly doesn't look like you're rushing things.

Cant wait to see the parts start coming together.



Warren

[aggie79]

Maybe give everything a little time to cure ...completely ...

KC,

I think GPW is on to something. BTW I think the walls are looking beautiful!

I've never used the high build poly before. It sounds like what is happening is that the poly is skinning over and the solvents haven't had a chance to evaporate (dissipate, or whatever the scientific process is called). Way long ago when I used to use oil-based finishes, I would allow 7 days of cure time between coats. I'm sure the finishes now have better technology and don't need the cure time.

Another thought I had is that the sanding could be contributing to the goo. Sometimes - even hand sanding - can cause heat build-up and cause the finish to soften. You may want to skip the sandpaper between coats and just use the scotch brite pad to give some tooth for the next coat. Apply 2-4 coats and give them time to cure. Then hit the surface with sandpaper - 320 or higher - and follow with the final coat.

My two cents worth. Looking great so far.

Take care,
Tom

[bonnie]

I'm finally caught up. Wow. KC that is a thing of beauty. I am anxious to see it together. I concur with everyone else, video!

[GPW]

Just FYI . it takes common Latex paint a couple weeks to really harden up ...then becomes sand able ... Thicker finishes take longer... Oil paintings take a Year ... Patience !!!

As W’ said : " it certainly doesn't look like you're rushing things.”... Enjoy the build !!! That’s the FUN !!!.... ( and we Enjoy watching you too !!!)

[Wolffarmer]

KC, That dingy being towed by that large RV could tow my TV, and trailer and barely feel it.

Randy

[kudzu]

In spite of your frustrations, it is turning out beautifully. You're setting pretty high standards for the rest of us.


Thankfully I've never been concerned about living up to expectations.

[kudzu]

Monday I had a sour stomach all day and decided to take the evening off. On the way home I spied this super mega RV bus flat towing a very nice crew cab p/u that would make a super TV for any of our small campers on up to a much larger rig. Seemed ironic to me that the camper was towing the TV!

KC, I notice things like that all the time lately. (Snowbirds are always towing up/down I-75.) Have noticed the irony myself. This reminded me of something I saw in someone's gallery. Took me a bit to find it. It's from 4123's photos.
Am pretty sure their real TV is somewhere in there. :

[KCStudly]

Longer wait times do seem to help (maybe?), but I've still run into the same problem even after 72 hrs.

I'm pretty sure that it didn't go on that thick, when I tipped off everything seemed as uniform as I could get it (except around the flanges, as mentioned) and the weather conditions lately have been pretty favorable.

Don't know. All I can figure is that I'm getting a local wet area, or sometimes streaks that seem to dry over the top leaving soft stuff underneath. On the few occasions where I had a larger drip land on the table or floor they have skinned over but when disturbed are still gummy inside.

I could put it on much thinner/drier, but that doesn't seem to me to be how the brush wants to work. It seems to want enough material to coat and flow with the brush.

Wet the brush, reach into the middle of the panel and pull one direction toward me about 12 inches until the brush starts to drag, flip the brush, overlap a little, pull another 12 inches toward the edge of the panel, wet the brush, start at the edge and pull back into the wet area, overlap that pass by 1/2 an inch or so and start again. Get an area about 2 ft x 3 ft done and go back w/o adding any material and pull long single stokes overlapping about half the brush each pass to even everything out, sometimes dabbing off the brush but not really removing any material. Inspect askance with the light and if I see any areas that look dry, do a little local addition, then tip it off locally. That's my technique. Please critique.

Oops. I see many have chimed in while I was writing.

Warren, Tom, Bonnie, Randy, Kudzu and Geep, thanks for all of your support, enthusiasm, and kind compliments.

Although the paper clogs something fierce when this happens, there is gummy stuff “in the hole” that rolls up into a tiny worms when rubbed with the finger, so I think it is more of an issue of relatively heavily coated areas and lack of cure, rather than heat. The paper does clog something fierce when I hit these spots, but I think that is the wet coming first rather than heat. Not absolutely sure, though, so I will pay more attention to that; using just the greenie as a test is a great idea. I will try that!

I still can’t believe how far off the instructions on the can are. Otherwise it does seem to provide a nice finish.

I guess I’m getting a little ribbing on the time it’s taking me, maybe? I suppose I could be a lot more efficient, even put more time in (? Doesn’t feel like I’m slacking!). I like to think of it as diligence. “A fine wine takes time.”

That said, I don’t think I can stand to wait 7 days between coats, 3 weeks per panel. Once I start fitting shelves, cabinet bottoms and ledgers there is going to be a lot of little pieces all needing to be finished.

I think I will complete the other wall and back of the bulkhead using the high build, then pick up a smaller can of the regular gloss to try on the cabinets. They seem to want a more delicate application either way.

Kudzu, funny pic of the TD “behind” the bus. Thanks for digging that out.

[KCStudly]

Again, I want to thank everyone for their contributions.

Randy, don't wait for the notifications, just spend all of your time here on the forums trying to keep up to date. It's what I do.

Out to Mecca, rubbed down the panels with mineral spirits and laid on another coat of poly. The 4th coat.

Did things a little different. Added maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup of mineral spirits to about 2 - 3 cups of the high build poly. Probably not enough to make much of a difference. The only thing I noticed was that there seemed to be a foamy raft of bubbles floating on the surface of the pot the whole time.

I took extra care to keep a dry brush around the door flanges and toe kicks, and tried to keep a drier brush in general (since the surface is fairly sealed and smooth now, that is easier now). Took extra care to sight askance with the light more frequently (rather than waiting until the end) so that I could remedy dry areas sooner while still relatively fluid/less tacky.

The wet coat looked decent, and if all goes well drying I'm going to call these two surfaces done and move on. At some point after time has passed I might sand with 320 or finer, buff and wax, but that will probably be after final assembly. I'm too mired down in details and the big picture is looking good, so I'm moving on.

I did take a couple more pics, but they don't show the trouble spots too well, and are just more shiny wet surfaces, so I will tack them on with the next photo dump, or not. Pics are all starting to look the same, so I guess that is a good thing.