Tell me more about glass

[War Eagle]

I think I understand but can someone state it point blank for me. When you use fiberglass sheets and epoxy on your TD is it transparent? I assume that it is. So if I find some really nice hardwood ply with a nice grain and stain it to look even more beautiful. And then I use glass and epoxy over that will it change the look any? Can use the glass on the corners and seams only (kinda like finishing drywall) and still have a smooth seamless finish?

In the case where I would like to only use the glass on the corners and seams would I use the epoxy as I would drywall? Meaning apply sand, apply sand ... until I have feathered the epoxy down to make a smooth transition to the non-glassed area.

Am I making sence? Am I rambling?

[Gaston]

I think I understand what it is you are thinking .
the word "sheet" is the area I have trouble with. If you mean fiberglass cloth then Yes what you stated will work BUT .....
test any stain you are going to use under epoxy before you commit to it as some stains and epoxy don't play well together
also use a pretty light weight cloth to keep the weave print from showing thru the finish coats of epoxy. Also realize you will have to paint with a clear coat other than the epoxy to protect the epoxy from UV breakdown
I'm sure Doug Hooder can help with any questions you may have
,his epoxy work is beautyfull

[madjack]

WE, the two units you wanna look at are from Doug Hodder and Steve Fredericks...Doug, uses just epoxy, shot over with auto clear coat for UV protection...Steve, glasses the whole thing and protects it with spar varnish.....
madjack

[Chuck Craven]

Hi War Eagle!

I have been playing with some soloed wood and ply wood test panels: Oak, pine wood panels 12” square. Also have been trying Luan plywood, Oak plywood, Pine B/C exterior plywood 12” square panels.

First off I would not use the Polyester resin! I could not control the setting time.
It would probably work if you have a controlled environment temperature and humidity.
Working out side I just could not get the stuff to work the same each time and gave up on it. Some times it was cloudy other times it set up before I could get it leveled out.

Epoxy is a whole lot more forgiving. You can get a range of different hardeners, which will give you more time to putts with it. I have found that water / alcohol base stains seem to work good you just have to dampen the wood with a damp sprung, to rise the grin, then lightly sand with 320 grit sand paper, before staining the wood.
6-mill glass cloth seams to disappear in the epoxy and looks grate. 4 to 5 coats of spar varnish will have to be put over it for UV protection.

My outer experiment has been using Rot doctor penetrating Epoxy over the water base stain then 6 coats of spar varnish. It is holding up just as good as the Epoxy/glass/spar varnish.

I started the test panels this summer, so fare they have gone through 100 dig. F to –5 dig. F temperature cycle, sun, rain, snow and100 mph wind. The epoxy and the rot doctor are looking good. The Polyester resin / spar varnish is pealing and the panels that were stained and spar varnished are surface cracking. I live in Wisconsin where the weather is changing constantly form day to day. In summer we have high humidity and in winter very low humidity when it’s cold! The temperature can change 20 / 40 deg. in less than an hour when the wind shift to off the lake. You may have better results where you live.

Chuck

[War Eagle]

Thanks for the replys guys. I'll look through Doug and Steve's albums a little closer for more details.

One more question. I still haven't decided if I will stain or paint. I thought I was set on stain but then when I see a TD like Gaston's I really like the car like painted finish. So if I decide to paint should I paint first then to the glass and epoxy then a auto clear coat or do you paint on top of the epoxy?

[War Eagle]

Thanks for the research Chuck. That's very helpfull.

[madjack]

....use a paint like EZpoxy or Petit over the epoxy/fiberglass...these are know as marine "topside" paints....
madjack

[War Eagle]

Do you need to apply a clear coat over the marine paint?

[Chuck Craven]

War Eagle!

I have never done it, but you can shoot automotive paint over epoxy/glass. Just like the Corvette is done. You just have to do a very good job in prepping the fiberglass.
Maybe talk to a body shop that does Corvettes.

Chuck

[War Eagle]

I was actually thinking it would be better to do the glass/ epoxy over the paint. Her is a novic's thinking. Would the glass/ epoxy provide protection for the paint and give it that deep gloss/ glass look. Kinda like a bar/ restaurant table that has the thick epoxy/ poly coating on it that looks to ab eabout 1/4 inch thick.

[Chuck Craven]

The only thing I have seen that looks like that is gel coat with plastic clear coat over that.
I have never seen epoxy over paint! That does not mean it can’t be done! I spouse Epoxy over epoxy paint should work. But you would still need something to do the UV bock over that! Seams like a lot of work!!! But lots of work can look like a million bucks!

Chuck

[apratt]

War Eagle you do not want to glass over automotive paint. Glass will bond better over wood, then you use automotive paint over the glass for the UV protection. The glass resin does not hold up well in the sunlight.

[Micro469]

Chuck... Can you post pics of your sample boards??

[Chuck Craven]

I was afraid some one was going to ask!
All the panels that were bad went to the garbage two weeks ago. I also got rid of the plywood panels, as I didn’t like the way they turned out, even though they looked good.
I didn’t like the grain pattern form the stain.
The three solid wood panes that I liked are now under a very strong UV light for the last week. I want to see how much the stain will change color with the 5/ 6 coats of spar varnish on them. The UV light I am using is equal to 1 year of normal sun per hour. What I am looking for is the easiest way to make the tear for me. With out being able to handle heavy wood panels I am engineering a different method of building this bird. So the finish has to be fairly light and have good workability in a vertical application. I am willing to give up some long-term durability as long as maintenance can be done with some ease. So my test panels were not really done for durability but for what the minimum I can get a way with and still have the look I am after with the least amount of work. Not sure if that make any since.

Chuck

[glassice]

it good that you do test panels car paint under glass not so good may react you can to add color to rein .Doug has sweet looking finish. there clear rein with UV protection for surf boards WHEN YOU WORK WITH GLASS lot of air and dusk mask it least