More Epoxy issues/questions

[b.bodemer]

Mk,
Is there a Rockler store nearby you?....................they carry the West Epoxy and have the pumps. Generally they are cheaper than the boat stores.

Barb

[Mary K]

Mk,
Is there a Rockler store nearby you?....................they carry the West Epoxy and have the pumps. Generally they are cheaper than the boat stores.

Barb

Nope, the closest one is in Atlanta.

I almost stopped on the way home from work too buy some epoxy. But I need to work on the mold stain first. Besides, I think we might get some rain in the next few days. I 'll hold off starting until Fay has figured out what she is going to do.

Mk

[Miriam C.]

Mk,
Is there a Rockler store nearby you?....................they carry the West Epoxy and have the pumps. Generally they are cheaper than the boat stores.

Barb

Nope, the closest one is in Atlanta.

I almost stopped on the way home from work too buy some epoxy. But I need to work on the mold stain first. Besides, I think we might get some rain in the next few days. I 'll hold off starting until Fay has figured out what she is going to do.

Mk

http://www.westsystem.com/

Has 3 West Marine in your town.

I hope

West Marine-170
7160 North Davis Hwy
Pensacola, FL 32504
Phone: 850-476-2720
Fax: 850-476-2774
Full Stocking Dealer.
Web: www.westmarine.com
Pensacola, FL

West Marine-1750
3810 Barrancas Ave
Pensacola, FL 32507
Phone: 850-456-9955
Fax: 850-456-0092
Web: www.westmarine.com
MapQuest
Pensacola, FL

West Marine-65
3500 Barancas Ave
Pensacola, FL 32507
Phone: 850-453-0010
Fax: 850-453-0510
Full Stocking Dealer.
Web: www.westmarine.com
MapQuest

[Mary K]

Thanks Aunti M. On the first page I said I found the West Systems at a local West Marine. I had a linkly too it, but it was buried in a bunch of verbiage.

I drive right by the Davis Hwy store twice a day on my way to and from work. I'll go buy some this weekend along with the stuff Tony told me to get.

BUT first I got to sand and bleach the MOLD out on the rear roof panel...wish me luck on that huh?


Mk

[Miriam C.]

:lol: Thanks Aunti M. On the first page I said I found the West Systems at a local West Marine. I had a linkly too it, but it was buried in a bunch of verbiage.

I drive right by the Davis Hwy store twice a day on my way to and from work. I'll go buy some this weekend along with the stuff Tony told me to get.

BUT first I got to sand and bleach the MOLD out on the rear roof panel...wish me luck on that huh?


Mk

Yeah well I guess I am really getting old. That is an excuse for CRS.

[2bits]

Good luck on the repair Mary, just watching and learning myself! I have seen a couple of threads with water damage and I am paying attention!

[Mary K]

Weeeeeellll, Im embarrassed. I finaly mixed some epoxy up... and ya know what? It's not all that scary.

First off, Instead of purchasing 2 big cans of resin and hardener for $100, I purchased a West Systems repair kit for $25. And after waiting for the humidity to get below 60% I got the nerve to open the kit. I did learn that if you use the little brushes that are in the kit, you will have bubbles and a mess. If you use the syringe you get a perfect bead and fillet, right where you want it.

Sorry no pictures.

This repair pack has 6 packets of the resin and hardener that mixed up to about 4 oz. at a time Perfect for what i was doing. The kit had everything in it I needed. Stir sticks, cups, gloves, filler (i didn't use) a syringe, and alcohol pads for cleaning.... I would definitely recommend it for small jobs like I did.

I fixed two top pieces of trim and some side trim that had gaps. But, I did not do all of my trim.

The mold stain mostly came out, mostly. I was just to scared to sand any more in fear of sanding through the veneer.

To get the stain out, I put a clean cotton napkin over the sanded stain and saturated it with a mix of 1/4 bleach and water. I let it sit for and hour and then let it dry. And again for another hour. I have urethane back over it now. You can still see a difference, but its not as bad.

Steve C. Thanks for the advice on that. It worked really good. And Thanks to everyone that replied with advice. I do appreciate it.

Mk

[2bits]

Yeah the thick stuff is like JB weld, I was surprized when I got the CPES that it was just like water! I am glad to hear that you are feeling good about the repair that's the main thing! Good job!!

[Mary K]

I do feel good about how it worked. I had come to the conclusion that it was not going to be a pretty fix. That at this point it is more important that the TD does not leak than look perfect. But, the epoxy looks fine on it and I am happy with that.

I keep hearing folks talk about CPES and I am still not sure what exactly it is. I should go look it up....


Mk

[planovet]

I keep hearing folks talk about CPES and I am still not sure what exactly it is. I should go look it up....

It's a slovent based epoxy the allows it to penetrate deep into the wood. The solvents then evaporate leaving the epoxy in the wood fibers, not just on the surface. It's main advantage is it's penetrating ability. The solvents also dissolve any moisture, sap or oils in the wood.

From the website http://rotdoctor.com/products/cpes.html:

CPES is the leading product for treating rotted wood. Here's why: The fungus that causes dry rot retains a lot of moisture and resists the penetration of sealers and other rot treatments that cannot displace water. Also, the relatively high viscosity of most epoxy dry rot treatments prevents penetrating deep into the affected wood. In addition to alcohol, CPES™ contains other precisely measured organic solvents which act as "carriers" and take the epoxy deep into the wood and then evaporate out over a period of time. The resin is carried through the soft or bad wood and into the top layers of the solid wood to seal and form a bonding surface no other product on the market can achieve. The resins used in CPES™ are derived mostly from wood and when cured have a toughness and flexibility similar to the wood itself. To see test results of CPES™ and other epoxies marketed for wood restoration, go to our product test section.

CPES is also an excellent primer. All wood contains moisture, as well as varying amounts of "sap". Different woods have different amounts of these which are chemically attached to the cellulose wood fibers. To obtain a good bond between the wood and a surface coating, the fibers on the surface of the wood must be strongly bonded to the coating. If not, the wood surface soaks up the liquid part of the coating and leaves the solids on top where deterioration is relatively rapid. CPES™ contains a high percentage of special solvents to displace and dissolve both the wood moisture and the sap and oils to form an enduring bond with the wood fibers.

[2bits]

Mike turned me on to it and I thought if I am going to use epoxy anyway, I might as well get deep penetrating epoxy

[Mary K]

Oh! Well, its to late for that.... Maybe on my next build.

Thanks for the info Mark.

[S. Heisley]

It is my understanding that most epoxies are made from chemicals that are not derived from tree resin. If I'm not mistaken, CPES is made from extracts of tree sap, kept liquified with other ingredients long enough to be applied. Based on that, think about this:

Mother Nature uses sap to seal cracks and damages in trees. If you've ever gotten tree sap on your hands, you know how it clings. If you see a tree that has a "sap spill" the sap starts out liquid, then becomes more like a gel paste and then solidifies. The tree with it's sap-covered wound is constantly exposed to the elements and I don't believe I've ever seen a gob of tree sap with a crack in it. I have seen the jewel, amber. That is what aged tree sap can turn into, over time. To my mind, this is worth pondering.

I think we all want the products of our efforts to be "jewels" and withstand the elements of sun, moisture, and time. Just maybe CPES, used according to the directions, will help us do that.

...Just a thought....

[S. Heisley]

I just read what I wrote. Maybe Dr. Rot should put me on their payroll!

[Miriam C.]

:o Oh! Well, its to late for that.... Maybe on my next build.

Thanks for the info Mark.

Mary K, I think CPES is too thin to build the kind of dam you were looking for. It will harden rotted wood and it will penetrate to protect against water damage deep inside but takes many layers to build a surface coating.