Boat Building Forum

Find advice on all aspects of building your own kayak, canoe or any lightweight boats

cleaning epoxy resin off hull panels
By:Julie Kanarr
Date: 2/14/2000, 12:57 pm

Having just completed a Pygmy Artic Tern for myself ('launched' from the basement to the garage on Saturday a.m.-- I had 26 people at my 'launch party') I'm now starting on a Pygmy Coho on behalf of my 82 year old stepfather for his daughter. To make a long story short, he had 'started' building it....and this was the project that made it clear to my mother that he's in the early stages of Alzheimers... because he 'started' by brushing System 3 epoxy resin onto some of the bare wood hull panels without mixing it with hardener first in any way shape or form..... so.... my first task it to get the resin off!! There's no more than an ounce or two, all together, (my mother intercepted him in the process, otherwise it would have been worse. He was doing this in the living room, so she could sort of keep an eye on him. That's when she helped him decide this project was beyond him & shipped it to me.)

He did this in October, so the kit has been sitting with the resin on the panels since then (I knew he'd done this, but didn't want to think about dealing with it until I got *my* boat done).

Suggestions? Do I need to get absolutely every trace off? Any way to do this apart from sanding, sanding, sanding? I started sanding one, & was making progress, then decided to check the rest of the panels to see how wild he'd gotten... there were more than just the one I was working on. Should I suggest to my mother that she should spring for an electric sander? I'm more concerned about subsequent bonding of epoxy to the contaminated surface than I am to the cosmetics. Of course, I want the boat to look nice, but then again.... it's not *my* boat, so it won't bother me if it has some character stains.... when I deliver it, I'll tell her they're her dad's fault.

Thanks for your input. Julie in Montana

Messages In This Thread

cleaning epoxy resin off hull panels
Julie Kanarr -- 2/14/2000, 12:57 pm
Re: cleaning epoxy resin --PROGRESS
Julie Kanarr -- 2/16/2000, 12:35 am
Re: cleaning epoxy resin off hull panels
lee -- 2/15/2000, 9:06 pm
System 3: "Lacquer Thinner"
Chris in Cajun Country -- 2/15/2000, 10:39 pm
Re: cleaning epoxy resin off hull panels
Larry C. -- 2/14/2000, 3:12 pm
Re: cleaning epoxy resin off hull panels
Shawn Baker -- 2/14/2000, 1:50 pm
Re: cleaning epoxy resin off hull panels
Rehd -- 2/15/2000, 12:49 am
Re: cleaning epoxy resin off hull panels
Shawn Baker -- 2/15/2000, 12:02 pm
Re: cleaning epoxy resin off hull panels
Bram -- 2/15/2000, 11:45 am
Re: Mix ratio
Don B -- 2/16/2000, 12:35 am
Re: cleaning epoxy resin off hull panels
Julie Kanarr -- 2/14/2000, 2:19 pm
Re: cleaning epoxy resin off hull panels
Don B -- 2/15/2000, 12:37 am
Appeal to Pygmy
Chris in Cajun Country -- 2/14/2000, 3:49 pm
Re: cleaning epoxy resin off hull panels
Ross Leidy -- 2/14/2000, 2:35 pm
Re: cleaning epoxy resin off hull panels
Ross Leidy -- 2/14/2000, 1:43 pm