> 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

Julie, I have some more thoughts to add to Ross and shawn's responces. Acetone will thin the resin. Magahony is an open grained wood and the thinned resin may be driven deeper into the plys. The acetone evaporates but what is left? If just resin was applied with no hardener that may not be such a serious problem like what shawn had with incorrect ratio. I would try scraping the surface with a razorblade or utility knife blade to remove the thickest buildup. That may be all you have to do. It might be worth trying both methods in a small area to see which works best. You could also ask Kern Hendrick at System Three what he thinks. Ross's warning about acetone is very important. When you buy the acetone ask for the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and read it!! Dispose of rags quickly outdoors. I found that latex gloves dont like acetone for very long and Nitrile gloves work the best.

Larry C.