> I know what is too much sanding. (When you put a hole through the hull).
> What determines when there is enough sanding.

> Walter H. Klaus

> PS In the process of holding the laminations of the outside stem with
> rubber bands. It's working great. Will put photo on webpage.

I'm gonna steal the idea, if not the actual words from the posting on "Scary sharp". In that thread the discussion was on using sandpaperto sharpen tools, and the authtor(s) sanded with successively finer grades of sandpaper until the tool shined like a mirror. ou can do a similar job on a plastic or plastic-like surface, such as polyester or epoxy resin, or varnish.

Such extremes are probably not necessary, and are even undesirable if you want a matte or satin finish.

The "scary sharp" article mentions a method for determining when to change grades of sandpaper. Yo do it when you have even striations ( scratches) from the grade of sandpaper that you are using, and you have removed the bigger striations from the preceding sand paper. They used an inexpensive microscope to examine the surface for this effect.

On a boat the idea is the same, but you won't need a microscope. Wood that has been cut tends to slowly oxidise and change color on the surface. If your constuction has taken any significant time (and I'll be willing to bet that it has) you'll see a color and texture change as you do your first pass of sanding.

You sand until you have removed all the roughness from the previous operation (ripping the strips on a stripper or frame, smoothing the fillets and glass-taped seams on a stitch and glue.). So, the first sanding job you do is with coarse paper, and you fair the hull, removing the outer layer of oxidised wood cells from your work, ridges from fillers and bumps from drips of resin or glue. As you sand, the sander and sand paper will scratch away at your wood. Low spots will remain shiny from the gloss of untouched resin, or stay the color of "old" wood. When you have evenly and lightly abraded things so that an even pattern of sanding marks is evident, then you change to a finer grade of sand paper and go over things again, until the whole thing has a nice, even pattern once again.

If you are between coating operations, you want to leave a finish that has some "tooth", abrading the exisitng coat and leaving it slightly rough so the next coat has some additional surface area to bond to. soem people go to grits finer than 200, others go to only 100, which is a "medium" grit.

I'd try going to only 100. The coating of varnish or resin should fill in, or dissolve the microscopic hills and valleys of this. If not, then you'll see it when the finish dries, and you can sand the next coat with a finer grit. Testing on a small area simple.

Hope this helps.

Paul G. Jacobson