: One the members on the Bear Mountain Boats Forum posted a different
: technique he uses to remove the excess epoxy after applying the
: wet-out coat. You can read all about it at this link:
: http://www.bearmountainboats.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=4020

I feel, the use of a squeegee to remove excess resin from the wet-out of the fiberglass,
which at the same time creates very uniform application, is Ted Moores greatest contribution
to stripper construction.

On my first boat, a canoe, I followed the information I had, which didn't include squeegeeing
off the resin after the wet-out of the fiberglass. Later, when I sanded, I found I had ripples in my
glass surface because the glass had floated on top of the resin in areas where there were folds
and wrinkles, or just excess resin, that I had not seen, or removed.

At that time, I didn't realize that epoxy has no tack strength. I was used to using glues
that were sticky from the get-go. Epoxy is so viscous, and without holding power until it
"kicks", that a wrinkle, or even the air in a section of glass not yet saturated, will lift right
off the hull and the void below will fill with resin.

This is why I would never consider another technique.

You will not remove as much epoxy with paper towels as you would if you used a squeegee.

Epoxy thickens from the moment you add hardener.

You won't remove resin from areas that are floating on a pool of resin that has thickened
to the point that it can no longer be removed from the glass fibers.

I know this from experience. If having the boat be as light-weight as possible with a
hand lay-up is NOT important to you, than by all means try this paper towel method.

I never wet-out more than half a boat before I squeegee off the excess resin.

The glass has all the resin it needs by the time I finish wetting out one half the boat and get back to
that same point with a squeegee to remove the excess resin.

Wetting out the glass, by using small batches of resin (never more than 6 oz.) in a warm shop
and with roller application, keeps the resin at it's thinnest for the longest period of time, so
I can remove excess not only resin off the surface of the glass, but any pools the glass may be
floating on that I don't know about. With a seal coat taking care of the wood's need for resin,
I can get the the lightest, most uniform, totally transparent lay-up, time, after time.

I don't have to apply extra resin, using a brush (which is natural to use with resin right from the mixing cup!
Big No. No! When it kicks much faster than you expected) which is much slower than a roller.
Yes, others do this and it works for them, but they don't tell you how they learned the hard way,
not to use a brush right from the mixing cup!

Sounds like a big mess and waste of paper towels. I think there are serious draw backs to this technique which
a novice will not know about. I would not recommend it to any of my builders.

Solutions to problems are easy.

The trick is to come up with a solution that doesn't create three new problems.

Have fun!

Rob