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Re: Epoxy: Reinforcing the keel
By:JohnAbercrombie
Date: 5/29/2014, 2:52 pm
In Response To: Re: Epoxy: Reinforcing the keel (Tim Cronsberry)

Thanks John. Forgive me if this answer is elsewhere on this forum (it likely is), but should I wet-out both layers of cloth along the keel at once, or wait until the first layer cures before laying down the reinforcing strip?

Tim


Tim-
Again, you should practice this 'off-hull', IMO. Your chosen glass and epoxy and the temperature of the epoxy (and your shop) can all make a difference in how easy it is to wet out the glass.

Like anything in boat building, you'll get several opinions on the 'best' way to do this.

On my boats, I usually put the reinforcement glass on the hull and lay the 'full coverage' glass over that, and wet them out together, but I've done a lot of epoxy/glass work.
Some folks feel that this results in 'cutting glass fibers' in the outer layer, but it's not been a problem for me. I like the fact that the full glass layer keeps the edges of the reinforcement under control - no epoxied hanging threads to scrape away later.

It's probably less risky to do the full glass layer and then add reinforcement later (just as soon as the first epoxy cures- not days or weeks later- if there's much delay, scrub the first layer with water and a brush to get rid of amine blush, and possibly give a very light scuff sanding.).

BTW, a clean bench brush helps to smooth out the dry glass cloth on the hull before you start with the epoxy.

Messages In This Thread

Epoxy: Reinforcing the keel
Tim Cronsberry -- 5/29/2014, 12:58 pm
Re: Epoxy: Reinforcing the keel
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/29/2014, 1:25 pm
Re: Epoxy: Reinforcing the keel
Tim Cronsberry -- 5/29/2014, 1:47 pm
Re: Epoxy: Reinforcing the keel
JohnAbercrombie -- 5/29/2014, 2:52 pm
Re: Epoxy: Reinforcing the keel
Thomas Duncan -- 6/1/2014, 11:29 am