By Captain James R. Watson
The appropriate laminate thickness for a particular application is difficult to come up with out of the blue. We have a “feel” for how strong something must be to suit our purposes. Our hands are fairly sensitive for detecting slight load increases, up to about 30 pounds. We can use them to evaluate a variety of materials. The only problem is, we don’t know the numerical equivalent of the pressure we’re applying. Continue reading
In the past, we’ve recommended applying an alkyd base primer over well-cured, clean, and sanded epoxy surfaces. We wanted to know how this primer compared to the newer, fast drying primers now available. We recently did a study of various house paint primers over epoxy to support the growing number of customers using WEST SYSTEM epoxy for building restoration. Continue reading
A long time ago, I was building a 16 foot William F. Crosby design—a plywood, skiff-like sailboat. I was having trouble figuring out what to do because the plywood was only half as long as my boat was going to be. (Up to that point, all the boats I’d built were 8 footers.) I thought my prayers were answered when I heard that a distant lumber yard had some “special stuff” 16 feet long. But when I arrived at the yard, I thought I had been deceived. The “special” 16 foot plywood had been made that long by joining two standard 8 foot sheets, with a joint that looked pretty vulnerable and weak. I reluctantly bought the material on the assurance that it was plenty strong and I was not being deceived. Continue reading
There are many ways to machine scarf bevels on plywood panels. The best method depends on how many scarf joints your project requires. If you need to scarf only two sheets of 3mm plywood, using a block plane and sanding block is a good low cost option. If you have a daily need to scarf many panels, a reliable machining method is a wise investment. This article reviews several popular scarffing methods and tools, to help you decide which is best for you. Continue reading
A vacuum hold-down feature can be incorporated into a table to hold individual sheets of plywood in place while you machine scarf bevels. This feature works especially well when using the router box technique described in the scarfing article. You’ll need a fairly large vacuum pump. We use an oilless rotary vane vacuum pump made by Gast, Model No. 3040-V115A. It generates 25 cubic feet per minute (cfm) at no vacuum and 5 cfm at 20″ of mercury. Smaller units may work, but lots of cfm and reasonably high vacuum are required when plywood is warped or rough. A vacuum table will work most efficiently holding down smooth, flat plywood panels. Continue reading
Working with fiberglass fabrics can cause skin irritations ranging from minor itching to a serious rash. It’s caused by microscopic, needle-like fiberglass spindles of that prick your skin. It helps to protect your skin with gloves and long or disposable protective sleeves, but here is what to do if you’re faced with a fiberglass-induced itch. Continue reading
Vinegar is a mild solvent and is sometimes promoted as a “harmless” solution for cleaning epoxy from skin. At first blush, this seems to makes sense. Vinegar is a common food ingredient. It has been used medicinally as an anti-fungal agent and as an old time sun burn remedy. Italian dressing, sauerkraut and pickles could not exist without it. Continue reading
WEST SYSTEM 105 Resin and 206 Slow Hardener recently passed a rigorous adhesive boil test performed by an independent laboratory. This test determines if a wood laminate and its adhesive is suitable for long-term use in a marine environment. Continue reading
By Meade Gougeon — GBI Founder
It was 100 years ago this spring that Joshua Slocum departed Boston Harbor on the first single-handed voyage around the world. What made this feat even more amazing was Slocum’s boat: the 37’ oyster dragger was rumored to have been over 100 years old when it was given to him in 1892. She lay rotting in a field when Slocum began a restoration that took two years of hard work. He also modified her original design, making her more seaworthy and easy to sail single-handedly. He named the boat SPRAY. Continue reading
By Ray Locke
This is a project which will give your stainless steel helm’s wheel a beautiful wooden look, a softer and sturdier feel. Mine looks great and, with a new teak cockpit table, really improves the look of the helm station. It is done by wrapping the wheel with pieces of teak that have been hollowed out and rounded over, then epoxied together. The end product feels heavier than the stainless steel wheel, is about ½“ greater in diameter, and is beautiful. Continue reading