These 31-10 Pacific Class sailboats appeared in Epoxyworks in 18, Fall 2001. They were being rescued and restored by a dedicated group in San Diego, California. John Sutphen, who was involved in the project, sent the photo (below) of one of the restored Pacific Class boats under sail: the reward of hard work and dedication.
Above: One example of how to make shop tools quickly with G/5: Create a positioning fixture by laminating several layers of fabric over the part to be machined. Use mold release, tape or plastic wrap to protect the part. Glue the drill bushing in position with G/5 Five-Minute Adhesive.
Gougeon Brothers’ G/5 Five Minute Adhesive can be used in an infinite number of ways to repair and build a great variety of projects. From filling stripped screw holes in drywall to repairing broken wooden furniture, its versatility is limited only by one’s imagination. I value G/5 in my workshop because its quick cure time lets me build quality jigs, fixtures, and molds that are available for use almost immediately. Continue reading
Epoxyworks reader Jim Cronan of St. Ignace, Michigan completed a Phil Bolger designed Martha Jane that he had worked on for five years. He offed a couple of suggestion the helped him with his project. Continue reading
I recently ran out of sandpaper for my 5″ diameter random orbital sander, and needed only a few more sanding disks to finish the project. While my sander is equipped for the hook-and-loop style sanding disks, I had only PSA (pressure sensitive adhesive) style sanding disks. These did not stick well to the pad on the sander, and within a minute or two they would fly off, leaving me frustrated. I finished my project by gluing the PSA disks to worn out hook-and-loop disks with contact cement. This actually worked quite well. Continue reading
By Joe Parker
When two or more fiberglass laminators meet, the discussion always turns to resin application and hand wet out tools. In some respects, this is much like a political or religious debate. I thought it might be helpful to describe some of these tools, and identify (as I see it) the best tools for laminating. Continue reading
Rectangular or square edge strips tend to get out of alignment between mold stations, especially where the bend is tight and the planks have to be forced into position. You can build intermediate mold stations in these areas to support the planks in more places. Continue reading
Epoxy fillets are important for reinforcing the long joints between bulkheads and hulls or decks. My friend Jack Anderson showed me how to modify one of our inexpensive 808 Plastic Spreaders make to apply neat fillets in one quick pass. Continue reading
When replacing planking, often you have to drill a new hole through the wood and “hit” the existing hole on the frame (so as not to riddle the frame with new holes). This tool will help you properly locate the new hole. You can either modify a set of barbecue tongs to make this tool, or fashion one from strips of aluminum. Drill a hole in the blades. Attach a pointed stud to the lower blade. Continue reading
By Captain James R. Watson
Often, our projects require specialized tools to get the job done—and nothing like what we need exists. The following are some tools I’ve inherited or have learned about from others and have used for years. Continue reading
My son Matt and I recently built a small stitch-and-glue boat. While fairing the bottom we discovered that hacksaw blades can be modified and used for fairing.
The buildup of fiberglass tape along the chine and keel had caused a low spot in the hull all along the edge of the fiberglass buildup. Filling the low spot with low-density filler was easy, but sanding the cured epoxy with sanding boards was slow work. Experimenting with a new hacksaw blade, we found it easily cut through the low-density filler and occasional high spots in the fiberglass. Continue reading