Favorite Epoxy/Resin Fillet Fairing gel coat combo

Discussion in 'Materials' started by Munson, Mar 25, 2021.

  1. missinginaction
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    missinginaction Senior Member

    I would make up a cleat for the part of the box where you have a 90* inside corner. You'll have to fillet the inside and tape the seam for the other angles unless you want to get fancy with a table saw and cut some triangular cleats.

    Post a photo or two as you go and some of the guys will surely weigh in. Good luck and remember to take your time and have fun with it.

    One last thing. I'll give you a tip on a supplier.

    Merton's Fiberglass & Marine Supply https://www.mertons.com/

    Joe Merton, who owns the business was very helpful to me back many years ago when I was just getting started in my "hobby". If you decide to call him he'll be happy to answer your questions regarding your project and he won't talk down to you.

    Tell him Bart sent you (the guy from over Albany way) who restored the 1973 Silverton. If you're in eastern New York he's UPS one day shipping.

    MIA
     
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  2. Munson
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    Munson Junior Member

    On the image of the screw box there is an image of how the screw penetrates from the inside of the box and ends at the outer most part of the wood.If I route it,it will get hit.But if I screw from the outside of the box it will end on the inside.I think this may miss the router
     

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  3. missinginaction
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    missinginaction Senior Member

    Lets say you have a 1 foot square box. To strengthen the joints you can install cleats (preferably hardwood) into the inside corners. You could cut 1" X 1" by 6" or 8" pieces of wood to fit into the inside corners. Think of a stick, one inch on each side. You place the stick (the cleat) onto one piece of plywood even with the edge, use slightly thickened epoxy for a glue. Use a couple of small screws, if you want, to hold the cleat in position. Just snug it into position, not too tight. You want some epoxy in the joint, you don't want to pull the cleat and ply tight and force all the epoxy out. After it's cured you can place the perpendicular piece onto the part you just finished and glue the other side of the cleat. When done you can just remove the screws. The screws will add very little to no strength to the assembly.

    If you're determined to use screws go to a good hardware store and get yourself some decent stainless steel screws. You can buy them individually. Much better than those packaged screws. But again, you don't need them if you use cleats and epoxy.

    MIA
     
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  4. Munson
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    Munson Junior Member

    I sent an email to the gentleman you suggested for parts yesterday, he has not responded yet.On another note which is a Godsend, I ordered stainless screws from Kreg and they had a manufactured defect so I returned them(no threads).I am so glad you suggested the cleats.I’m thinking of usually cherry wood
     
  5. fallguy
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    fallguy Senior Member

    You can make cleats of wood or fiberglass tapes.

    The screws are temporary. No need to kreg it unless you cannot glass it up.

    Anything outside needs glass or it may do the bang MIA experienced when the thermal expansion rates of parts vary. The expansion rate of epoxy and of a long piece of wood are different. A long piece of wood expands more. Overtime, that weakens the epoxy bond. Fiberglass makes the thing more uniform and the expansion of the wood and epoxy and glass behaves more uniformly.

    In order to lay glass in the corners of the box; you can just make some fillets or a triangular cleat, as suggested.
     
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  6. missinginaction
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    missinginaction Senior Member

    Munson, Don't be shy. Just pick up the phone and call him. He's a really nice person. Don't worry about being new to this. Joe will be happy to walk you through your project. If he's too busy he'll probably ask you to call him back but he's probably not too busy yet. He was very helpful to me back a decade ago. I was just like you. Just like here, the only way to learn is to ask, and NO question is a dumb question!

    If you have some scrap Cherry laying around I can't see why you couldn't use it. If you're going to buy some hardwood I'd suggest Philippine Mahogany. It's relative inexpensive and I've used it for all kinds of things on my boat. If you use it pick through the stock. Philippine Mahogany varies greatly in it's density. You're looking for some heavy, dense piece that you can cut into cleats. Once you see the stock, you'll understand what I mean.

    Have a great day!

    MIA
     
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  7. Munson
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    Munson Junior Member

    Thank You
     
  8. Munson
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    Munson Junior Member

    Phase one
     

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  9. Munson
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    Munson Junior Member

    The box is moving along,I’ll post more updates.Thanks Again
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2021
  10. missinginaction
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    missinginaction Senior Member

    Let us know how it works out Munson.
     
  11. Munson
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    Munson Junior Member

    My router got away from me in a few tricky corners.What is the best method to fill in gouges?Can I sandwich 2 boards , wrap them with Saran Wrap and fill with epoxy?
     
  12. missinginaction
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    missinginaction Senior Member

    If it's just a gouge, I'd mix up some resin and thicken it so it won't run. Then trowel it into the gouge. After it's hardened, sand it off. You may have to do this a couple of times in order to get the surface smooth and flush.

    You may already know this but take a look at the link below.......

    Understanding Router Feed Direction https://www.woodcraft.com/blog_entries/understanding-router-feed-direction#

    I'll route the corner on a flat piece but I've never done it on a three dimensional part like the box you're working on. You might try getting close to the corner with the router and then finishing it off with a sander. I seems to me that the corner of a box would leave no where for the base of the router to sit.

    MIA
     
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  13. Blueknarr
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    Blueknarr Senior Member

    Pictures would be of great assistance.

    Yes epoxy and compression wrapping can be used.
    But your wounds might have a better treatment.

    Since you are planning on glassing and paint, thickened epoxy filler might suffice.
     
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  14. Munson
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    Munson Junior Member

    Round 1 .MIA ,the cleats were too difficult for me.It would be X,Y,and Z axis cuts so I went with the fillet.So far 2 coats on inside,Fillet sandwich between joints and the fillet corners.Is there any thing that needs to be corrected from what you see in the pics?
     

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  15. missinginaction
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    missinginaction Senior Member

    Based on what I can see you did an admirable job with those fillets for a first attempt. Of course you'll need to coat the outside and then paint. How are you going to attach it to the boat exactly?
     
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