Glen-L.com

I started building a plywood boat (Clancy) several years ago, but had to stop working on it due to money/time/kids (old song, I'm sure). But I'd like to resume work now. Unfortunately, I found that some uncatalyzed epoxy spilled or leaked onto the plywood, leaving a spot of about 50 square inches sticky with the stuff. Is there any way to clean this so that I can successfully glass over it?
Thanks for any advice.

Ask Dave Grason. I think he is the expert on this one!

Bill

_________________
Mini -Tug, KH Tahoe 19 & Bartender 24 - There can be no miracle recoveries without first screwing up.
Tahoe 19 Build

Actually, after I posted my question, I read the thread "How much trouble?", which turned out to be a very similar problem. The consensus seemed to be "scrape it off", but this is soaked into the wood. I can try acetone or alcohol, or whatever, but I was wondering how well that would work getting into the pores?

Rich

you may want to contact the epoxy supplier on this for their specific advice.

My friend at work just built a Clancey with his son for a senior project...they love the boat!

_________________
Boat building can best be defined as an endless series of
tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle, followed by a good bottle of beer.

Don't Dream Your Life, Live Your Dream

LOL! I think I bought it at Glen-L (I'm not too far from them). Okay thanks!

You can carefully use a bottle plumbers torch. Add running water while doing and steam it out of the wood. DO SLOW stan

_________________
Wood lasts generations.

Rich,

I didn't mean to be a smart-ass! But, I think you'll scrape as best that you can. Use a solvent to lift what you can. If it is still tacky, I think I might try a thinned epoxy with a slightly rich slow hardener. Then sand it and move on.

Bill

_________________
Mini -Tug, KH Tahoe 19 & Bartender 24 - There can be no miracle recoveries without first screwing up.
Tahoe 19 Build

Thanks for all your suggestions, guys! The good news is, this week is my kids' spring break and my wife took them to her sister's house in Utah for the whole week, and I am taking the week off to work on the boat (and other stuff, ), so I hope to make some progress this week.

I don't know what a bottle plumber's torch is, but I think I'll try solvents first. I'll let y'all know how it goes.

Thanks again,
Rich

Avoid steaming, very bad idea. Not all "marine" plywood is made using a boil-stable glue. There is a risk of delamination. More importantly, if you take a look at the MSDS for most epoxies you will find breathing epoxy & epoxy combustion byproduct-laden vapors is a cosmically bad idea.


Attack it with some denatured alcohol, acetone can weaken some laminating glues in plywood. There is no need to get 100% of it out if you are coating with epoxy later, just need to get out enough to make sure you don't destabilize the next layer.

If it is only resin, perhaps a little hardner (maybe even thinned with solvent) brush on the surface will cure it. It is in the wood, and you are not going to get it out. The only other suggestion would be.....

1.) Borrow someone else's iron and set it to medium heat/no steam ( higher or lower depending on results).

2.) Place a brown paper bag over the section, and using light pressure, iron the bag.

3.)Replace it as it becomes saturated.

4.)Return iron to where you found it, and deny ever using it! (this step is critical to the process)

This technique does work for wax, so it may work for googe.

Well, I said I'd report back how it went, and here it is.

I used acetone on a rag to attack the spot. It worked remarkably well. Not perfectly, mind you, but I didn't want to overdo it and risk delaminating the plywood. I didn't mention that this is mahogany marine plywood, but I don't know how much difference that makes.

The lucky part is that this was the bottom of the hull, which of course is not visible while in the water, so I wasn't too concerned about appearances; just structural strength. I said I was "glassing" over it, but this was not true; I just coated it with epoxy (is this what you call encapsulating?).

Anyway, the part in question is done, and you can hardly tell there was a problem; it just looks like beautiful wood.

Thank you all for your kind input and suggestions. I hope to post pictures of the finished boat in just a couple months (do they allow pics of non-Glen-L boats here??) Well, I can always just post a link.

Cheers,
Richard

P.S. I just met a neighbor who is building a "Super Spartan' mini hydroplane. We chatted about boatbuilding. Now I have even more motivation to finish my boat!

Yea Rich....yes we want to see it....boatbuilding is boat building....the next one will be a Glen-l!!!(hint)

_________________
Boat building can best be defined as an endless series of
tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle, followed by a good bottle of beer.

Don't Dream Your Life, Live Your Dream