Glen-L.com

I'm told by the manufacturer ( MAS Epoxies ) that I can spray their low viscosity epoxy. Thinking of trying it on the inside of the hull. Anybody have any experience sprayin epoxy?
Doug

hmmmm now that sounds promising. If you do this please take a lot of pictures

Even though is is low viscosity, I still cannot see spraying it on. I used some tonight for injection between 2 boards with a turkey basting needle. It is thin but I don't see it so thin as to be able to spray

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Dave

My Riviera build - the Midnight Cry Project

Video of Midnight in Action
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Few things in the world measure up to the thrill and satisfaction of boating in a boat that you built.

well you can spray some pretty thick stuff (undercoating, stucco, rubberized membranes, etc) I guess it would come down to the type of gun used and the air pressure.

I don't know if it can be sprayed or not. But, everything I have read advised against it. If it is tried I would suggest full body gear.

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A secret to a good marriage is to have a quick mind and a slow mouth!!!

In a previous life I was the maintenance man for a custom cabinet company. There are ways to spray almost anything that is at least semi-liquid, it just depends how much you're willing to pay for the equipment.

In the cabinet world(15 Yrs ago) they were spraying catalyzed finishes with airless systems that simply pressurized the coating to about 3000psi, and by George, it'll spray. The drawbacks would be clean-up, preventing the product from setting up in the spray equipment, etc.

Do a search on spray equipment manufacturers, coating systems, and you may turn up someting that would work. You know the people building plastic boats are using spray technology, they have to get it somewhere.

And the other thing to think about is safety. Do you have a high volume booth to exhaust the fumes? full face respirator or positive pressure suit so you are not getting the product on/in you?

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Noah was a first-time boatbuilder

I went into a Barn where the guys had been making Fiberglass boat hulls by spraying.
It was a colossal mess of that stuff clinging to everything in the barn.

Spray inside a Visqueen tent if you want to save your head from the SHMBO!

how flammable it epoxy? It might be something to think about once its been turned into a fine mist in the air.

I was planning on using a full face mask (pressure fed ) with full body coverage and good ventilation for safety.
As far as spray equipment, I've been a cabinet maker for over 30 years, and have a 2 qt. pressure pot that will get it out of the gun. They suggest thinning up to 5% with denatured alcohol.
I'll more than likely try it and post results one way or the other

Doug

Disclaimer: I have no experience with this other than have read not to do it somewhere.

I would normally advise not to do this to anyone with no experience,but it sounds like you have the equipment,knowledge,and past experience in application,and safety issues.

It will be interesting to see how it comes out.

I wonder if all the nooks and crannys will get sufficient coverage as opposed to conventional application

I only hope someone that doesn't have your knowledge base doesn't try it based on your results and gets injured or heath issues as a result

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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

borrowed from the West System site:
"We do not recommend spraying epoxy products because the health and safety risks are enormous. As epoxy leaves a spray gun nozzle, it is reduced to tiny droplets (spray mist). You can easily inhale epoxy that is suspended in the air. It can cause extensive lung damage and other health problems.

The spray mist can settle on your skin, causing sensitization and allergic reactions. It can settle on your eyes, injuring them.Compared to other application methods, spraying increases the amount of hazardous volatile components released from the epoxy. Using solvents to thin the epoxy for spraying adds to the health and safety risks. These hazards are similar to those of any spray painting operation, involving both health and flammability concerns.

If you are determined to spray epoxy, control hazardous vapor and spray mist by using isolation and enclosure, such as a properly designed, ventilated and filtered spray booth. In any case, if you spray epoxy, you must use an air-supplied respirator and full-body protective clothing!"

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(insert witty phrase here)
Billy's Belle Isle website

Hi guys,
Being a semi-reitred bodyman, and havig just enough experience and not enought good sense to be willing to try, (and being a typical guy and not believing the instructions) I did an old trick I have done with polyester resins, ... and it seems to have worked. Here is what I did: First, make sure you have a well vented place like a big old metal barn, or the end of the local runway. (my barn was closer) Use a very good resperator. (NOTE:I did this for the final cover coat of the hull layup only.) After tacking off the hull with a Laquer thinner wetted shop towel, I mixed a small "dose" of epoxy, in my DeVilbiss quart gun like this: 2 1/2-3 oz.(7oz.) paper cups of part A epoxy, 6 oz. of 50% thinned laquer paint (just happened to be what I had from 1976), 6 oz. of cleanup laquer thinner, 3 oz. of cleanup acetone. Stirred vigourously for about a minute. I then added the 1/2-3 oz. cup (1.5 oz.) of part B hardener and stirred for another minute. Assembled the gun and applied to the entire hull, mosty evenly. Cleaned up the gun with copius amount of thinner and replaced it on the wall hook. Now the results: Other than a "hanger" I got from the first pull of the trigger, It went on like a dream. The solvents went out of the mix shortly after contact with the hull. The epoxy wetted out like I thought. Adheasion seems to be outstanding. I will wet-sand the hangers out when cured and coat with a good grade of automotive epoxy paint, with "flexable part additive" after cure-out and pictures. Cure-out will take till Monday (2days). I will post results then. I would in NO WAY recommend this for the first 2 coats. They are structural. I think the working of the epoxy into the material is a valuable step. Just my opinion... I always send in pictures to Glen-L for the project board, so hopefuly you can see them there. Please understand, this is not a "show-boat", but a go-boat. So if you are looking for real perfect, it ain't.

If there is anybody else that has a trick and a formula, please let me know. I'll try that too.

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Better, faster, cheaper. Only ever found 2 of the 3! (But still lookin.)

Built 4, repaired 30+, ...So many boats, ...so little time.

HMMMM, interesting.

How about applying a couple of coats of penetrating epoxy such as CPES to the inside then cover with a few coats of varnish.

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Dave

My Riviera build - the Midnight Cry Project

Video of Midnight in Action
Blog

Few things in the world measure up to the thrill and satisfaction of boating in a boat that you built.

It looks like this is for rotted wood. Also, does it cure hard, or mostly so? What is it going to do to my glue joints? and finally, I will need to try this on one I have not already sealed the interior of... Branson West? I'm just 35 mi. west, in Cassville. We need to talk. email to: dhennis@centurytel.net.

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Better, faster, cheaper. Only ever found 2 of the 3! (But still lookin.)

Built 4, repaired 30+, ...So many boats, ...so little time.

OK, So the weekend is over, and I have the results of the spray job. It went on about as expected, cured out in a slightly extended time, but was still mostly done in the prescribed 24 hours. That was Sunday. I sanded the extremely shiny and thin coat on Monday morning, and did a conversion prime in the afternoon. I sanded that as normal. My suggestion is to roughly follow the mixture percentages I offer and it will go on like a hard and thin version of your typical 2-part enamel epoxy from the autoparts. I can say that the transmittal rate of flaws and imperfections is almost exactly like the "old-school" Laquer I liked to shoot so much. The flash-off and adheasion is like enamel though. If it were laquer, I could have hung more on, without the hangers showing up. If anybody wants more on this, email me. I'd be glad to advise on my limited experience. I think I am going to try a full pigment colour in parts of the interior, along with a product DaveLott suggested. Cheers Mates!

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Better, faster, cheaper. Only ever found 2 of the 3! (But still lookin.)

Built 4, repaired 30+, ...So many boats, ...so little time.