top coat?

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hadley
Posts: 44
Joined: Sun Jan 21, 2007 11:07 pm

top coat?

Post by hadley »

we have pressed our board and we have been putting a last coat of epoxy on the top to try and make it shine, it doesnt harden and we end up with a sticky top. What are we doing wrong or what works better???
jono
Posts: 121
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 9:26 am
Location: denver

Post by jono »

I've had wooden sidewalls get sticky when I tried to coat them with epoxy and then seal them with spar varnish. It took several months for the sidewalls to feel fully cured and not sticky.
It could be that you just had a bad mix with your epoxy/hardener due to the small batch required for a top coat. UV radiation can affect epoxy so I'm not sure it is the best choice for a top coat.
Oil based Spar varnish blocks most UV radiation and is good for a last coat (provided it is not applied to less than fully cured epoxy).
I recently used a water based UV resistant spray can of spar varnish that when buffed looked really good. It splattered on kind of foamy but dried to a smooth surface. The skis looked great and had no brush marks in the finish.
smithrb
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 12:14 pm

top coat?

Post by smithrb »

You may have an issue with amine blush with your epoxy. Amine blush can prevent epoxies from hardening and will also impede bonding between epoxy coats and layers if the blush is not cleaned off.

Check out the message boards at the bateau2 website (a boat building website) for discussions about epoxy and managing blush.

Lots of good discussion on this website about various epoxies that are available for boatbuilding and might be suitable for skis.
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littleKam
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Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2004 7:43 pm
Location: SoCal

Post by littleKam »

are you putting the top coat of epoxy after you have pressed the ski? or are you doing it during layup?

i've been doing the top coat thing for a while now and i do it during the layoup. it works really. this is how i do it:

1. layup your ski like normal
2. put epoxy on top of your final layer
3. place a non-sticking SHINY layer on top of this. if you want a shiny finish you must use a shiny pressing surface. i use a large sheet of base material with clear packing tape covering the entire side that is pressing against the ski. it's quick and dirty but it works.
4. now press and that's it!

if you try to brush epoxy on top of the ski and let it dry exposed to the air you can run into a lot of problems like dullness, unevenness, etc. it's just ugly. plus this way it's all done in one shot! good luck.
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