i am looking for info on clear coatings. some of you have already been posting with me on the subject, but i figured i will start a thread, so i can get info from the rest of you and also, the rest of you can benefit from the info gleaned. ok. what clear coating have you used and what were the results? i have been taking west system epoxy, hardener #207 special clear. i sand the bare barrel down with 220, wipe with acetone, then tack cloth. then brush on the epoxy. then immediately wipe it back off with a clean white cloth. let it dry, then repeat, only i sand in between coats with 400 grit paper. they look beautiful! they look almost oiled. they DONT look like a standard clear coat at all. i really dont have enough buid up to protect the gun for the long term. that is why i am starting this thread. who's got a good technique and product they want to share?, plus i need uv protection
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clear coatings. what you use?
- Thread starterjtkwest
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
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Looks almost oiled? The thing about spearguns is that they are tools, if need be I'll use mine as a crowbar to lift a rock. The way it looks is unimportant the function is what matters. What we need to ask ourselves is what does the finish we apply do and what is it we want it to do. If you want it to look beautiful and sit on a rack on the wall then look no further than French polish, a prettier finish you wont find. For the guy who wants to get his gun wet then the foremost requirement will be to reduce the amount of water that can seep into the wood of our gun and cause movement. There are woods that have a high oil content such as Teak which naturally resist water ingress but some don't such as Mahogany. We can use a surface coating like epoxy or 2 pack this or that. What if that chips or get scratched? If you use you gun then you can bet your left testicle that it will. Yes we can rub it down and re coat but what a lot of work- back to the opening statement: What the hell happened to the oil finish?
Linseed oil thinned 3 parts turps to 1 part oil applied very generously every 5 minutes for a week rofl (keep it wet) followed by a week resting while the turps evaporates off. A brushing of raw linseed once a day for a week, leave a week. A polish with boiled linseed oil once a day for a week. Leave it for a week or two to harden off then give it a wipe down with Tung oil whenever to maintain. I guarantee you you wont find a nicer finish short of French polish and a never a harder wearing one.
Linseed oil thinned 3 parts turps to 1 part oil applied very generously every 5 minutes for a week rofl (keep it wet) followed by a week resting while the turps evaporates off. A brushing of raw linseed once a day for a week, leave a week. A polish with boiled linseed oil once a day for a week. Leave it for a week or two to harden off then give it a wipe down with Tung oil whenever to maintain. I guarantee you you wont find a nicer finish short of French polish and a never a harder wearing one.
It will work great on Mahogany, it's quite an absorbent wood.
Do you mean will it affect the epoxy used to glue laminates? No once the epoxy had gone off it will be fine. If you mean can you coat it in epoxy then once it has dried off hard then yes but that's a bit like getting the guys at Ferrari to give your motor an ace spray job and then whipping it off down to the village idiot to give it a once over with some varnish to protect the paint.
The trick with an oil finish is that first stage with the thinned oil. Getting the best absorption you can, once that has soaked in a couple of mm then water will never get in unlike a scratch or dent on epoxy
Do you mean will it affect the epoxy used to glue laminates? No once the epoxy had gone off it will be fine. If you mean can you coat it in epoxy then once it has dried off hard then yes but that's a bit like getting the guys at Ferrari to give your motor an ace spray job and then whipping it off down to the village idiot to give it a once over with some varnish to protect the paint.
The trick with an oil finish is that first stage with the thinned oil. Getting the best absorption you can, once that has soaked in a couple of mm then water will never get in unlike a scratch or dent on epoxy
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do not use heat or flame around your project! i just ruined a handle. someone posted on here that a flame would take away bubbles. so i used a small flame to wave over a couple small bubbles, and the whole area erupted with bubbles and now it is ruined . damm why did i listen. now i gotta sand it down and do it again. what was he talking about?.
JK I have spent many hours trying to help you with your projects I am sorry if the flame gun technique did not work for you but surly you should of tried it on a practice piece first!
I was trying to help you with a technique I use - I also advised you check out U tube so you could see how it is done - however with an attitude like you have just displayed you wont be getting much more help from me.
I was trying to help you with a technique I use - I also advised you check out U tube so you could see how it is done - however with an attitude like you have just displayed you wont be getting much more help from me.
JK I have spent many hours trying to help you with your projects I am sorry if the flame gun technique did not work for you but surly you should of tried it on a practice piece first!
I was trying to help you with a technique I use - I also advised you check out U tube so you could see how it is done - however with an attitude like you have just displayed you wont be getting much more help from me.
you misunderstood, i am sorry. firstly, it only ruined the coat on a handle frame piece. i overreacted a little in that regard.,(making it seem like it was more damage than it was. i did spend a few hors looking at you tube, but i never could find anyone using a flame gun to get rid of bubbles. i did find a guy doing bar tops with system three epoxy, and he used a torch to get rid of bubbles. is a propane welding torch a "flame gun" to you? i kindathought it was a different tool altogether. the concept of using a flame to get rid of bubles is like standard teqnique, evidently. and certainly not controvercial or something that foxfish " made up" so even if it turned out to be wrong for this applicatrion. how is it your fault? if you are so inclined to help at all, i would like to ask you for clarificattion. you used a flame on epoxy? and it worked? was there a specific time you waited first ? because from what i have seen , i would say that heat CAUSES bubbles, not eliminates them. ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
look here to see a west sytems finish coat applied to a skimboard [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyRe6fjlTIE]YouTube - WEST SYSTEM® Ben Gougeon's SKIMBOARD PROJECT[/ame]
You are just going through what thousands of other folk have - epoxy is not easy to apply as a finish coat.
The professional gun builders who have mastered this technique (if that is what they use) are not likely to give away their secretes of how it is done.
I dont know how to get a UV protected perfect epoxy top coat & that is why I use other purpose made products for the job!
You are just going through what thousands of other folk have - epoxy is not easy to apply as a finish coat.
The professional gun builders who have mastered this technique (if that is what they use) are not likely to give away their secretes of how it is done.
I dont know how to get a UV protected perfect epoxy top coat & that is why I use other purpose made products for the job!
what do YOU use? is it durable? i keep wanting to use epoxy, because it is durable. for my own guns i prefer oil. but when i give them to others, they wont take care of them, so i need a clear durable finish. not a showpiece, nothing that takes more than 3 coats to look good. alot of the stuff i have heard mentioned requires like 10 coats. do you know of anything that will look good in 3 coats or less? epoxy will look good in 2 coats if i just wipe it back off. i would prefer to leave a build up, but i cant get rid of the bubbles. maybe i will just build the vacuum tube, with that , i should be able to get bubble free epoxy build up in 1 or 2 coats. i hope. thanks for your help regardless. i like the idea of spraying on poly. or something, then spinning the thing on a rotisserie
I use International products, they produce epoxy, epoxy paints & uv safe products to over coat epoxy products.
I have never used Evenrude but it would be worth looking into
There's no UV stabilisers in the everdure or the west epoxy so they will break down over time, even on an interior. I'm fairly certain that a single pack polyurethane won't stick to the everdure. I would talk to your International everdure supplier about a compatible clear top coat.
International make 3 2 pack clear finishes one of which is bound to suit: Intergloss, Perfection Gloss and Perfection Varnish.
I use International perfection, three coats are recommended but more will give a deeper shine - perfection will go rock hard & can be buffed.
International Perfection Varnish - 750ml
Everdure - Epiglass - International - Boat Bits - Sealer - Primer - Takapuna Sailing Centre
750ml might coat about 10 guns?
I have never used Evenrude but it would be worth looking into
There's no UV stabilisers in the everdure or the west epoxy so they will break down over time, even on an interior. I'm fairly certain that a single pack polyurethane won't stick to the everdure. I would talk to your International everdure supplier about a compatible clear top coat.
International make 3 2 pack clear finishes one of which is bound to suit: Intergloss, Perfection Gloss and Perfection Varnish.
I use International perfection, three coats are recommended but more will give a deeper shine - perfection will go rock hard & can be buffed.
International Perfection Varnish - 750ml
Everdure - Epiglass - International - Boat Bits - Sealer - Primer - Takapuna Sailing Centre
750ml might coat about 10 guns?
AWESOME! did you know that they sell international under the name interlux in the us. it is readily available at west marine, here in town. thank you for your time. this info was gold for me, cause now i can use exactly what i need instead of making do with the closest thing i can find. interlux epoxy paint is what i used to paint my 17 ft mako i used to have. i still have a sprayer and everything to do the job. i will take your advice on one of these new guns. i want blue camo
Please try out the product's on a scrap piece first...I find the perfection varnish is so clear you cant hardy notice it is there so be careful not to add to thick a coat at one time (& it stinks of pear drops too)
The perfection paints are very deep in colour though....
The perfection paints are very deep in colour though....
For what it's worth I use a small flame to get rid of any bubbles in the two part lacquer used to finish fishing rod ring whippings, works a treat as long as you're careful and apply it sparingly.
All the heat does is make the substance temporarily more fluid which allows the bubble to rise to the surface and pop.
I also sometimes use the halogen spot lights over my desk to heat epoxy to get the same affect, and sometimes stick the mixing pot under the same lamp to warm it before applying, this both removes a lot of the bubbles caused by the mixing and makes it set quicker.
All the heat does is make the substance temporarily more fluid which allows the bubble to rise to the surface and pop.
I also sometimes use the halogen spot lights over my desk to heat epoxy to get the same affect, and sometimes stick the mixing pot under the same lamp to warm it before applying, this both removes a lot of the bubbles caused by the mixing and makes it set quicker.
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its the co2 from the flame that pops bubbles not heat , when epoxy coating a gun it is important to bring the gun up to around 90 to 100 and then let the temp drop as it hardens this sucks the resin into the pores .if you let the temp rise at all the wood will off gas and cause bubbles. this means only coating in the afternoon in warm weather .there is no finish that last longer or is more durable than the correct epoxy resin properly applied. i have a loaner gun that has ben around the world several times (with people that dont care for there gear) and spent months on boats and still looks like a show piece, it has never ben touched up or refinished
Interesting comments Phil although I dont quite understand!
The first coat soaks into the wood but successive coats cant penetrate this first coat & that is when most folk experience problems, are you just applying one thick coat?
If it is the Co2 then why not use Co2?
So how do your epoxy finished guns avoid the effects of UV?
Sorry for the questions but any tips or further advice would be greatly appreciated by virtually all of us!
The first coat soaks into the wood but successive coats cant penetrate this first coat & that is when most folk experience problems, are you just applying one thick coat?
If it is the Co2 then why not use Co2?
So how do your epoxy finished guns avoid the effects of UV?
Sorry for the questions but any tips or further advice would be greatly appreciated by virtually all of us!
Thanks for the input Phil. Can you elaborate on how the co2 removes the bubbles? Whenever I've used heat you can see the resin become more liquid and freerer flowing which allows the bubbles rise to the surface and open, and I presumed it was the heat having this effect.
I also get the exact same effect when putting the resin very close to my halogen bulbs which as far as I know don't produce any co2, just heat.
I also get the exact same effect when putting the resin very close to my halogen bulbs which as far as I know don't produce any co2, just heat.
Interesting comments Phil although I dont quite understand!
The first coat soaks into the wood but successive coats cant penetrate this first coat & that is when most folk experience problems, are you just applying one thick coat?
If it is the Co2 then why not use Co2?
So how do your epoxy finished guns avoid the effects of UV?
Sorry for the questions but any tips or further advice would be greatly appreciated by virtually all of us!
i do 4 to 6 coats. even after the first coat tiny bubbles in the mix are a problem as the resin builds heat as it kicks they enlarge (usually at the gel stage)
i dont know how the co2 dose it but thats what my rep for the resin tells me it is also in the instructions for enviro tex resin (i do not use enviro tex)
my resin is uv stable
phil