Re: Custom spearguns pictures (very long)
Hi guys,
Here are some points that might be useful. Pardon me if you already know them all but I presume some do not. The points are in no particular order and they are not exhaustive. I only have so much time. Perhaps others will add more.
1. Only use high quality real epoxy as a glue. You can tell it is epoxy because it says so on the container and the mix of resin and hardener is usually on a 1:1 basis. The stuff is strong, flexible, bonds with oily wood is is very good water barrier.
2. Do not use polyester resin as a wood glue. This is the stuff common fiberglass boats are made of. You can tell it is not epoxy because it is often called "fiberglass resin" and the mix of resin and hardener is often a few drops of hardener to a lot of resin. This stuff is not strong or flexible (without fiberglass in it) and does not bond well with oily woods. Also it is not as good a water barrier as epoxy.
3. Do not spray any two part chemically activated glue or paint without a proper respirator and environmental suit. One of those paper or fiber masks used in a wood shop is not sufficient. The mist and vapors will go right through them. This stuff can and will kill you if it gets into your lungs. Avoid spraying this stuff at all costs if you value your lungs.
4. Do use acetone to clean oily woods to prepare them for gluing and finishing. You will see the oil and some color come off for what seems forever. Keep cleaning with fresh rags saturated in acetone until the rags come out almost clean. You will never get all the oil off the surface. But get it as clean as you can. When done cleaning, let it dry completely before gluing up. Use skin protection and do this out of doors keeping yourself upwind and the item down wind. Acetone is not good to breathe or to get on your skin. And remember, no smoking or open flames. The stuff is violently flammable. In fact so is all the rest of the stuff we are talking about. Take precautions.
5. When glueing, make sure you use epoxy that has a long enough working time for you to get all the parts together and clamped. Be sure to use enough epoxy, but not too much. Experience and judgement must be used here. Also do not clamp too tightly. You do not want to squeeze out all the epoxy. Again experience and judgemet are important here. Make sure everything is absolutely straight before leaving it to cure.
6. To begin finishing, use several coats of penetrating epoxy to soak into the wood grain all over (especially the end grain, inletting locations and screw holes ) before finishing. This will help protect the wood from water intrusion and actually make the surface of the wood harder. The proper way to do this is to put on a coat, let it soak in and then let it harden completely. This might take several days or longer depending on the wood, temp, humidity, epoxy, thinner, etc. When hard, lightly sand, clean and do it again and again until the wood will absorb no more epoxy. You can tell when this happens because upon application the expoy will film over the wood and stay shiny. BTW, you may have to sand inlets and re-drill screw holes, pin holes, etc for things to fit right because of surface build up.
7. Do not use epoxy as a finish coat. Epoxy is attacked by ultra violet light and will turn yellow and ultimately get brittle, crack and flake off. It becomes a nightmare. Epoxy must be protected from UV rays. The way to do that is to finish the wood with Spar Varnish, Long Oil Varnish or Polyurethane Varnish that has UV protectors in it and is designed for outdoor or marine use. Try to get varnish that has a very hard surface finish. Ask you supplier which is best and use and apply it as the manufacturer reccomends. Use at least three coats to UV protect the epoxy.
8. Penetrating epoxy is expensive. If you are using epoxy already, and you should be, you can make penetrating epoxy by thinning with xylene or acetone. Don't thin much more than about 15%. The thinner goes a long way and when you thin much more than 10%, fewer solids get into the wood and the solids do not harden as well as they could. Xylene is a better solvent than acetone because it allows for quicker hardening time and harder hardening. But use what you can get. First mix the epoxy as usual and then add the solvent and mix very well. Then go through the process described above. Pot life is extended when the epoxy is thinned so you do not have to hurry too much.
9. When finishing, the plan is to use multiple thin coats. If you want a glass like finish, this is what to do. Follow the manufacturer's reccomendations re: time between coats. If they have a plan to allow complete drying, use it. Then sand between thin coats, clean the surface (usually with a rag dampened with mineral spirits), let it dry, and coat again. This will slowly fill the grain with many thin coats, sanding and cleaning before each succesive coat. Take your time. Eventually the grain will be filled and on the last coat the surface will shine like glass. BTW, keeping the item vertical will keep a lot of dust off the surface for a better finish.
10. Keep in mind that if you use teak, much, if not all, of the waterproofing and finishing described above does not need to be done. Teak is often used on the decks of sailboats where it is placed in an unfinished condition and only wiped down with teak oil from time to time. It has been known to last for years this way and that is one of the reasons it is favored for spearguns. While teak is expensive, so is the cost of finishing materials and the time necessary to apply them. I would suggest you use materials other than teak only if you cannot get teak and must do without.
FWIW,
oneoldude
Hi guys,
Here are some points that might be useful. Pardon me if you already know them all but I presume some do not. The points are in no particular order and they are not exhaustive. I only have so much time. Perhaps others will add more.
1. Only use high quality real epoxy as a glue. You can tell it is epoxy because it says so on the container and the mix of resin and hardener is usually on a 1:1 basis. The stuff is strong, flexible, bonds with oily wood is is very good water barrier.
2. Do not use polyester resin as a wood glue. This is the stuff common fiberglass boats are made of. You can tell it is not epoxy because it is often called "fiberglass resin" and the mix of resin and hardener is often a few drops of hardener to a lot of resin. This stuff is not strong or flexible (without fiberglass in it) and does not bond well with oily woods. Also it is not as good a water barrier as epoxy.
3. Do not spray any two part chemically activated glue or paint without a proper respirator and environmental suit. One of those paper or fiber masks used in a wood shop is not sufficient. The mist and vapors will go right through them. This stuff can and will kill you if it gets into your lungs. Avoid spraying this stuff at all costs if you value your lungs.
4. Do use acetone to clean oily woods to prepare them for gluing and finishing. You will see the oil and some color come off for what seems forever. Keep cleaning with fresh rags saturated in acetone until the rags come out almost clean. You will never get all the oil off the surface. But get it as clean as you can. When done cleaning, let it dry completely before gluing up. Use skin protection and do this out of doors keeping yourself upwind and the item down wind. Acetone is not good to breathe or to get on your skin. And remember, no smoking or open flames. The stuff is violently flammable. In fact so is all the rest of the stuff we are talking about. Take precautions.
5. When glueing, make sure you use epoxy that has a long enough working time for you to get all the parts together and clamped. Be sure to use enough epoxy, but not too much. Experience and judgement must be used here. Also do not clamp too tightly. You do not want to squeeze out all the epoxy. Again experience and judgemet are important here. Make sure everything is absolutely straight before leaving it to cure.
6. To begin finishing, use several coats of penetrating epoxy to soak into the wood grain all over (especially the end grain, inletting locations and screw holes ) before finishing. This will help protect the wood from water intrusion and actually make the surface of the wood harder. The proper way to do this is to put on a coat, let it soak in and then let it harden completely. This might take several days or longer depending on the wood, temp, humidity, epoxy, thinner, etc. When hard, lightly sand, clean and do it again and again until the wood will absorb no more epoxy. You can tell when this happens because upon application the expoy will film over the wood and stay shiny. BTW, you may have to sand inlets and re-drill screw holes, pin holes, etc for things to fit right because of surface build up.
7. Do not use epoxy as a finish coat. Epoxy is attacked by ultra violet light and will turn yellow and ultimately get brittle, crack and flake off. It becomes a nightmare. Epoxy must be protected from UV rays. The way to do that is to finish the wood with Spar Varnish, Long Oil Varnish or Polyurethane Varnish that has UV protectors in it and is designed for outdoor or marine use. Try to get varnish that has a very hard surface finish. Ask you supplier which is best and use and apply it as the manufacturer reccomends. Use at least three coats to UV protect the epoxy.
8. Penetrating epoxy is expensive. If you are using epoxy already, and you should be, you can make penetrating epoxy by thinning with xylene or acetone. Don't thin much more than about 15%. The thinner goes a long way and when you thin much more than 10%, fewer solids get into the wood and the solids do not harden as well as they could. Xylene is a better solvent than acetone because it allows for quicker hardening time and harder hardening. But use what you can get. First mix the epoxy as usual and then add the solvent and mix very well. Then go through the process described above. Pot life is extended when the epoxy is thinned so you do not have to hurry too much.
9. When finishing, the plan is to use multiple thin coats. If you want a glass like finish, this is what to do. Follow the manufacturer's reccomendations re: time between coats. If they have a plan to allow complete drying, use it. Then sand between thin coats, clean the surface (usually with a rag dampened with mineral spirits), let it dry, and coat again. This will slowly fill the grain with many thin coats, sanding and cleaning before each succesive coat. Take your time. Eventually the grain will be filled and on the last coat the surface will shine like glass. BTW, keeping the item vertical will keep a lot of dust off the surface for a better finish.
10. Keep in mind that if you use teak, much, if not all, of the waterproofing and finishing described above does not need to be done. Teak is often used on the decks of sailboats where it is placed in an unfinished condition and only wiped down with teak oil from time to time. It has been known to last for years this way and that is one of the reasons it is favored for spearguns. While teak is expensive, so is the cost of finishing materials and the time necessary to apply them. I would suggest you use materials other than teak only if you cannot get teak and must do without.
FWIW,
oneoldude
Last edited:
))))Nah, I'm a duck, University or Oregon 79'.
