Epoxy Finishes?

[leighdu]

Ive used marine varnish on my guns and its not as durable as i would like and ive read some people use an epoxy finish..
Is it just epoxy resin like West Systems brushed onto the wood? or is a special type of finish?
I was thinking of using west systems then lightly sanding and then putiing a coat or 2 of varnish on. will this work or not?

 

[Fish Tale]

Is it just epoxy resin like West Systems brushed onto the wood? or is a special type of finish?
I was thinking of using west systems then lightly sanding and then putiing a coat or 2 of varnish on. will this work or not?

Yes West system epoxy will work. As you've probably figured out the idea is to saturate the outer wood fibers of the barrel with epoxy. When the epoxy hardens the surface layer of wood will no longer absorb water. Some people thin the epoxy first with ... I forget what, to get the epoxy to penetrate deeper into the wood before it hardens. Epoxy will turn white and flake away if it has no protection from the suns U.V. light. That's why everyone who saturates a gun with epoxy gives the finished gun barrel several coats of spar varnish or other coating containing a U.V protector. Paint will also shield the epoxy from U.V. light. When epoxy cures it leaves a "greasy or waxy" film on the suface as part of the curing process. That needs to be washed or sanded off prior to additional coats of epoxy or a coat of spar varnish.

With your guns having been previously saturated with varnish you may have some trouble getting the epoxy to soak into the wood. Sanding the surface of the wood should break through the old varnish enough to give the epoxy something to soak into. If water will soak in, the epoxy will as well. Wood speargun barrels protected with epoxy are in my experience virtually maintainance free. It's a wonderful thing.

 

[leighdu]

ive read adding about 15% acetone? is this right?
how do you apply the epoxy? if you used a brush would it be useless to use again?

 

[Fish Tale]

ive read adding about 15% acetone? is this right?
how do you apply the epoxy? if you used a brush would it be useless to use again?

Accetone sounds right.

When I did my gun barrels I used the cheap wooden "chip" brushes to paint the epoxy on. Once you use the brush in epoxy and it hardens it can't be used again. The brushes only cost about a dollar so brush cost for the project isn't much.

Here's a web page about thinning epoxy. http://www.westsystem.com/ewmag/14/ThinningEpoxy.html

I never thinned the epoxy I used to saturate my gun barrels. I heated the gun barrel in the sun and took it to a cooler location to apply the epoxy. The web page above talks a bit about that method for getting the epoxy to go deeper into the wood.

 

[leighdu]

how many coats of epoxy do you need? and do you use west systems for the final coat?

 

[ajwaverider]

how many coats of epoxy do you need? and do you use west systems for the final coat?

2 TO 3 coats should be good.After you put on the final coat of epoxy a light sanding and cleaning with alchohol and you will be ready for your spar varnish.Put 2 TO 3 coats and you'll be good to go.

 

[leighdu]

whats spar varnish? i have marine varnish is this the same?

 

[Fish Tale]

whats spar varnish? i have marine varnish is this the same?

The most commonly available type of spar varnish with U.V. protection we have here in the U.S. is this stuff:

http://www.minwax.com/products/protective/helmsman.cfm

Minwax® Helmsman® Spar Urethane is specially formulated to protect wood against nature's toughest conditions. Its improved formula can be recoated in 25% less time and contains over 100% more UV blockers to reduce the sun's graying and fading effects. Helmsman® forms a protective barrier against rain and moisture and its special oils allow the finish to expand and contract with the wood as seasons and temperatures change.

It's what I used to protect against U.V damage on my epoxy/ wood guns.

It comes in a spray can or a brush on version. If that brand's not available where you live you'll likely find a substitute.

 

[leighdu]

on the marine varnish i have it says it has a UV inhibitor.

 

[ajwaverider]

on the marine varnish i have it says it has a UV inhibitor.

That's probaly good to use as long as it is made for outdoors it should be fine.

 

[icarus pacific]

Two words...

tung oil. :king

 

[leighdu]

alright so my plan is to thin the west systems a bit and put a coat on and sand and then put a second coat on and all the grain should be filled then lightly sand and a couple of coats of tung oil.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

Take the easy way out because its the better way this time. Skip the epoxy and just use tung oil. It doesn't chip and get discoloration under it, and you can just use a rag every six months or so to renew it when the gun starts to get white. Steve Alexander, who makes very highly regarded guns, just puts tung oil on them.

 

[leighdu]

i looked in a woodworking catalogue i have and it says that tung oil by itself makes the wood dull?
but there is danish oil aswell which is tung oil and some other stuff and it says it dries to a hard water resistant finish.

 

[leighdu]

im not using teak either, i will be mainly using jarrah

 

[Bill McIntyre]

i looked in a woodworking catalogue i have and it says that tung oil by itself makes the wood dull?
but there is danish oil aswell which is tung oil and some other stuff and it says it dries to a hard water resistant finish.

I suppose tung oil does leave the wood dull if that means the absence of a hard shiny coating. So does plain old teak oil leave it dull, but it protects the wood. I happen to prefer the absence of a hard shiny coating, which invariably gets broken anyway. I guess everyone is just more into appearance with these hard coatings, but after they get banged up on the rocks or in the boat, I don't think they look as nice as natural wood rubbed with oil. I guess its just a matter of preference.

A friend brought an old Riffe Island on my boat last week, and it was absolutely white. I kidded him about sneaking on a coat of tung oil, and he took great exception to that. He took pride in the fact that his gun looked well used, and it was obviously not suffering for lack of a coating.

But all this is about teak. I have not a clue about jarrah. Maybe it needs the protection to even remain bouyant.

 

[leighdu]

thanks for the replys, i will try a gun with epoxy and tung oil and just tung oil and see how they go.