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HOW TO USE EPOXY PLUS

First, you will have to decide if you are going to precoat all the parts before they are assembled or only coat portions of the parts, then complete the coating process after the parts are assembled. Note that it is more difficult to pre-coat small parts than a sub-assembly, e.g. a frame assembly. Also, due to the build up from the Epoxy-Plus coating, and especially with two coats, the small parts may not fit as well.

THE WORK AREA

If you are working out of doors do not work in direct sunlight. If working indoors, we do recommend that ventilation be provided even though the toxicity of the Epoxy Plus is low. The ideal temperature to use Epoxy-Plus for maximum wood penetration is between 70° and 85° Fahrenheit. In colder weather electric heaters and several large heating bulbs can be used to heat the hull or deck prior to application. Make sure that the Epoxy-Plus liquid itself is at least 70° as sometimes when the Epoxy-Plus is setting on the floor of a garage, for example at 40°, and you raise the temperature to 70-75°, it will take several hours before the Epoxy-Plus itself reaches a 70° temperature so it is sometimes best to leave the material indoors where it is warm until you are ready to apply it.

MIXING EPOXY PLUS

The mixing proportions should be by 1 to 1 volume only. NEVER ADD EXTRA HARDENER. For example, 4 oz. of A (resin) should be mixed with 4 oz. of B (hardener). This will make 8 oz. of Epoxy-Plus ready to use on the job. You should have a working pot life with this mixture of approximately 20 to 30 minutes at temperatures between 70° and 75°. We find the best way to mix Epoxy-Plus is to simply use a flat stick about 1" wide and mix or stir the liquid about 2 minutes, or approximately 150 to 200 strokes. Scrape the sides and bottom of your mix pot while stirring. MIX THOROUGHLY. The working pot life of the mixture depends greatly on the room temperature and the temperature of the mixture at the time it is mixed. At temperatures between 70° and 75° you have about a 20 to 30 minute pot life, but at temperatures ranging between 80° and 90° the pot life will reduce to about 15 minutes. The coated surface should set up in about 8 hours. at 70° to 75° and slightly faster at higher temperatures. The second coat of Epoxy-Plus may be applied directly over the first coat without any prior sanding. If you are working in extremely hot weather between 85° and 95° and the working pot life is so short you do not have time to apply the material, it is possible to extend the pot life in the following way. First of all, it is easier to work with smaller batches and if, after they are mixed, they are poured into a shallow pan such as a pie tin or large paint roller pan where the depth of the mixture does not exceed 1/2", this will dissipate the heat greatly and sometimes double the pot life. CAUTION: Always mix equal amounts of resin and hardener or Epoxy-Plus may not harden properly. DO NOT add extra hardener.

COATING THE PARTS

You are now ready to apply the first coat to all of the parts or sub-assemblies. you have selected. Keep in mind here that additional coats can be added if desired. Two coats should be applied over all of the parts inside and outside of your building project. The first saturating coat should be applied using brush or roller. Using a roller you can really spread it out fast. It's just like painting a room with latex paint. Keep applying Epoxy-Plus until the wood develops the wet look. Dry wood will absorb resin and so an area that looks wet now may begin to dry out in several minutes as the material is absorbed by the wood. This is especially true with end grain areas, such as edges of frames, transom and especially plywood paneling. Be sure to keep applying material sparingly until the wood has a wet look that remains. The first coat is a critical one so you want to supply the wood with all the resin it can absorb. If you could determine ahead of time specific areas on the frames, and in particular the stem, chine, and keel, where further work will have to be done, such as planing, cutting, etc., these areas should be left bare. If you do coat them by mistake, this is no problem as later, after they have been faired, these areas can be recoated.


There are several different ways of coating the framework of a boat or any building project with our Epoxy-Plus. The customer who submitted the photo above applied a first coat of Epoxy-Plus over all the framing members, then assembled them and applied the second coat. You can also double coat the parts before they go together, or assemble them, and then apply two coats.

Note how the grain of the wood stands out after it has been coated with Epoxy Plus.

COATING PLYWOOD PARTS If your building project is a boat and you have already erected the framework, you should go ahead and dry fit the plywood side and bottom panels but do not install them permanently. These panels may be precoated on the inside before installation. Note that when Epoxy-Plus cures it will stiffen the plywood panels. In areas where the plywood panels require moderate force to dry fit the panels, the panels should not be precoated or if precoated, should not be allowed to fully cure before installation. The best way to pre-coat panels is to simply lay them down on the ground or on a work bench so that they are in a stationary horizontal position. The first coat of Epoxy-Plus is easily applied with a paint roller and you should not be afraid to use a liberal amount of material; you must make sure that the entire plywood panel looks wet when you have completed the coating process. We have found that stroking the plywood with a 3" or 4" paint brush before the Epoxy-Plus begins to set will level the stipple effect laid down by the paint roller and you will end up with a fairly smooth surface. Now apply a second coat of Epoxy Plus the same way you did the first coat. You will notice this time when you stroke the panel with a wide paint brush the Epoxy-Plus will level just like a sheet of glass and no dry areas will occur as the first barrier coat has already sealed the grain in the plywood so it can no longer absorb any other liquid. Now at this point, depending on the temperature in the work area, you should wait approximately 1 hr. until the Epoxy-Plus becomes tacky. The panel is now ready to be fitted directly in place and fastened to the precoated battens, keels, chines, sheers, or wherever the panel is to be installed. Installing the panel in this way, it bonds exactly to the batten strips; you will never be able to remove it and the panel will be precoated on the inside saving you many, many hours of coating all those little nooks and crannies. This same type of precoating process can be used on any wooden part regardless of your building project.

If you are using our GL-10 Epoxy Glue, the proper way to install a plywood side or bottom panel is to let the pre-coated plywood panel dry or cure. After it has cured, apply GL-10 to the batten strips, chines, keel or wherever the plywood panel is to be fastened. You do not have to re-coat the panel as GL-10 will bond directly to the pre-coated panel and to the framework whether it has been pre-coated or not.


Photo above was submitted by a customer building our 6 meter racer, KS-198 from a complete boat kit. Two coats of Epoxy-Plus have been applied to the inside of the boat during construction and one coat to the outside. One layer of treated fiberglass cloth was laid over the hull exterior and another two coats of Epoxy-Plus were applied. The planing strokes were then fastened in place and as you can see this customer did an excellent job, note how all the planing strakes are parallel and symmetrical. Planing strakes were fastened with screws through the hull to the interior battens, GL-10 glue was used between the planing strakes and the fiberglass cloth. Epoxy Surfacing Compound was used to create a small radius above and below the planing strakes, giving the boat a professional finished look.

We have found over the years no matter how well a boat Is constructed, some movement will take place between the transom and the bow section when the boat is running at high speeds in rough water. For this reason, it is important, when fastening planing strakes, outer keels, keelsons, etc. that a high quality, compatible epoxy system be used. Our Epoxy-Plus and GL-10 Glue are compounded from the same epoxy base so they will all flex together as movement takes place. Some of the earlier tests we ran on standard 5 to 1 epoxy systems were found to be too rigid and tend to delaminate when various glues and surfacers were applied over them. Because of this problem, we found it necessary to have a complete line of epoxy resins, glues and compounds, manufactured exclusively for Clark Craft that were compatible, would bond to each other, and contain a high degree of flexibility. These materials are listed in this store and are available only from Clark Craft.

A SATISFIELD CUSTOMER

We have received hundreds of compliments over the years from many customers completing various projects. This comment by Mr. Albert Evans in Del Rio, Texas, was probably the most memorable. Mr. Evans writes: "Last week the 14' boat that I designed and built blew off the top of my car at 55 miles an hour landing on the pavement. The use of your product proved the best investment I ever made. There was no damage to the framework and only superficial scratches to the fiberglass covering. I just finished cosmetic repairs to the boat using left over Epoxy-Plus which is still good after 2 years. You have a wonderful product. Thanks." - Albert L. Evans.



© Clark Craft [clarkcraft.com]
16-99 Aqua Lane, Tonawanda, NY 14150
Tel: (716) 873-2640 Fax: (716) 873-2651