finishing epoxy work

[ebb]

(Original text removed by author)
SMSDistributors.com have become my vendor of choice. EG, this special tie-coat
primer is $17 cheaper here than at the enemy's. This primer has americanized data
sheets on the SMS web catalog page. This and a below list price makes this vendor
friendly, this point in time.

interimcoat is a two-part epoxy (6 to 1 by vol) that can be used above & below WL.
Imco this is primarily a tiecoat to use to insure adhesion when changing paint systems,
for example: going from bare fiberglass hull to bottom paint. Or bare hull to pigmented
2-part barrier. Or pigmented barrier coat to bottom paint, if thought needed. Or to go
from two-part lam epoxy seal coat on wood to one part or two part sanding primer.
However its bona fide purpose within the Epifanes family is not entirely clear to me.
This is essentially a two-part epoxy UNDERWATER primer.

MEASURING TWO PART
For no-brainer accuracy when combining proportions, measure volumes into graduated
translucent plastic 3oz cups* or 32oz quarts. Mark the proportions, including the level of
both parts, on a single container with a Sharpie. Measure in sideA -- then layer sideB
catalyst on top. Get a perfect visual check. Straight sided containers, flat stir sticks.
Critical work? Dump the whole mix into another container and stir again. Haven't missed
yet, except when I get the proportions wrong! 6 to 1 sounds problematic. It IS when we
don't know how far a quantity will cover. Can't help that. In a common 3oz graduated
cup*, 1/2 ounces are easy to see and quickly repeatable: 1/2ozB added to 3ozA for small
amounts. Since primer is thin, and will be rolled on, perhaps 6oz to 1oz in the qt mixing
container is even easier and will load a 4" foam roller in a tray better. 8hr pot life.

interimcoat comes in a two can 750ml stack. Which is 5 ounces short of a quart: 27oz.
$49.49+ = $2oz! Must be special! Don't waste it. http://smsdistributors.com/
POURING SPOUTS
There are inexpensive bendy plastic spouts that snap into the interior of a paint can rim
that will keep liquid out of the moat. Reusable. Might also find the disposable cardboard
'V-Spouts' in paint stores that also get sprung into the can's moat.
'Paintin'PalPaintStretcherSpout' (gal, qt, pint paint cans) http://www.smsdistributors.com/
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EPIFANES MULTI MARINE PRIMER
This all-purpose Multi Marine Primer is more interesting, as it is used both as a transitional
primer on epoxy work above the waterline and also as a get right-to-it sanding primer for
any finish coating to come. Epifanes constantly cautions that previous two-part epoxy
coats must be degreased before sanding. Old work also degreased before sanding. Water
and ammonia are suggested. E. spray-thinner can also be used. Since I don't spray, I
know exactly what can I'm reaching for....it's the degreasing solvent. Isopropyl Alcohol is
more friendly for the user. EMMP is a one part epoxyester that cures by drying instead of
catalyzing. Can be used above or below anything except below the WL, with appropriate
prep including mono-urethanes and LPU. $28.50 750ml, a little more than 3/4s of a qt.
For comparison, that makes the per quart price about $38. Can Interpaint match this?

The only real restriction is using two-part epoxy and fairing filler over this primer:
"is not recommended." (Again, it's because they think you will use a WetsSystem
epoxy which likes to amine blush... and out-gas solvents.) Most paint systems have a
white knifing paste for scratches & pinholes. Epi's 8oz tube says COMBI Filler.$12.
The rest is in Dutch, so I'll use it sparingly for tiny repairs. Droogtijd is 24hrs.

EMMP adheres to everything including stainless steel. It improves adhesion of the next
one part or two part coating . Hi-build, covers well, fills grain. Easy. Did I say: the surface
this primer goes on must be degreased before it's sanded? Also dry, free of salt and dust.

Want a 1000ml (1qt+) bottle/can of spray thinner for wipe-down. And a can of brushing
thinner for the primer. Which is added sparingly up to 5%. Both thinners work for all
ONE-part Epi paints and varnishes. $13.**

On other vender websites, accessing data sheets may bring up first generation translations,
which to me have been confusing.

SMS, uniquely, seems to be the only web vender to have updated datasheets on these
products. SMS gave me the opportunity to download a recent Epifanes Technical Manual.
It has 20pgs on their varnish products, 10pgs paints, 6pgs primers, 1pg brushes & rollers,
3pgs tech advice, 15pgs Q&A all about varnish. 60pgs total. Interimcoat primer here
is not included in the TechManual. The document seems to have gone through an American
editor and is therefor fairly readable. Haven't had enough experience with these products.
Not advocating their use. EDIT (Probably 10 years behind here, don't look in print catalogs
much: 2016HamiltonMarine just arrived, has nearly all Epifanes products at similar prices.)
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BEFORE SANDING
Information sheets are constantly chanting:: DEGREASE Before Sanding.
Seems to be a good rule to keep in mind for any brand or coating system. Not only one
and two part epoxies wiped down with isopropyl alcohol - or Epi spray thinner* - or water
& ammonia - but also 'old' work that has been sitting around for awhile. Which happens
with me a lot! It's a smart rule when changing systems, eg: going from epoxy prep to
a primer. If the primer, even sanding primer, is epoxy, Epi advises to De-Grease.
NEVER USE WHITE SANDPAPER on your boat. Coating may also leave a residue behind.
Sanding creates mini grooves which can be imprinted with amine blush-grease-oil-wax
-soap-stearate-latex -- impossible to completely remove as an afterthought with solvents.
Doesn't seem difficult to automatically do, except for the toxics involved.
Why introduce water and terrible smelling ammonia (another bottle) into the prep?
91% Isopropyl drugstore rubbing alcohol seems least lethal and chases moisture as well.
Humidity is problematic, but Epifanes data sheets advise, and local weather reports
publish dew-points. Keep a wall thermometer & barometer on the work site.
Rags, especially terry rags can leave lint. Never found a perfect rag yet. Old Tshirts.
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**Epi brush & spray thinner are primarily naptha. Spray has an added dollop of n-hexan.
Both are constituents of gasoline. Forum says generics won't work with products. Pricey
brushes can be rag cleaned, mineral spirit washed, stored hung in kerosene for extended
periods, years. EpifanesQ&A is absolutely nuts about brush cleaning, particularly varnish.

(LATER EDIT: Have converted to LeTonkinois No. 1 'varnish', applied with name brand
Epifanes MOLTOPREN 4" micro-foam rollers, tipped with foam 'brush' Jen brand, the ones
with wood dowel handles. LeTonk is an old fashioned no-solvent china oil coating. The
roller quickly applies an even thin coat every time. The coating doesn't mind the foam
drawn across multiple times, hardly wetting the tip. NO BRUSH CLEANING. No petroleum
products at all! Very quick and very pleasurable. This is an outdoor exterior varnish.
Coupled with this is another revelation. LeTonkinois is sold in in a squarish can with an
impossible press-on lid. We decant the whole contents in a liter STOP LOSS BAG. Product
lives in a plastic seethru bag that allows air to be squeezed completely out and sealed until
next time. NO skin. But we do filter before using. Good deal from Duckworks Boat Supply.
type into google: Stop Loss Bags - Duckworks)

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Best jig to carry coatings around the boat is the Wooster Pelican green polypropylene
sculpted quart bucket with one big cup handle (7"w-7"h-9"l). Has a flat for a 4" roller and
magnet to hang a brush. Uses clear formfit liners, $1+ ea - pricey. SO handy & convenient
you can't imagine how you got along without it. http://www.thepaintstore.com/ Make a
roller grid from expanded aluminum flattened sheet: https://www.onlinemetals.com
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ACCURATELY MIXING SMALL AMOUNTS
*3oz clear PP cups are called 100ml BEAKERS, TAP Plastics http://www.tapplastics.com/
(Type 'plastic beakers' into the onsite search window top of page.) Large enough to hold
in a gloved hand, accurate enough to put together various smaller 2part mixes for
incidental jobs. Detailed enough to see part B levels, because you can hold this small
beaker up to eye level in one hand, while white knuckling a gallon jug at the correct
angle for CSI accuracy. 50c each, but easy to wipe clean with alcohol. This 100ml/3oz
clear plastic container is embossed (inside!) with both graduations, making it easy to
accurately, in the beaker, mix up various small proportions of 2to1 epoxies. Reusable.
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