Fruits Of My Labor (A-113)

[ebb]

Tonio,
For a release agent on top of wax you might try AquaNet Superhold from yer local drug store. Whatzat you say, Mike?

WARNING
Tony, if you do decide to use hair spray, do NOT use Aquanet.
I was preparing a couple female molds (new hatch slide rails) and the Aquanet did not dry. So I went to find an expert. I found a pert youg lady at Longs who agreed the A. stayed sticky on her hair too. She suggested I try L'Oreal Studioline Fast Forwrd Quick Dry Strong Hold. Yup.

What it did was mist on the work very easily as it mists in a very fine cloud - rather than spray. No droplets. Seemed to be a real plus getting an even coat even down inside. It covered the sticky stuff and dried. 3 coats. I just popped the pieces out of the molds. Worked like a charm. Side benifit was the garage had this nice feminine scent to it. Kind of made you stand up a little straighter and suck in your stomach.

My new rails look real sexy!
How those frames coming?

[Tony G]

Ebb,

Thanks for the heads up on the hair spray. The PVA worked less than beautiful . When we fire up the vaccuum table we'll try the L'Oreal.

The port frames are molded in! Because there'll be some grinding to do on them and other parts of the boat, I'm doing a bunch of different little jobs that will result in grinding so I's can do all of the grinding at one time. Ick...

Just finished prepping the forward hatch. You know, I can glue wood all day long, but when it comes to cutting it I get nervous and worry that I'm going to ruin it. I need boat therapy soon........

[ebb]

Excellent work on the hatch! Rounded corners, whoa, now ya talking! Nice hatch too. The cast aluminum Bomar's 338 ended up with weigh a ton.


As to "popping" finished pieces out of a female mold OR off a male mold, here, for what its worth, is a couple observations.

I use a blue colored specific mold wax. The color helps in spreading it evenly around, which I do with my hands. Put it on, let it dry briefly, buff it up. Do it again. I do three times, then it gets old. I think next time I'm gonna wax and buff at least six times to be certain of complete release.

Made sure the molds were designed to release the completed lam. But getting the pieces started was difficult, Any corners holds the piece real tight, so, have to get one side started for the mold to let go. Everything may seem loose but will stay stuck! On my male mold (the hutch) I did not wax enough and/or hair spray enough (I had made the mistake of using AquaNet, also) and ended up deconstructing the goddam mold from the inside. Bad. Real bad.

I'm using epoxy for this polyester type work. {Believe it's argueable that polyester shrinks a little because of solvents thereby aiding in removal - while 100% solids epoxy doesn't] Gel coat is probably the real secret for successful female molding. My epoxy gel coat is slightly thickened laminating epoxy with universal white color added. I could not get it thick enough because I wanted to do the whole piece at once. Thick first coat just got squeezed out where ever I pushed and poked the xmatt into the mold. Maybe there's a way to get three color coat layers on by getting them to go off but not go hard while the cloth is going in. That would be too organized! But I'm a coward, and therefor the pieces will have to be finished when in place on the boat.

[mbd]

Wow. Really slick hatches Tony! Very very nice! And a nice shop too...

So is the plan to add ambience down below with those aquariums?

[CapnK]

/me see's those hatches.

/me drools.

[commanderpete]

Oh baby, Oh baby......That's nice

Another good thing about our boats--you can stick your head out the hatch and see where you're going while taking a whiz

[mbd]

Better be a good aim and/or smooth water! Ya miss, it's yer bed...

[Tony G]

Well, this stinks. The top of the instrument 'dash' is 10'-1 1/2" off of the shop floor on the trailer. The distance from the threshold(?) the the top of the door opening is 9'-6". I thought if it was close I'd just let the air out of the tires, or, take the tires and rims off of one axel and let the other one squat down.

We don't have time to fart around with half-baked, hair-brained ideas. So...it looks like we'll have to redesign the seahood to make it removable. That's just one more bead of sealant to maintain that I was hoping to not have to deal with.

Actually, this has been a thought that has been burning in the back of my mind for some time now. I just didn't want to face the fact. So we'll press on.

Here's the frame for the new main hatch! It has three coats of varnish on it now so I feel I can start working with it and not be so careful. Of course it will get about another six or seven coat before being deemed 'done'.

It will have a white plexi panel on top to let in some light without beaming in the rays and corresponding heat. I was going to put a smoked panel in to match the the forward hatch, but, a 95 degree day like todeay made me think NOT!!!

It doesn't show up in the pictures but it actually has a gently curved top so water shouldn't pool on it.

[Tony G]

Another good thing about our boats--you can stick your head out the hatch and see where you're going while taking a whiz

I never looked at it that way.....maybe we'll mount hatch so it opens to the aft!

Thanks to all for the kind words and honest criticism. Sorry I haven't responded to many of the posts. I've been a little busy lately, and, the support of this group keeps me going. Well, that and more coffee than food!

[ebb]

SO ooo OOO Fine! Like that handle there. Nice frame, first class. How you going to lock it?


Mean to tell me you can't you can't sawzall the top of the garage door opening - make like a hinged one foot tall however wide piece that'll swings up out of the way when needed??? Hey! the boat comes FIRST!!! Self, wife, kids, family, dogs, taxes, religion, govmint: AFTER the boat. You got that?

[Tony G]

Hot and humid weather makes me think about water. I just can't drink enough of it. We bought this baby from a guy in MI. It came out of a Cape Dory 28.

Placement and support is proving to be more difficult than I thought

[Tony G]

I realize that this is a pretty insignificant step compared to all of the work you others have done and are doing out there. But we're actually putting something on the boat instead of taking things off.

Sole( or maybe they're called sub-sole )boards are going down and I wanted to get the forward areas of the bilge painted out first.

[Tony G]

...here's the bottom sides getting sealed with epoxy...

[Tony G]

...and here's how they fit together...

[ebb]

Go for it, Tony, nice work.
Be interested to see what that upper step becomes. Guess you're partially closing off the V-berth 'aisle' for stowage?

What is it they say?
"A remodel of a thousand angles begins with a single piece of ply."

Gorgeous prep on the hull!!!