Finishing and Coating with Epoxy

[gserghiou]

Hi,

I would like to use West System Epoxy to bond my strips for laminate. i know i can get some microfibers to make the mixure more thick so that it can be easier to use.

I have read that i can use the epoxy (straight mixed and not thickened) to paint over the wood and forma an ''epoxy barrier'' between the wood and the top coat !

Is such a barriere needed, or should i just paint the top coat on without the underlying coat of epoxy ?

Also what top coat is suitable (UV proof etc) ???


Thanks,

George

[Pastor]

I use West epoxy for a sealing layer. I'm not sure how necessary it is but it does give a very durable finish that is easy to cut back to a smooth surface. Some dilute the stuff with acetone to help it flow into the pores of the wood and give an even more durable finish. To be honest of late for my own use I've not bothered with a top coating of the UV barrier because the sun don't shine up here much and the guns are always kept in the shade or indoors.

Top coats? International yacht varnish has done me well, if a little slow to cure

[HEDS]

I think an important note here is [i have been told] - woods with a high oil content , like teak are difficult to coat with anything that makes an airtight seal , like epoxy or varnish .
I made my own gun over christmas out of iroko , which is similar to teak.
I cant for the life of me get a good coat with epoxy! and to be honest i doupt i could get a coat with varnish either.
Also something thats happened recently is that white/dull patches are developing between the epoxy layer and the wood .
Im thinking of stripping all the epoxy off - and finding a suitable oil possibly,well, not untill next winter anyway
What im saying is - make sure your finishing method is suitable for the wood.

[alexrom1207]

Just a note on teak for everyone. My father has a classic hatteras motoryacht 61' and CHOCK FULL OF TEAK for his son to spend summers varnishing...... so in other words, I've gotten pretty good at this. I've seen a lot of threads discussing teak so I figured I'd just throw in my 2 cents. The oil content of teak is really a bitch if you're trying to varnish it without prior treatment. There are a number of two part teak cleaners which will make the teak very clean looking and also dry the wood out a bit. Just wear gloves because they do the same thing to your skin! Ouch, trust me. Anyway...these will make the teak much easier to varnish, just make sure to varnish shortly after the cleaning process. You have to get all the prior varnish off, use the two party cleaner, let dry, sand down to a smooth finish (100 grit then 400 grit works well for me) I usually then take some acetone on a rag and wipe off the teak. This gets all of the little pieces of wood off and also serves to dry out the wood a little more. (DO NOT OVERDUE THE TWO PART CLEANER, IT REALLY TAKES A LOT OUT OF THE WOOD....so if you do this it's usually a good idea to do it once the right way rather than having to redo it later) Then go straight on with an EXTERIOR MARINE varnish. 3 coats, then sand with 400 grit wet paper. another 3 coats, sand again, and then finish with a couple more coats and sand with a 600 or 1000 grit wet paper. I've never tried an epoxy finish but I think that would put a nice hard coat over the varnish. If you do that though you may want to rough the last layer of varnish up with a 100 grit dry paper. I know this is a lot of work but the results are worth it. If you're only doing a small gun it shouldn't be bad. I did a 10 foot teak boat pole and it took nearly an entire day. Of course it was left out during the winter here in the northeast so I had to do it again next summer, but I think we all baby our guns so I imagine the finish should last. Again just my two cents...the other methods will probably work just fine and may be easier. Good luck