Painting the epoxy

The place to discuss SCAMP (Small Craft Advisor Magazine Project), our 11' 11" micro minicruiser.

Moderator: Moderator

dndrich
Regular Contributor
Posts: 164
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 7:13 pm

Painting the epoxy

Post by dndrich »

SCAMPers:

Finally at the point where I can paint the bilge. 3 coats of epoxy, sanded lightly and cleaned, ready for my Rustoleum almond color. Now, when I touch a few places in my boat, there seems to be a slight tacky-ness to the epoxy. I absolutely mixed the stuff properly, applied it well, and tipped it. My 3 coats went on within 36 hours or so, so that between each coat I did the razor scrape, vacuum, and then apply the next coat. The garage was a bit cold. When I sanded lightly for the painting stage all sanded very normally. Any issues here? I should think the epoxy would be totally hard. Does this sound like un-cured epoxy?
Daniel
SCAMP #330 Wildflower
Sebastopol, CA USA
mrogers
Major Contributor
Posts: 208
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 8:43 pm

Re: Painting the epoxy

Post by mrogers »

How long has it cured? And what temperature range do you have? My shop gets down to 50 at night this time of year, I don't want to heat the shop 24/7. It can take well over a week for a hard cure at this time of year.
Roger-Scamp177
The pleasure I get from a boat is inversely proportional to it's size cost and complexity
dndrich
Regular Contributor
Posts: 164
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 7:13 pm

Re: Painting the epoxy

Post by dndrich »

Cured for a good week or so. A bit cold, but well above 50. I painted today, so we'll see! I hope it works. I think it will.
Daniel
SCAMP #330 Wildflower
Sebastopol, CA USA
Bcbimmer
Recognized Old Salt
Posts: 587
Joined: Sat Jan 07, 2012 11:12 am
Location: Victoria, B.C.

Re: Painting the epoxy

Post by Bcbimmer »

Daniel,

If you could sand the epoxy easily , it should be cured, otherwise it should ball up on your paper. Did you wash down the epoxy before painting? I would wonder if what you are feeling is amine blush? If so, your paint may not dry properly. I speak from experience. If the paint stays tacky you have
2 choices. Sand it all off, wash away the blush and start again. Or apply another coat with Cobalt Dryer added to it. This is the stuff added in paint to get it to dry. When you add more to the overcoat it allows both the new and old coat to dry in spite of the blush. I tried it and it worked like a charm.

Merry Xmas,

Dan
dndrich
Regular Contributor
Posts: 164
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 7:13 pm

Re: Painting the epoxy

Post by dndrich »

Bcbimmer wrote:Daniel,

If you could sand the epoxy easily , it should be cured, otherwise it should ball up on your paper. Did you wash down the epoxy before painting? I would wonder if what you are feeling is amine blush? If so, your paint may not dry properly. I speak from experience. If the paint stays tacky you have
2 choices. Sand it all off, wash away the blush and start again. Or apply another coat with Cobalt Dryer added to it. This is the stuff added in paint to get it to dry. When you add more to the overcoat it allows both the new and old coat to dry in spite of the blush. I tried it and it worked like a charm.

Merry Xmas,

Dan
I definitely washed it with clear water before sanding, then sanded, then washed again. It sanded just fine. Filled the 150 pretty quickly, but all I was trying to do was create some teeth to take the paint. Painted today. I will give it a few days and see if it is tacky or not. If nice and dry, then I'm golden. Merry Xmas to you my friend. Loved your boat. It was a privilege to be there to see it launch!
Daniel
SCAMP #330 Wildflower
Sebastopol, CA USA
dndrich
Regular Contributor
Posts: 164
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 7:13 pm

Re: Painting the epoxy

Post by dndrich »

Hmm. Got back from vacation. My paint is just a bit tacky. So, I bet there was amine blush in it. When I washed the epoxy I just used water, and did not scrub with a scotch bright pad. So, I think it is a problem. Now, I hate to sand it all off. Seems like it would be a total mess to do that, especially in the location in the bilge. So, how do I use the cobalt drier?
Daniel
SCAMP #330 Wildflower
Sebastopol, CA USA
dndrich
Regular Contributor
Posts: 164
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 7:13 pm

Re: Painting the epoxy

Post by dndrich »

Or, would I be best served just sanding it all off?
Daniel
SCAMP #330 Wildflower
Sebastopol, CA USA
dndrich
Regular Contributor
Posts: 164
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 7:13 pm

Re: Painting the epoxy

Post by dndrich »

Alright, went into the garage in the light of day to reassess. A few areas of the paint feel like I would expect, basically no tacky-ness at all. Most areas have just a hint of tacky-ness, and it is cold in there. Makes me think if I try the cobalt drier trick it will work. I have some locally I can purchase for $15, so rather than sand the whole thing down, I will try that. In the meantime I have a few areas yet to paint in forward area, and I will scrub it down again with a scotchbrite pad and water to make sure all remnants of blush are gone. We'll see how that goes. Thoughts?
Daniel
SCAMP #330 Wildflower
Sebastopol, CA USA
Peter E
Major Contributor
Posts: 375
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2011 1:17 pm
Location: USA Midwest Wis.

Re: Painting the epoxy

Post by Peter E »

I think temperature is your problem. Once you are below 60 F very slow drying.

A another thing is the paint. Some paints especially high quality one's are design to dry slow even at higher temperatures. These paints when cured give a very durable finish, more than other paints.

Check the fine print on the label and see if they recommend two or three weeks curing before a rock hard surface

As some one said to me ( I want patience and I want it right now )

Good wishes and a happy new year. Pete
dndrich
Regular Contributor
Posts: 164
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 7:13 pm

Re: Painting the epoxy

Post by dndrich »

Peter E wrote:I think temperature is your problem. Once you are below 60 F very slow drying.

A another thing is the paint. Some paints especially high quality one's are design to dry slow even at higher temperatures. These paints when cured give a very durable finish, more than other paints.

Check the fine print on the label and see if they recommend two or three weeks curing before a rock hard surface

As some one said to me ( I want patience and I want it right now )

Good wishes and a happy new year. Pete
Thanks for the thoughts. This is Rustoleum oil based enamel gloss Almond color. They claim it will dry in 24 hours or so. My garage looks to be about 62 degrees right now. I have an electric oil based portable radiator heater in there. So, a bit cool but not really cold. I suspect my problem is amine blush, but I'm not sure. Today I got some cobalt drier at the local art store. I tried to sand one of the compartments for a test. Didn't sand very easily, but I did what I could. I put a few drops of the cobalt drier in a few oz of paint and mixed it. I then applied it with a foam roller and tipped it. Went on better than the first coat. Now, I hope it dries well! I will give it a few days and report back.
Daniel
SCAMP #330 Wildflower
Sebastopol, CA USA
Post Reply