Merry Christmas everyone,
Got all the presents, yet? I just bought about 90â worth of CDâs and I
still donât have any presents for anyone lese but me. Well there is always
Saturdays â
Anyway, a few words on sanding. First I hate sanding. Second it sure as hell
looks good when you are done.
What do I know about sandpaper? Well, Iâm a wooden boat builder and a cabinet
maker, which means I know too much about it â so stop reading when you get
tired.
I agree:
- get proper sandpaper (aka: expensive sandpaper)
- wire brush helps a lot
- there is 3M sticky back sandpaper, but I like Gregâs idea with the spray
glue you might have left over from the moulds anyway
- fairing boards (max. two feet long) can be made out of plywood (grain
direction of the mid layers have a major impact on the flex) or thin pieces of
wood; add two blocks of wood as handles; they should be as stiff as possible,
so that they just make the bend . I think Tom and I build two or three
different ones for the different curvatures on the boat.
- Donât use pressure let the sand do the cutting. Otherwise you will start
putting little micro dents in the wood. If you want to go crazy you could take
a sponge and small amounts off water after each grit and âpullâ all those
grains back up â but then again â donât do it. Itâs an epoxy drenched
racing machine and not a jewellery box. Safe your sanity and put some extra
effort into fairing the hull.
- I would start with 60 grit and donât go past 120 â itâs an epoxy
drenched race â you get the point.
Now here comes the scary part â I suggest you use your sandpaper in a
diagonal direction across the strips to fair the hull,
this is going to leave major scratches that you need to get rid off in the
second stage.
This is how I did it. Take the 60 grit sandpaper on your fairing board and use
LONG diagonal strokes with little pressure and keep moving along the side of
the boat. Get in a rhythm â feel the flow. You also need to go in both
directions, so that you end up with some sort of an x-pattern on the boat. Now
donât forget this is the first and most important part of your sanding job.
This is going to shape and fair the hull. So you need to accomplish as much as
possible in this stage. You are looking for an even scratch colour or pattern
on the hull.
Now all the sweat that is running down your face and your forearms will
actually help pull up those grains, that you pushed down earlier. So keep on
going. It hurts but you wonât die. Itâs a good workout, too. On a personal
note: I start sweating just looking at a fairing board or plane, I think I need
to see a doctor about this.
Now run your hand over the hull and âlookâ for little bumps. Try to loose
them, but use LONG strokes. You can also start to go into the 3rd dimension now
â running the sandpaper with the grain.
You still want your 60 grit sandpaper on the board and start sanding out those
scratches you made across the grain. Donât skip to the next grid before you
are completely happy with the shape and look of your hull. Oh, the bottom is
going to be black, so you might look for a very fair but not so scratch-free
surface.
After that you might go to the next grid and start the âpolishâ. You may
use the x-pattern again, but itâs just going to take you that much longer to
get to the next grit.
I also recommend doing the same when you start sanding the epoxy, especially
the stuff below the water line. It helps when you donât have to start with 60
grit sandpaper. Iâm not sure what the others will recommend on how far you
should go. Smooth is fast.
Happy holidays and keep a vacuum or Hoover (for all the Brits out there) close
by,
Felix :o)
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