why's it called Tommy Chong's screw?

@@drummergrl1000 he looks like Tommy Chong.

Once epoxy is dry it is done leaching chemicals.

you have to stain bare wood. then epoxy over the top of that BUT make sure your stain is compatible with the epoxy you are using. best to check with the mfg of the epoxy.

No, UV protection will be in the outer layer. The marine grade varnish will have UV absorbers....

Leo Corsetti Should try using Polythane 1005, it's 100% UV resistant and will not scratch, crack, stain, blush or peel. It also cures in one day. Only one facility in the country manufactures this product, Google it.

+Leo Corsetti The whole thing. And mop it on (liberally).But no point in putting it on over any kind of finish, only wood. I've never tried leaving part of a piece of wood uncoated when using PE. We use alot of Smiths Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer on the west coast.You can thin regular epoxy and call it penetrating epoxy, but it is Not. I almost always use Z-spar Petit BROWN Mahogany (oil base filler)stain under varnish, except it would look ridiculous on lighter woods like ash, oak etc, that is, the interior frames of this dinghy are what they should be. The reason I'm mentioning it is that All the pieces that you are varnishing will then be the same color, make all your neighbors go "WOW!",and they will be darker, which I believe greatly improves the overall UV resistance. Always do at least three sessions of stain to get the best results, and this is the kind of stain that you wipe down right after applying, before it dries. You will notice that really hard woods don't take to staining like teak or phillipine mahogany, and so PE will make the stain lighter colored too. Digression! Thanks. PS: We use alot of Gloss Clear Cetol, yeah it's got a high yuck factor, it stays kinda gummy for a Long Time, but boy does it Last! If you gotta have that varnish feel and smell, skip the cetol.

+Chris Esposito is there really, really such a thing as 100% uv products. Over the last 20yrs companies seem to put that on their labels but I am yet to see one that has offeres any greater protection than layering properly. We stuck two pieces of sealed the varnished planks outside boat shead in direct sunlight one just averaged price varnish 3 diffrent brands. the second with 3 branda of what was classed as 100% UV. And the results were as we had all predicted. The claim of 100% UV resistance was a bunch of baloney. Remember wood boats have been built for 100s of years the majority with really cheap materials but are constantly replying varnishes and paints and atill about. Up keep is the thing that counts stay ontop of it and do it properly and you'll be surprised at how much money is wasted on product names abd claims.

Still have "denatured alcohol" in my neck of the woods. I believe "methyl hydrate" is the same thing under another, more scientific, name. Check Amazon.

thank you sir

Bamboo does tend to suck up more epoxy than wood, but otherwise not a bad idea

Thank you

Yes bamboo is so vulnerable to moisture

Am in West Africa and am looking at low cost housing and alternative or substitute materials. Would be nice if bamboo would substitute for steel in reinforced concrete

Depends on location but at mid-latitudes you get a very solid base of varnish over this penetrative epoxy of 6-9 coats of varnish (oil/resin not poly) then every year sand and add 3 coats and if you do it well then and are diligent then that should last quite a long time. In the tropics it will need quite a bit more.

No. Short answer. Thats if you are talking Blushing cracks. If you apply resin it will just add a layer on top of the cracking. Epoxy is repellent so is made to not absorb. ☺

@@atw98 I beg to differ, penetrating epoxied are made to soak in. Also, another brand is called "Cactus Juice" and will soak into and stabilize heavily skunked and rotting wood. Wood turners use it all the time. You don't have to put it under a vacuum system, but it helps. I've seen videos where the total boat and cactus juice penetrating epoxies are soaked in, then as an example or experiment they cut the wood open and show that the epoxy has literally soaked all the way through. Thinning it helps for a deeper soak, but just brushing it on, it will not be enough to soak clean through the wood. It must be soaked in it for full penetration. Building a dam around the piece with plastic or paperboard (cardboard) should allow enough to be applied to soak through a board like this seat. But do it from both sides. Look up "Cactus juice" under the KZfaq search.

@@thomasarussellsr yes Agrred. But you talking to an uncoated surface. Not cracked epoxy. It will fill the cracks buy not penetrate the all ready exposed core, let's say balsacore. If it did then it's totally defeating the purpose that as a boat builder I use any resign for, to seal. The question was to fix cracks in epoxy not to penetrate a surface that is not covered. To fix cracks is a totally separate issue for what youd use penetrating epoxy for. This is why I have such a huge issue with people categorically stating as fact things they dont know about. I'd say the way I would do it, or what works for me. Not well penetrating epoxy fixes it. It's used for a completely different purpose to seal not to repair cracks appearing in already played glass. Again which the question was asking.

They are easy enough to fix just research better not on KZfaq. Best way just call your local boat builder/yard happy to give you quick advice over phone. 90% of the stuff here just makes you cringe. But there are some master builder here that have great videos. Just make sure they actually do it as a living rather than weekend warriors, cause then regardless of the warriors skill you know it's what they do for clients who pay them for their knowledge. 🙂

@@atw98 i dont believe there are any boat builders in my area, I've surely seen no boats in our almost creek of a river (Salt river in North central Kentucky). But thanks for the advice.

Thanks for the reply. Makes sense esp the wood dust and shavings mess. Another question, is there any reason to use varnish, over this specialty epoxy?

Lou has already forgot more than I will ever know.

+Tony Marin ..Its not best practice thats for sure

alcohol evaporates very quickly and depending on the type of epoxy that it is it may in fact be the best thinner to use.It is a lot less volatile than some other solvents and sometimes they'll react badly with some epoxies.So its best to use what the manufacture recommends or test it out first ;)

I too use Total Boat epoxy. (clear) When I talked to them they (Jack) suggested I use acetone vs thinner. He said that sometimes the epoxy will harden before the thinner completely evaporates causing problems. Add the acetone to the resin until it's the consistency you want then add the hardener and mix. But, he said his first preference for thinning it is to just heat both parts in a double boiler type set up instead. I use it to give that amber oil based look to woodworking projects without having to wait 2 weeks for it to cure completely. Then I spray with a water based poly.

I had been led to believe that the thinning agent thins the activator so that I should add activator last and to the amount of product and thinning agent. If that made sense.

YES! Total Boat Penetrating (sic) Epoxy Sealer does not penetrate very well if you are only using parts A and B as directed. There is a ClearPenetratingEpoxySealer that came before this product that does not require the addition of a third part thinner. However, be sure to have a real respirator with organic vapor cartridges if you are working around any PES.

That's the stuff the Irish baptise their children with.

Paint and varnish and glues will dull planer blades so fast it will make your head spin. We all know how fun it is to replace planer knives!

and I have been pricing TotalBoat products. Their low-key approach here is quite preferable to ANY other sort of product promotion I've experienced. Thanks for that. I hope to spend some boat-making dollars soon.

hotstixx I

Of you don't realize it, that dinghy is older than you are. And the owner wanted it done. You do not turn away work of you value your reputation, either. And try to find a piece of Marengo to replace that one. Easier and faster than replacing.

Dinghy not dingy

He he he he..... ok, Beavis.

that ridiculous. 1 hes an old Sault. 2 where the hell do all these greenies think anti foul and paint and varnish go as it wares. 3 its up to the individual to look after themselves and decide what is the appropriate precautions for them. 4 its a how to not a sales pitch.

It is up to the user to read the dang directions. He is showing how to use it. He is Not responsible for others laziness.