Peel-Away or other strippers.

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barrybrown
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Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by barrybrown »

I started to strip the bottom on my Triton using Petit Bio-Blast, with less than satisfactory results, it only appears to take one layer per application and is very messy. Soda blasting is not in the budget. Has anyone had any experience with Peel-Away or any other suggestions (I tried doing it dry with a carbide scraper also with poor results)? Thanks
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by Commander-147 »

Barry I have used Peel Away and was pleased with the way it worked. I found the key was to have patience and let it sit long enough to do it's thing. You apply it with a brush or roller and then you stick a fabric that they supply over it to keep it from drying out while it works. If you run out of the fabric before you run out of chemical I found waxed paper worked just as good to keep it moist while it worked. Don't be afraid to let it sit for 24 hrs after application and before you try to scrape off the paint. I am getting ready to start stripping the hull on my commander 26 this week. It has a barrier coat on it that was put on (by the previous owner) when the hull was wet and it caused blisters instead of keeping them away. So I am hoping peel away will help remove the old barrier coat so I can let the hull dry while I work on other projects. Don't know if it will help with that or not but I'm going to find out soon.
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by Oscar »

I used peel away on part of LKIII and it worked, however the cost of 42 foot worth was only marginally less than blasting, so I gave up and did it the easy way. On LKIV it didn't fo ANYTHING to either the anti fouling or the paint on the topsides. I have no idea what kind of paint it was, but I ended up doing it the hard way with scrapers, heat gun and sander.
I am hoping peel away will help remove the old barrier coat so I can let the hull dry while I work on other projects.
I would be very surprised if it took of a barrier coat.....
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by barrybrown »

Thanks for the replies, at Defender they show 2 types of peel away. one type costs half as much as the other but only does half of the area, both claim to not bother barrier coats any reason to choose one over the other? 24 hours is much longer than they recommend (2 to 4 hrs), any danger if it dries out?
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by barrybrown »

I just went back and re-read the peel-away info and I had it all wrong. One type may damage the barrier coat and the other not, also the time recommendations were 2 to 24 hrs not 2 to 4 hrs.
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by hebert01 »

Last year, I stripped away 20+ years of bottom paint on my Ensign. I used PeelAway 1 (the stuff from the Home Despot), and it worked just fine on fiberglass/gelcoat. I wouldn't see any reason to pay more for the PeelAway marine grade stripper.

As a comparison, I tried Peel Away as my THIRD stripper in what became a far too painful experiment in bottom paint removal. It was leaps and bounds more successful than both "Aqua Strip" (by Back to Nature) and Soy-Strip Marine (by Franmar). In my experience (New England fall/spring weather, about 50-65°), I'd conclude that both of these products are ineffective on anything but a few layers of ablative paint. PeelAway 1 was the only one that worked satisfactorily for me.

That said, there were still quite a few small patches of non-ablative bottom paint that held tight, remaining unaffected by the PeelAway applications. After all the stripping was complete (many places took two coats to get to gelcoat), I used a carbide scraper to clean up the remaining patches. PeelAway1 requires neutralizing the alkali remover with vinegar/acetic acid (they sell a neutralizer, but vinegar works too), followed by water wash, etc.

Given the three different strippers and expensive carbide scraper I bought, plus the countless hours of product research, experimentation and nasty labor involved, I learned a lesson about bottom paint removal. I'd have spent about the same amount of money and been much happier to just have the bottom soda blasted in an afternoon by a professional. And an Ensign hull is very small. I'd hate to have been wrestling with anything bigger. While the bottom was beautiful at the completion of the project, I felt little pride afterwards. I felt more like a guy who messed up and did it the hard way. I'd gladly pay someone to do this job for me in the future, or even consider purchasing a sodablaster if I had the need to do a lot of removal. Unlike varnishing, woodwork, glass or epoxy work, I had a very difficult time convincing myself that scraping bottom paint was anything close to fun.

Of course, everyone's idea of fun is different, and you might thoroughly enjoy the project. Just relaying my experience. On the plus side, I'm very happy that I purchased my Bahco carbide scraper, which has proven to be a great tool!
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by Tim »

I doubt there's a soul in the world who enjoys bottom stripping. It's just one of those things that must be done sometimes.

Having done some number of bottoms, I simply have not found a quicker or more effective means than carbide scraper followed by sanding. No, it is not fun. Yes, it is exhausting, dismal work. But it gets it done, and quickly and efficiently. One has to work at it, for sure: it takes a lot of scraper pressure to be effective.

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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by barrybrown »

Ed, excellent advise thanks, I came to the same conclusion but didn't receive a call back from the blaster until after I had ordered the peel away. Hopefully after all expenses the difference in cost will pay for a roller furling unit. It is encouraging that everyone responding had positive experiences with peel away and like Tim said it is one of those jobs that on occasion has to be done.
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by bcooke »

I'd have spent about the same amount of money and been much happier to just have the bottom soda blasted in an afternoon by a professional. And an Ensign hull is very small. I'd hate to have been wrestling with anything bigger.
No, it isn't fun. No matter how you do it.

Soda blasting is very expensive. If you think you might want to buy a soda blaster just try pricing one first- thousands of dollars. Just the media alone can easily cost $500 or so per hull. That's why they tend to be owned by people that specialize in bottom removal or yards that can justify the expense.

This boat below had about 10-12 years of bottom paint - maybe a heavy eighth of an inch thick in places. Scraping took me 25-30 hours and approximately 20 scraper blades. It was truly miserable work but there was no way to compare soda blasting prices (which were quoted at around $7k) with the cost of hand scraping.

Image
Tim wrote:I simply have not found a quicker or more effective means than carbide scraper followed by sanding. No, it is not fun. Yes, it is exhausting, dismal work. But it gets it done, and quickly and efficiently. One has to work at it, for sure: it takes a lot of scraper pressure to be effective.
I could not agree more. Keep a sharp blade in the scraper and change it frequently. Don't even think about trying to save money by stretching the blades. You are saving plenty already by going the scraper route.
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by Hirilondë »

I did the bottom of my Renegade the scraper/sander method. I collected 7 gallons of chips from scraping and used a good 6 or so blades over about 16-20 hours. No fun at all, tis why I use ablative paint now. Just to avoid any chance of build up I didn't paint my bottom this year, seemed to be plenty of paint left from 3 years previous.
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by hebert01 »

The quote I got for soda blasting the Ensign was $900. But again, she's a small boat...so my price is not typical for what others might expect to pay.

I spent about $80 on the SoyStrip, about $100 on the AquaStrip, about $100 on the PeelAway, about $50 on the scraper, and I didn't count carbide blades. So, when coupled with my hourly rate (which I get at a discount) my little experiment added up. But if asked to write a $5K check for bottom paint removal? Well, roll up the sleeves!

I have no experience with soda blasting as a process, so I wasn't aware of the costs for a commercial rig. But does anyone have any experience with the "homebrew" soda blasters manufactured for automotive hobbyists? Something like this one? Not sure whether this type of machine could be used or modified for marine bottom paint removal.
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by Oscar »

there was no way to compare soda blasting prices (which were quoted at around $7k)
Whoa, I paid $750.-- five years ago for 42 feet.
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by bcooke »

Well, no doubt the yard manager smelled money with this boat valued at around $160k and new replacement value somewhere above $600k.

I suppose this Hylas has 5-8 times (guesstimate) more surface area and displacement so $900 for the Ensign would be about right.
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by BALANCE »

I have committed to having my boat bottom soda blasted (e.g. they have my money). I chose this because 3 years ago, the last time I had Balance out of the water (and my first time), I worked like a dog getting it prepped for painting in a green yard. The yard requirements are quite strict and my containment methods - I tried two - did not work very well but I did the best I could and managed not to get fined. Got a few warnings though!

Back in the water for only a few months and I could see places where the paint was failing - quite discouraging. So, this time, before researching it at the UG (University of Google), I committed - only to find out that you don't just apply ablative paint next....you have to apply a barrier coat or two and then paint but the barrier coat can't be completely dry when you apply the ablative? So I am already stressing out on pulling this paint job off. How likely is it that I can do this alone and successfully?

And, hello again everyone...it's been a while!
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by Rachel »

BALANCE wrote: Back in the water for only a few months and I could see places where the paint was failing - quite discouraging...

...I committed - only to find out that you don't just apply ablative paint next....you have to apply a barrier coat or two and then paint but the barrier coat can't be completely dry when you apply the ablative? So I am already stressing out on pulling this paint job off. How likely is it that I can do this alone and successfully?
Hi Balance, and welcome back.

First, just to back up a bit since it sounds like you had a paint failure prior to this. I don't know what your exact conditions were (i.e. hull down to gelcoat, going over some other paint, etc.), but in normal circumstances, one can apply ablative paint to boats without first applying barrier coat.

One also can apply a barrier coat - either as a barrier coat (thicker coverage, typically 5+ coats) or as a primer (thinner coverage, typically 2+ coats). With this, one can either go for a chemical bond with certain paints, of which most ablatives would be included, or one can go for a mechanical bond (required for some paints; optional for others). For the mechanical bond one lets the primer/barrier coat dry thoroughly, and then follows the instructions for sanding and prepping for the paint.

Oftentimes where people go wrong in applying paint (and the same failure mode can apply to a first layer of barrier coat) is in the prepping - especially of gelcoat. It's very important to remove the mold-release wax (yes, it lurks even 40 years after manufacture). Interlux Solvent Wash 202 is one such remover. But even with that, it can go wrong if care is not taken. Key is to use a clean bit of towel/solvent for each swipe, because otherwise it's easy to recontaminate the hull.

After soda-blasting, it's quite possible that you may have areas to touch up (fiberglass- or filler-wise), and a coat or two of barrier coat can make a very good primer. If you do go this route, I would not sweat the idea of having to make the chemical bond. I mean, I would absolutely go for the chemical bond, but it's not hard to do. The time windows used to be rather more short and demanding, but now you really have ages, comparatively. It's not about the product "drying" (e.g. Oh my gosh! It's drying! Hurry!) so much as it is the appropriate chemical bonding window. The info for that should all be on the can(s), and/or you can get it from the paint manufacturer's website. I think you'll find the time schedule is not very demanding for most of the steps, although it is important.

I would talk the soda-blasting job over with the folks who are going to be doing it. It's good to establish expectations before they get going. For example: How much they are going to take off? Are they going to spare gelcoat damage and leave some paint? Remove all paint even if that means more "blasting" of the gelcoat? What are you are looking for in terms of a final finish when they fold up their tents? What if they run into old flaws/blisters/patches etc.? Also, double check that they or you will cover any openings into the boat before they start, because you don't want a soda mess inside.

Finally, from here, I can't see what the condition of your hull is now, or know the nature of your past failure. There may be some reason that the pros you are working with have or will recommend something other than what I outlined. So don't take my word as gospel for all boats and all situations (as if anyone did anyway ;)

Also, not to sound like a broken record, but the various manufacturers are a treasure trove of information for their products. The can, the website.... the tech help line (and... The Plastic Classic Forum, of course :)

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Painting after soda blasting

Post by BALANCE »

Hey Rachel, good to see your voice! I will talk to the paint tech people, they're on my list! As for the soda blasting people, they - up front- have made it pretty clear that they are the best and that they are not liable if there was any previous damage to the hull, blisters etc. All the thru hulls are currently closed except for the ones in the cockpit, those I will stick a rag in from the bottom, I guess.

I think I've got myself pretty turned around...you see at one point, I was seriously considering a copper based paint that is said to last for 10 years - and that particular process required the barrier coats prior to the bottom paint. It's been a few months since I've last read about any of this and that's enough for it to become scrambled in my mental file cabinet.

I think my failure (with regard to bottom painting) was that I was down to the gel coat in many areas and probably had not scuffed it up enough for the new paint to get ahold. That's my best guess anyway. It was just below the water line so it was a constantly visible irritation.

I'm wondering about any first hand experiences here, if any. D day is April 30th.
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Re: Painting after soda blasting

Post by Rachel »

BALANCE wrote: I think my failure (with regard to bottom painting) was that I was down to the gel coat in many areas and probably had not scuffed it up enough for the new paint to get ahold. That's my best guess anyway. It was just below the water line so it was a constantly visible irritation.
I know I said this above, but just to reiterate, I have found that it is important to decontaminate the gelcoat (before the scuffing/sanding stage). I know it seems crazy, but the mold release wax can hang around seemingly forever, and can interfere with a good bond. Sanding/scuffing can shuffle it around without removing it.

So, if it were me, once I were down to gelcoat I would give the whole hull a wiping with Interlux Solvent Wash 202 or equivalent, paying particular attention to continually rotating the towels/cloths to a fresh side (to prevent "re-wiping" with a waxy section of cloth).

I can understand where you may have some confusion; there are a lot of options for materials and techniques, and, in addition, it's not hard to find conflicting information.

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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by barrybrown »

Balance,
I had my boat soda blasted last year, I went into it with limited knowledge of the end product and expectations that were a little to high. Some things you should be aware of to avoid disappointment. First, (if you haven't already) go and look at one or two boats that they have recently soda blasted.
In my experience the finished job left enough paint on the hull that it took me 3 days of sanding to finish (about 12 hours), they did not get all the way to the boot stripe and they didn't do the bottom of the keel or the area just forward of the rudder. From what I have found since they did an acceptable job by industry standards. If you are going to barrier coat you will probably have to sand the entire hull after soda blasting to get a surface suitable for barrier coating.

I also went with Coppercoat. The boat was in for just over 2 months last year and when I pulled it there was a lot of hard fouling as well as a lot of soft fouling. I don't want to trash the coating yet because I didn't follow directions and scuff it before putting it into the water but the first year was very disappointing.

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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by BALANCE »

Barry, thanks for that. These people are quite quirky and frankly I'm a little nervous. If I have to sand for 12 more hours, I will cry. But I'm hoping for the best. Some have horror stories and some are delighted. I'm looking forward to being delighted.

Rachel, I won't forget to wash her bottom first with clean rags each swipe. Thank you. as always. I consider you one of my professors at the University of Google!

Nanette
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by Rachel »

What Barry says sounds fairly typical to me. That's one reason I suggested going over expectations with them first. You may not have to sand that much, but in my opinion it would be unusual to be able to just proceed straight to painting. Which is okay if you are not expecting something different.

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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by triton318 »

After reading through this thread, I've decided to just leave the 20 years (at least) worth of bottom paint on my Triton. I'm going scrub the bottom, spray it off with a power washer, scrape off any paint that has begun to flake off, and paint over it. I don't have the money to have it soda blasted and can't justify the time spent scraping and sanding. In the end, what's the difference between having a bottom with two coats of bottom paint over gelcoat or 30 coats?
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by Rachel »

triton318 wrote: In the end, what's the difference between having a bottom with two coats of bottom paint over gelcoat or 30 coats?
I think one difference, presuming it is sound and fair, is just that it's a lot of weight. That may not matter in the grand scheme of your Triton.

Also -- and reading between the lines on what you wrote this must not be happening to you -- 30 coats of bottom paint usually leads to bits, hunks, and chunks falling off, so it's harder to keep it fair.

And then too, some people just want to get back down to gelcoat and see what's happening under there (old patches, gouges, blisters, general condition). Of course that's not part of the difference between 2 and 30 coats, but I'm presuming the people with two went back to gelcoat and then built back up to two from there.

This is somewhat off that topic, but when re-painting with an ablative, it's nice to use an indicator coat. So, say you want the bottom to end up red, you paint the first coat on in blue, and then coats two and three in red. That way you can see when you're getting low on paint while you still have some.

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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by Chris Campbell »

As a suggestion to those who would get old bottom paint off but don't want the work or expense, a friend of mine had his bottom done (using carbide scrapers from Lee Valley - took 2 blades to do a Catalina 38) by a young fellow starting out in the boat work business. He charged 15 dollars an hour, and was done in 8 hours. Then my friend went over it with a sander to smooth out the irregularities left by the scraper, and repainted his now much lighter and faster bottom, roughly $150 dollars later. Not a perfect job, but a good compromise, I thought.
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by gone2ddogs »

My wife told me to stay away from the Strippers!
I've been using a Hyde carbide scraper then sanding with my Porter Cable DA and 80 grit with good results. The blades don't get dull they get chips and have to be replaced. Takes about 2 - 3 double sided blades to do my Triton.

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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by BALANCE »

Chris....now ya tell me! I can take solace though in that you are typing in Nova Scotia and the fellow you mention is scraping in the same place.

The blasting went very well. Westsail's hulls are two pieces put together. It is quite obvious the port piece was layed up under different circumstances than the starboard piece. The port side has lots of little (I hesitate to use the word blisters) dots. I'm told the barrier coat(s) will take care of that. He did not go the the edge of the water line on purpose so that's the only extra work ahead of me. Before the barrier coat I think I'll smear all these areas (the dots) with some West System epoxy and the purple micro balloon filler. There are no signs of previous owner damage (or current) to the hull, I'm happy to report. Glad to post photos if any are interested.

The 202 wash should happen before sanding...should it happen before I start smearing with epoxy, or after? A guy at West Marine was suggesting I use some automotive product that is two part epoxy with chopped filler - I think he was suggesting it was all premixed...he couldn't remember the name, his best guess was Tiger Hair or something silly like that. Any thoughts on this?
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by Rachel »

Sounds like you're moving along. I would solvent wash right away - you want to get rid of any contaminant/wax before you sand or epoxy.

I wonder if the fellow is talking about "Kitty hair" by Evercoat. I think that's a polyester/glass fiber mix (but I have not used it so not positive). If so, I would not choose it.

I used VC Watertite to fair my hull after sandblasting (years ago on an M-17). That boat also had a zillion or two "pimples" that I had to fill (that is, small blisters that were only just under the gelcoat and not fluid filled). VC Watertite has now become Interlux Watertite (they bought out VC). You can see it here:

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/us ... oxy+Filler

Image

The Watertite mixes easily (comes in two cans) and is a nice creamy paste-like consistency just as you mix it. It cures to an easier to sand compound at first and then hardens fully later. I never got to take advantage of that as I was filling one weekend and not sanding until the next one. Was still a nice product to work with. It's been long enough since I worked with it that I can't remember all the details of application exactly, but of course I'm sure it's on the can/website.

Although you can use microballoons below the waterline, I think if you do they recommend to cover them over with a coat of neat epoxy. At least check on that.

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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by BALANCE »

"Neat epoxy", like Rum, neat? :)
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by BALANCE »

OK, let's go over this again :) Whatever I did was not good enough, it failed the water test. I'll talk to the tech people again tomorrow, in the meantime I think I need to buy stock in rag distribution.

In the middle of it all I had to go topside to get something, it was the first time I'd been up there since the blasting. To my dismay I found a yellow cockpit, yellow everywhere from the companionway back, even the boomkin. I scrubbed and scrubbed. I used Dawn and then Clorox and then somebody offered up there whatever it was for cleaning exhaust stains. 4 hours later nothing worked. I finally left the blaster a message. Hours later he called back. Unfortunately, to add to my disappointment, he said there is no way that this could have happened, I told him it obviously did. Not only was there yellow but also blue which was the bottom paint I used under my final red coat. Eventually, he offered up this : "my competitors that have had this problem have used vinegar with success".

It worked, thank goodness his 'competitors' knew the solution! I should try vinegar on the hull instead of 202. I think I just might.
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by Rachel »

BALANCE wrote:OK, let's go over this again :) Whatever I did was not good enough, it failed the water test. I'll talk to the tech people again tomorrow, in the meantime I think I need to buy stock in rag distribution.
What part of the job are you on now? Which water test?

Sorry to hear about the problems with the blasting :( Thank goodness you did get rid of the staining.
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by BALANCE »

The 202 can says to spray water after treating the hull. If the water beads up, it'sa no good.

The tech guy today said 'don't worry about it'.

What I meant by let's go over it again, was the 202.

"give the whole hull a wiping with Interlux Solvent Wash 202 or equivalent, paying particular attention to continually rotating the towels/cloths to a fresh side (to prevent "re-wiping" with a waxy section of cloth)"

" Key is to use a clean bit of towel/solvent for each swipe, because otherwise it's easy to recontaminate the hull."
I get the 'swipe it with a clean rag' but maybe you are saying that the 202 saturated rag only goes for one swipe as well? It all seems a bit rediculous. Why not mist the 202 on and then swipe? I'm probably making too big a deal of this but I've spent SO MUCH money on this stuff, and the ablative and of course the blasting, I don't want to blow it. Then today, at West Marine the guy says you should really brush on the first coat, not roll. Say it's not so! The tech guy never mentioned that. I do remember in the conversation a few weeks ago, he said use a roller with a "__ inch nap". Do I remember what that was? No. Is it on the can? No. Is it on the box the kit comes in? No. The website, No.
Do I want to call that tech line again? Absolument non.
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by Rachel »

Okay, I understand now. The test is that you want water to "sheet" and not bead or look like it is trying to make little groups that run away from each other. Reason is, that indicates contamination (silicone, mold-release wax, what-have-you). That's not just for Interprotect (is that what you are priming with? I'm sorry, I forget), but goes for other things too. Even when you epoxy and then remove the amine blush, water should sheet and not bead.

I really don't know if there is any time it could bead and still be okay; I've always been able to get it to sheet.

On the 202 - yes, a new section of rag for wipe on, and another new section of rag for wipe off. If you use paper towels (not kitchen ones but clean shop type ones), that can make it easier to not "re-swipe."

Ultimately everyone has their limit on how careful they will be and when they will say "enough" and move on to the next step.

On the brush/roller. If you are using Interprotect for a primer - I have rolled that on and have watched many folks who apply it regularly do the same. I actually think that gives a nicer finish than brushing; certainly no worse. If you are using it as a primer I think you put on two coats (don't quote me on that and plus they sometimes change their recommendations as time passes). For barrier coat, it's usually around five coats, but for the main thing is a certain millage (thickness). I'm trying to remember which roller I used for that. I think it was a fairly low nap (because....smooth surface). Certainly not high nap. Might have been a red-and-white "candy striper." I'm sorry that I can't remember.

I don't relish a call to the tech line either. I have noticed that sometimes there is information in their data sheets that is not on the can or vice versa; and I have also occasionaly found mistakes or inconsistencies, so it's good to be slightly skeptical (although they are nearly always accurate).

Personally, with prep, I would err on the side of perfectionism (I mean, even if I weren't a perfectionist ;)
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by BALANCE »

Where does one get the shop paper towels.

Yes, I'm using Interprotect, after that, watertite, sanding to 80 grit, after that Micron Extra.

I will start again. I think I'll start with the bottom half this time. I was taking, say a two foot square and going back and forth with the 202 and after that I swiped one direction, one clean side. I didn't realize that the 202 had to go on the same way it's wiped off. So you are saying, in the case of paper towels (Bounty) :) , I will use one sheet to wet with 202 and one sheet per drying swipe. I hope Mother Earth forgives me on this one. You don't condone spraying with 202? Seems pretty wasteful otherwise.

Refresh my memory on the amine blush...swiping with vinegar works for that as I recall? If not 202 again? And definitely do the 202 dance before doing the watertite (which will have some significantly long, wide applications in one place, intermittently in others?).

Edited to add: I just found this http://www.yachtpaint.com/MPYACMDatashe ... 100614.pdf


It says to put one barrier coat on before any filling, I see 3/8" nap and - for me 5 gallons are needed to get to 10 mils. (It also says to use YMA601, flush with wter, sand with 80 and THEN wipe with 202. UGH!
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by earlylight »

To remove amine blush from epoxy, you need only use fresh water.
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by Rachel »

As earlylight mentioned, for amine blush you just use water. I typically use a 3M Scotchbrite pad and water, and then rinse, making sure the water sheets vs. beading. It's not particularly hard to remove (blush).

On the spraying 202 Solvent Wash: I'm sorry, I must have mixed something up, because I don't remember you asking about spraying it, nor me saying not to (on the other hand, I can't really imagine spraying 202, as it's a rather toxic solvent. I can't see what one would gain by doing so ... I might be missing something here?)

For the 202 towels, I've been lucky enough to be able to pick them up without having to find a direct source, but if you don't have a paint supplier or boat/paint type place who stock them, you might try an auto body supply. Basically they are just disposable "paper" towels that are sturdy (home paper towels not so much), and also not inadvertently contaminated with anything. You could use rags, but I just never have that many rags (since you have to keep using a fresh bit).

One question (maybe obvious, and if so ... never mind!), but are you wiping the 202 off before it dries? That's important because basically it's like the 202 is lifting the contamination into itself and then you are wiping it away. If the 202 dries at all, even if you then wipe, it's not the same (hence small bits at a time).

I used the Watertite first, then the Interprotect, but certain instructions have changed in the meantime, so don't take my way as gospel. In other words, I'm not sure what their reasoning is for having you put on one coat of Interprotect before the Watertite, but there may very well be a good reason.

I have never used the YMA601 (Fiberglass Surface Prep). I have only used 202 Solvent Wash. I know many other people who have used the same, and not the YMA601. That's not to say the YMA601 might not be fantastic; just that I have not used it.

I do note this from the "Interlux Bare Fiberglass Bottom Paint Guide" on Jamestown Distributors' website. To me this says you can choose the YMA601 or the Interlux 202 but do not need both. They are talking about a never painted bottom, but it seems the mold release wax removal methods would be the same.

BOAT HULL PREPARATION

1. Since the boat may never have been painted, take extra care and time in preparing the bottom before proceeding to the system of choice. Clean surface carefully, start by removing all contaminants and "Mold Release Wax" on the surface as follows.

2. Scrub the surface thoroughly using soap and water and a stiff brush. Flush with fresh water to remove soap residue. Allow surface to dry. Then proceed with either of the two following options:

Option 1: Apply Fiberglass Surface Prep YMA601 with a maroon, 3M, Scotch-Brite pad and scrub well. Flush with fresh water or wipe off with a clean, wet cloth ensuring that no traces of Fiberglass Surface Prep remain.

Option 2: Dampen cheesecloth with Interlux Fiberglass Solvent Wash 202. Wipe thoroughly to remove all surface contamination and cleaners. Wipe off with a clean, dry rag before liquid dries. Wipe only a few feet at a time.

3. Lightly spray the surface with water to insure all contamination has been removed. If water beads up or separates, wax is still present. Repeat until water no longer beads. At this point all mold release agents, wax and other contaminants should have been removed. Proceed to one of the following No Sand Method, Interprotect Method or Sanding Method.


Here is where I copied that info from; they have quite a few other guides too:

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/us ... aint+Guide
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by BALANCE »

Yes, was wiping whle still wet. Never been painted prep is different than when brought down to gel coat. Still don't see why putting 202 in a plastic spray bottle (not some pressurized gizmo) shouldn't be done.

It's like the night before the exam now, I'm getting less concerned with getting it all right and more concerned with getting it all over. :) Tonight I sand.
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Re: Peel-Away or other strippers.

Post by Rachel »

True, your soda-blasted gelcoat is not exactly the same as new gelcoat. But if you are removing mold-release wax/contaminants with 202 Solvent Wash, the procedure should be the same, to my mind.

I see, you are talking about using a pump sprayer - like you would for Windex - to apply the 202. I didn't understand that before. I've never tried that. My first thoughts about "maybe not" would be that 1) It might be a pain if any extra runs down onto other areas; and, 2) why atomize it if you don't have to (you have a respirator on I'm sure but still....). That said, I don't know whether my concerns are valid and it may work fine.
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