| Sea Glass Refit |
May 1, 2007 In the repetitive "epoxy on, epoxy off" manner that defines the fairing process, today I ground all the fairing compound that I applied yesterday afternoon. In many areas, I found that there would be no need for additional filling, but inevitably there were low spots remaining to be filled. Overall, I was pleased so far with the results and progress, however. |
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After I sanded all the fairing compound as necessary, I turned my attention to the cockpit, which I had not yet addressed with the grinder. During most of the rest of the day, I ground the entire area: first the seats, with their molded nonskid pattern and layers of paint, and then the cockpit well and sole. I found that the paint inside the cockpit sole was extremely resistant to removal, compounded by the challenge of working in the space to begin with. During the hours I spent grinding it away, I was able to reflect and ruminate that one cause of the difficult in removal from the cockpit sides was the result of the vibration caused in the thin, unsupported fiberglass structure by the grinder; the vibration reduced the effectiveness of the sanding tool, making the whole process take that much longer. I also found that most of the cockpit contained the poorly-adhered blue gelcoat layer, which required that I remove most of it to ensure a sound substrate for the additional work ahead. |
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With the paint finally removed from the entire cockpit--other than the tight corners where I'd have to hand-sand a little later on--I cleaned up the piles of dust with a broom and dustpan, and then vacuumed the entire deck in the usual way, before cleaning once more with acetone. Then, at the end of the day, I applied more epoxy fairing compound to the deck areas as required. |
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