5200 Wet cleanup

[davebrown]

I used 5200 on centerboard case logs for my present build. It actually (against all odds) came out looking good--except out of maybe five feet of putty-like bead, a 12" section has balled up rough spots. I don't know what caused it--I hate it even worse than epoxy--maybe there were some small bits of dust or something--anyway, when I try to smooth that section, it just creates more balled up rough spots.

What can I put on a rag that will smooth this out, or remove it for a small, final application? I put it on last night, so it is uncured.

[Canoeyawl]

Brake-clean

[chuckt]

Or you can wait till it cures and trim with very sharp knife, gouge, etc. Sharper the better

[Eddiebou]

You need to don nitrile gloves and use your finger with liberally applied lacquer thinner. Wipe all spooge on a BIG rag. You can use clean portions of rag to wipe down to bare wood if you want. You can tape off areas that you really don't want to get messy, like when finishing off to bare wood. Do it asap after applying. I've heard not to use alcohol, for wipe-down that is.

[Dale Genther]

I second the don't use alchol thing. I did once and the 5200 never cured completly. I have no idea why alcohol would cause this.

[Dutch]

wet your finger with paint thinner and only try to smooth freshly applied poly- once it begins the cure cycle it will ball up.

[Soundman67]

I was using acetone last summer. just because it was what we had on hand. It really made wet cleanup easy. On thru hulls though just let it squeeze out and cure. cut it off after with the sharp knife method. seemed to make a really nice finished product either way. Just depended on circumstances.

[davebrown]

I tried acetone and brake cleaner. Still pilled up on that section. I think it started to cure a little fast to use them. I will let it harden and then cut it smooth. Thanks for the contributions.

[pipefitter]

5200 is a major part of every day life in my work. We use naptha. VM&P naptha from the home center will work as well. Instead of using a whole wad of paper towels to clean it up after the fact, I will use a flat stick with a chisel edge on it and scrape the excess first nice and neat. Once I have the bulk of it out of the way, then a naptha dampened paper rag. You don't want to use too much solvent as it will dilute the 5200 and cause it to shrink excessively and leave holidays.

If you want a finished bead, say for a fillet caulk joint, use masking tape to protect the areas outside of where you want the fillet to be. Wipe it tight with your finger and remove the tape right away. Ghosting of 5200 outside the intended area may not show until after the solvent used to clean it up has evaporated or after 5200 has kicked off.