More photos of Don Kurylko's new boat

[Farfalla]

Thanks Don!
Of course it's all up to the amazing standard that you have set throughout.
You've taken a lot of time to explain the reasoning behind so many of the things that you've done and that is a real benefit as well.
Thanks again

Sophie

[michigangeorge]

Great thread Don, and beautiful work! Mind telling us how you got such a nice finish on those spars? I'm just prepping my catboat spars for refinish and don't see any brush strokes or sags on yours at all.

[Don Kurylko]

Practise, I guess, michigangeorge, and using the same product almost exclusively for many, many years. In this case Interlux Polyurethane Brightsides paint and Compass varnish. I have really gotten to know the characteristics of these coatings and how they behave at different temperatures and rates of humidity. I think that’s important, no matter what brand or type of coating you use. It takes a lot of the mystery out of applying them.

For example, Compass varnish seems to work best at temperatures between 65 and 70 degrees F. No thinners or accelerators are necessary and it flows out smoothly. The same for Brightsides paint. I try to apply them at these temps whenever I can. I also prefer to paint and varnish in the spring when the earth and air are still quite cool and damp. It really keeps the dust down. After things dry out a bit, the bugs start showing up and causing problems.

For coating spars, I like to set them up on a couple of padded saw horses or supports so that I can roll them as I go a full 360 degrees. I only varnish or paint the parts that are unsupported. I mask off where I can.

I only coat about 2 to 3 feet of length at a time so that I can easily roll the spar with my free hand (I wear cheap, disposable Vinyl gloves to keep sweat and oil off the clean surfaces). I use a good quality badger or boar bristle brush that can carry a good load and vigorously brush on a nice even coat all the way around the spar. I make sure it is well spread with no likelyhood of running or dripping. I brush quite hard in a criss-cross fashion, then stroke lengthwise back into the job in firm, straight strokes to smooth out any air bubbles and brush marks. I don’t molly-coddle the coating at all.

Polyurethanes skin over pretty fast, so I work as qickly as I can and resist any temptation to go over already coated surfaces again, if I happen to notice that I missed a spot or run. I have gotten to a point where I can “feel” how the coating is going on and don’t really need to rely much on sight. There is a kind of drag to the brush, a resistance, when applying to a fresh surface that dissappears when it is fully coated, then the brush just runs smoothly.

Modern polyurethanes actually shrink somewhat as they dry, so even if there appear to be faint drush marks in the application, they will eventually dissappear. You have to have trust in that, but it still pays to have a high quality brush with flagged or very fine bristles. It really makes a big difference to the finish.

Lastly, I prefer to sand between coats to remove imperfections and key the surface, and then wipe everything thoroughly with the manufacturer’s recommended thinners or solvents. I’m not a big fan of rushing the job when doing the initial muli-coat build up on new spars. A solid, carefully applied base will last a long time.

I should also mentioned that it is my practice to paint and varnish over surfaces that have been sealed and coated with Epoxy resin and this seems to work well with Urethane based coatings. On bare wood, I’m still inclined to go with more traditional “oil” based products. I don’t have the experience with Urethanes to fully trust that they work as well on bare wood surfaces. Altough, there are new Urea type coatings coming on the market that seem to have quite extaordinary characteristics, which can be applied to bare wood and are proving to be tough and long lasting. Something worth looking into, I think.

Hope that helps.

[pukka]

Superb is the word that springs to mind. I would love to work more deliberately, instead of working to constraint of time and money.
Don, could you please reveal the supplier of your spherical Cu powder? I couldn't find it in the thread. Was it 200 mesh- 100micron?
Thanks in advance.
Roly

[michigangeorge]

Don, thanks for the detailed answer- I'm always looking for new and better ways of doing things. Used Pettit Bak-V-Spar exclusively for many years until it was discontinued and have not had a decent varnish job since. Your attention to detail is really paying off and I'm looking forward to more of this thread.

[Don Kurylko]

Roly…I purchased the copper powder from:
Canbro Inc.
29 Est Park,
Valleyfield, Quebec
J6S 1P8
(514) 373-0233

Their Parent company is:
United States Bronze Powders, Inc.
PO Box 31,
Flemington, N.J.
08822
(908) 782-5454

I’m pretty sure these addresses are still current and a quick internet search will probably confirm this. I don’t think you can purchase small quantities from the US firm, but they may be able to refer you to a company in the US than can help. They referred me to the Quebec supplier. If you have trouble sourcing small quantities, PM or e-mail me and I’ll see if I can help.

The copper powder I used is referred to as Grade 155, Harmonized System #7406.10.10.90. I’m not sure what the specific mesh would be or micron size. I asked for the finest powder available and this is what their Engineer recommended for the use that I outlined. It has worked out well for my needs. A finer grade might have been nicer, but that was all that I could get at the time.

Michigangeorge...you're welcome. Glad to be of help if I can. I just hope I don't come across as too pedantic.

[sailcanoefan]

This dream boat of yours will be great pleasure to sail. I wish you the best.

[darroch]

Bump.

I'm panning for gold here, Don, with no success. How about a little nugget?

[potomac]

Good bump. This is one of my favorite build threads ever.

[Don Kurylko]

Arrrgh…darroch, the creek is frozen and I was about ready to hibernate for the winter. I know I have been terribly remiss about posting new material on this tread and I feel dreadfully guilty about that, but I will see what I can do to remedy my inexcusably neglectful behavior. I’ll try and get some more photos scanned and Photobucketed as soon as I can.

[stephenlneal]

Some say "Silence is Golden" but for you it ain't so!

[simonmags]

Hey Don, How's the creek looking now, still Frozen solid? Looking forward to seeing some more of those wonderful photos of your build.

[Don Kurylko]

Uh, oh, busted again! I'll see what I can do over the weekend.

[Garret]

Not busted at all! We're just jonesing for more pics!