Finish work destroyed. How to remove epoxy mess?

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I guess I will just wait then and let it harden and get a lot of sunshine to it. Most of it is out where the sun is shining. So maybe that will help degrade the epoxy and allow me to chip it off.

Good thinking about that part of it.

Can you believe that hatch isn’t even a year old? I’m floored at how destroyed it is.

As for the drips and marks and smears all the way around the entire deck, maybe I can just paint over those? And repaint the whole deck? Again?

As other's have posted, UV kills epoxy. Initially it helps epoxy to cure and then it degrades it.

If you are willing to wait for about a year or so, epoxy drips exposed to UV will break down to a weak flimsy blobs that can be flicked off with your finger nail. The first sign of the break down will be when the epoxy starts to become cloudy. This method of removal does require patience though.

I feel for you...years ago I once paid a guy to make a nice inlaid wooden hatch cover, he did a beautiful job in the workshop but when his co-worker fitted the hatch to the boat, the co-worker left hand prints of cured 5200 all over the hatch and surrounding areas . The co-worker was looking for another job soon after.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Wotname

As other's have posted, UV kills epoxy. Initially it helps epoxy to cure and then it degrades it.

If you are willing to wait for about a year or so, epoxy drips exposed to UV will break down to a weak flimsy blobs that can be flicked off with your finger nail. The first sign of the break down will be when the epoxy starts to become cloudy. This method of removal does require patience though.

I feel for you...years ago I once paid a guy to make a nice inlaid wooden hatch cover, he did a beautiful job in the workshop but when his co-worker fitted the hatch to the boat, the co-worker left hand prints of cured 5200 all over the hatch and surrounding areas . The co-worker was looking for another job soon after.

Yeah, I like this approach. Let nature take its course.

It may not work with the nonskid, but it will work nicely I think with the poly carbonate and acrylic.

And since my helper can read this, I do want to emphasize that he did say it was the other guy that I hired the drip that stuff everywhere. So I’m not putting the blame on him. Not entirely. They both should have masked the job. I think the deck will need a repaint, unfortunately.

[JPA Cate]

Having to re-paint the deck may turn out to be a blessing in disquise, and beats the hell out of a trip to the emergency room and epoxy induced emphysema!

Ann

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Having to re-paint the deck may turn out to be a blessing in disquise, and beats the hell out of a trip to the emergency room and epoxy induced emphysema!

Ann

Agreed! I can start from perfect again. It was a bit of a patchwork before. There were some nice spots and some less nice spots. It was done with different paints in different areas. So this will bring it all to one even white.

[ShoreFun]

If the epoxy is not cured properly sometimes an acetone soak will soften it.

Window plastic can be sanded and buff successfully. Look up Novus plastic polish. You can sand up to 3000 grit then buff out.

Have you considered a positive pressure hood? I have done car restoration and modern paints can cause the same allergic response. I have used it on hot humid days and kept cool and comfortable. I got a hood and a special pressure pump that you keep far away. They are a bit pricey, but the resale price is quite high so in the end it can be more like a rental.

[JC Reefer]

In looking for creative ways to remove that epoxy, do not try acetone on the window or hatch. That will permanently damage them.

For the scratches, check the boat brushes. I’ve seen coarse boat brushes damage hatches.

[Luvboats]

You might try setting up a portable tanning light or a reptile basking light, as they both emit UV, to help speed up the epoxy degradation. Not sure if it will have any beneficial properties but as we use to say in the ER……..it’s like giving a dead man an enema….can’t hurt…..might help. Whatever path you choose I hope you get it figured it out.

[Jim Cate]

My take? Bloody shame that it happened, but it did. IMO you should ignore the blems for now, finish the damn boat and go sailing for a while. The sun will do its thing over time, and as you finally get to enjoy the boat, then think about chipping the dribbles off and repainting.

It is quite possible to enjoy sailing a boat that is not cosmetically perfect, and life is short...

Jim

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

My take? Bloody shame that it happened, but it did. IMO you should ignore the blems for now, finish the damn boat and go sailing for a while. The sun will do its thing over time, and as you finally get to enjoy the boat, then think about chipping the dribbles off and repainting.

It is quite possible to enjoy sailing a boat that is not cosmetically perfect, and life is short...

Jim

Agreed. Employing the sun for free to start working on the epoxy mess while trying out the boat is the best solution of all.

When else in life do you get free help with boat work? Ha ha

[Tupaia]

I feel your pain I had a professional painter destroy "all" of my deck hatches and my trampoline, that I had agreed to remove but stupidly believed him when he said it would be ok. It wasn't so much the minor overspray that would have probably flicked off of the hatches and would not have affected the tramp it was that instead of owning up they tried to clean it with thinners. Melted the tramp and killed the lenses. Luckily my 12 new wrap around bridgedeck windows that I had spent weeks making were not installed until afterwards. As it turned out the paint job was c**p and having replaced all the deck hatches and trampoline I don't have the energy or inclination to go through the process again. Hand painting by me is the order of the day near anything damageable.

As I always say to my wife when I think about hiring a professional, hit me over the head take all the money out of my wallet and persuade me to do it myself. Results are better and a lot less stress.

When will these people get it through their heads that I don't want my money back if I didn't want to spend the money I wouldn't have employed them in the first place.

I know you can't go near epoxy so you might consider a project manager, or trusted friend to oversea. Finding good professionals is an impossible task.

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Don’t touch the windows: when the UV coating is damaged, the window will quickly deteriorate and become opaque. I wish there was a good UV filter that can be applied because a wet sand and polish can being them back but any protective finish I tried breaks down quickly.

Have you (or anyone else) tried Cerakote?: https://www.cerakote.com/shop/cerako...-ceramic-clear

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Lodesman

Have you (or anyone else) tried Cerakote?: https://www.cerakote.com/shop/cerako...-ceramic-clear

That clear coat doesn’t require an oven to cure, right? I am considering it on parts like polished stainless steel or chromed plastic etc. but I don’t think see-through image quality would be good enough for use on windows?

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

That clear coat doesn’t require an oven to cure, right? I am considering it on parts like polished stainless steel or chromed plastic etc. but I don’t think see-through image quality would be good enough for use on windows?

Yes it cures at room temperature. Haven't used it on windows so can't rightly say, but it's an extremely thin coating, so I would think there'd be little distortion. This would probably be less critical in hatches, than in windows/portlights. It might be worth testing.

[David Mathis]

You let a homeless guy move aboard. He agreed to perform certain work on the boat while he was living on it. Do you see any red flags yet? It sounds like you got what you paid for.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by David Mathis

You let a homeless guy move aboard. He agreed to perform certain work on the boat while he was living on it. Do you see any red flags yet? It sounds like you got what you paid for.

He’s a forum member. He was also a major guy at West Marine. I’ll make sure to tell him about your post. And give your screen name. So he can follow up with you about your insults and personal attacks.