Getting wood boom smooth

[CaptHead]

I need help please. I have a trawler with a mast and boom made of wood. I am trying to get the boom smooth and wanted to know if anyone has a tip I haven't tried.

I first sanded it to wood, saturated it with penetrating epoxy, filled the small areas I found easily, primered it, sanded it again but here I am losing it.

I am getting lines in it due to a flat sander on a round pole. I got a sanding sponge from Deep Homo and wrapped it with sandpaper and tried that but I am still not satisfied.

Question 2.

I am going to paint it with Sterling LP and am using an epoxy primer. What high build epoxy primer is best? A friend says Awlgrip's hibuild is good and sands easy. It is also about 1/2 of what Sterling charges. Are there any others?

[CaptHead]

I finally got it pretty smooth, not perfect, but smooth. I applied 4 thick coats of primer, 2 a day, and today I used a foam block and 100 grit and got it hand sanded smooth, Went back over with 220 and painted with Sterling LP. I have SHINE!!! It looks great.

Tomorrow, wet sand with 400 and another coat.

Congratulations. My first suggestion would have been to hand sand it. To use power sanders is an art for a rounded surface. When we rebuilt our wood boat, I found that a pneumatic long board sander was the best tool for fairing curved surfaces. Even that would have been a challenge with a boom.
So, upload some pics. We want to see the end result

[Pelagic]

Between the primer and the topcoat, if you want the best adhesion you normally apply a base coat ( 3 coats in one day).
If you have any peeling in the future, that may be why….(hopefully not!)

[CaptHead]

I am using an epoxy primer. It is catalized and cures chemically not by heat. The top coat is LP and needs an epoxy primer to prevent lifting. Also, there is a chemical bond required with LP and it has to be within 24 hours of primer application.

I think all will be good as I have painted other areas and boats with this paint. The problem I was having was getting roundness and a smooth surface to my boom that had been sanded with flat power sanders in the past leaving flat spots in areas.

I agree with the long board. I own one and worked on my hull with it. The problem I have is the "new epa cops" are watching every particle of dust in the water as an attack on the planet. That air powered long board makes tons of dust. I need to figure out how to use it and not have a dust trail coming from my boat.

I lost my camera but I will add a picture as soon as I find it.

Has anybody painted with Sterling LP? It is easy after you get the hang of it.

THe dust issue is difficult. I would remove the parts, and sand them on the hard if possible. Otherwise, a tarp on the deck, and a tarp rigged overhead to enclose the work area will help. (Make sure you use a respirator if you do this, a dust mask will not cut it)

[CaptHead]

Thanks for the respirator advice. I am guilty of only using a face mask and I know I need to use my respirator.

I removed the boom and am working on that on the hard but my next few projects are the cabin and hull which I need to use the long board on. I saw a pretty successful plastic idea I just now remember.

They took the small plastic bubble wrap and taped one side to their hull and laid the rest in the water. It floated and caught most of the dust between the hull and finger. The EPA cops say doing that is ok. I think Public Storage or the UPS stores sell it on rolls. I need to find it. The dust vacuums up if you are careful without lifting the plastic from the water.

They are not very expensive, and available at your local Ace. Just make sure you get one that fits. If you have facial hair, a little Vaseline on the beard and mustache will help make a good seal on the respirator. (OSHA does not approve, but works for the backyard guy)
As for the bubble wrap, sounds like a good idea. Depending on how strict the officials are in your location, a tarp enclosure is still a good idea when sanding, but if they are willing to go with the bubble wrap, try your local storage facility, or U-Haul store. They should have rolls for sale.