Painting Tips

[Conway StevensParticipant]

Private Message

[Bruce R. Schaefer]

Speaking of painting… has anyone, or does everyone, use KILZ for priming and filling the holes in composite weave? Heard about it on Infocentral, but wanted to check it out here, too. That is all. 🙂

[Doug GerrardParticipant]

has anyone, or does everyone, use KILZ for priming and filling the holes in composite weave?

I have heard about it but have never used it.

What I found that really seems to work well for fins is just epoxy with a small amount of sandable filler like West System Microlight. Let it remain flat so it doesn’t run then use a orbital sander to smooth it out. I don’t know how well it would work on body tubes because the mixture I used was very thin. But I know how hard it is to fill the composite weave, the’re deep enough that primers won’t fill them without MANY coats but small enough that thick fillers don’t like to “cling” the the weave. I hope this helps.

Doug

[Bruce R. Schaefer]

Yes, it does. Thanks again, Doug.

[Warren B. MusselmanModerator]

From the boat building biz, the proper way to deal with the fabric weave is to do a process called “fairing”. (As in to make something look “fair” or pretty). You use epoxy mixed with glass or silica microballoons and make a paste approximately the thickness of toothpaste to peanut butter consistency and using a bodywork squeegee, your fill the weave. The mix should be at LEAST 50% microballoons. After it cures, you sand… and repeat as necessary to fill everything. That’s what I do when I’m not vacuum bagging with a final layer of non-porous mylar as the release. (That process results in glassy smooth finish.)

Warren

[Bruce R. Schaefer]

Thanks, Warren.

[Conway StevensParticipant]

I carry several products that do a great job of filling in any of the stuff you guys are talking about and then some. Most are a light to ultra light polyester body filler or finishing glaze. Some are even made with fiberglass fillers. Much easier to use then epoxy or any epoxy mix and much more sandable as well. One of the very nice things of woking in a place that sells everything paint and body.

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