It's Official - my '51 OTCA project

Wet coat of Georges semi-gloss. I think I'll switch to gloss. I think two more coats; some sand-scratching will show when this dries down.

 

sure looks good from here. NIce!

 

Health issues have slowed me down this summer but slowly but surely I'm committed to launching sometime this month... Second coat of paint almost sanded. Using my new random orbit sander instead of wet sanding as it's too much for me to move it in and out by myself every morning to sand. It's working better than I expected and most of the dust seems to be sticking to the canoe (which is better than on the floor)! I'll get my wife to help me take it outside and hose it off, and wet sand spots as needed...

 

If you can figure out a way to attach a vacuum to the sander you should be able to minimize the dust.

Mark

 

Great idea. It really doesn't pull all that much into the little bag. If I could find a smaller vacuum hose than the shop vac, like maybe an inch, that would make it easier to use; thanks!

 

Adapter kits are available for that at the big box home stores. Look on the Grainger web site, too.

 

I think one or probably two more coats. A couple of sags in this one but it would not have been last coat in any case. I cut this coat (George's gloss) about 10-15%, which brushed pretty nicely. Straight felt pretty stiff so I didn't try it. Might try more like 5% next coat.

 

If I can get it this shiny dry I'll be happy

 

Painted last coat I think on the port side. The weather is cool and I thinned the paint less than last time so it went on stiff but still brushed out well and flowed pretty smooth. I had a good amount of bubbles that wouldn't brush out, I think because of the stiffness. I hope they dry down to something acceptable. I had half a mind to go back over it with some mineral spirits after it set a bit to see if they might pop but I didn't have the nerve...

 

Brushing only, no roll & tip...

 

Epifanes paint = no bubbles , no brush marks , fine and enduring gloss with the oval hog bristle brush I have used for nearly 20 years . Just me , just sayin' .

 

Any additives or other thoughts that might help with the bubbles in the paint I have (George's)? When I thinned it a bit more I had a few sags. This is flowing well enough except for the bubbles.

It wasn't possible to get Epifanes in the exact color I wanted. Thanks

 

Hi, MMM........So, I know how you feel with the " exact color match ". ...been there , done dat. I and many others have simply mixed what we must have using Epi product including some of the old professionals. I know the paint seems more expensive, but it covers so beautifully and I moved from fearing the finish and last of 5 coats the next morning , to can't wait to get to it in the morning. I think Epi color chart shows 7-9 greens and I bet if you were close with their stock item you could easily get their suggestion to get it right on with a simple mix. By the way, I use their thinner to get the flow perfect for my brushing style and pace. Each to his own, I accept, but for me a real fine resto job needs the same passion at the end as in the beginning.....not always an easy thing to do when you are the sole workman, but the results can be very satisfying if that is what you need to make the day worthwhile. Have fun . Dave

 

Thanks Dave. You caught me right on the edge. I'm highly inclined to live with the bubbles in order to get this thing done (started about this time the winter before last, hard to believe). But I'll finish the other side with the George's I have - excellent color match to some original 70's Old Town green I had - and decide then. I had a first color match from George that was too blue, then bought a quart of one of his stock greens to mix with but they were too dark to get there. Second try on a custom match came out great so George now has a good match to the 70's OT green.

I think since I've gone through so much to get this green (and I'm painting new paddles to match), my first choice -if I can muster the will- would be to do another "final" coat with the Georges, IF I can figure out how to get rid of the bubbles. The prior coats I didn't get any bubbles, but had more thinner and so had some sags. Those coats were done with the canoe flat, both sides same time, so maybe with this angled approach I can add just a bit more thinner than I have now, and perhaps wait for a warmer day (it might have been 60 when I painted this coat).

I used Epifanes varnish on all the wood, great stuff, very pricey when you buy that second quart and second can of thinner! Incredibly glossy, maybe too much so For some reason when I varnish the interior, it's great but on the seats and thwarts I keep getting dust. Bad luck I guess. I think just another coat of varnish on the gunnels, seats, thwarts and decks and that part will be done. Then the brass over the stems (brain super foggy today can't remember what they're called...) which are original and intact if I don't screw up... coming down the home stretch!

 

By "George's" I assume you mean Kirby's? if so, interesting that it's so "glossy", I didn't know they sold gloss paint. (The only time I used Kirby's it was close to flat. Which was good for the canoe I was doing.)

 

Dan,
Kirby sells both gloss and semigloss. Their gloss is not a glossy as Brightsides or Epifanes.
I was struck by the glossyness (is that a word?) as well. Thought it might be wet.

 

The previous pictures are of wet paint, to clarify. Here's pics from today, now that it's dry.

 

Bubbles - Roll and Tip is your friend.

 

Interesting. Why is that?

 

It is and it isn't. It really depends upon the paint. Using a custom blended Kirby I found that it was initially way too thick to roll. To reduce the bubbles and at Kirby's recommendation I had to thin it to the point that it was barely covering. When the bubbles were finally manageable it was impossible to tip without leaving drag marks. It was drying too quickly. It was one of the most frustrating painting experiences I have had.
Since then I have seen several paint jobs using the Kirby pain that were applied with a brush. One, a high gloss yellow looked really great. You could not see any brush marks or imperfections. The other, a flat light greenish blue shows some very hard to notice brush marks but is otherwise perfect.
It is not an easy paint to use. You need to have your "A game" going and the shop temperature needs to be spot on.