Hi,

I posted here previously and received some extremely helpful advice so
I'm back for more ;-)

I just started to build Water Wheels and sell them. However, I am no
expert at using epoxy and various protective finishers & Sealers for
Wood. I use 3/4 inch Marine Plywood for my Water Wheels (with 12mm
Marine Ply used for Water buckets).

Once the Water Wheel is completed and assembled, I then...

- apply the epoxy first against the bare wood (encapsulating the
product in 2 coats of epoxy)
- wash and sand the epoxy coat to get rid of the water soluable Amine
and ensure the epoxy will bond to the primer coat
- apply 1 Marine grade primer paint
- apply 1 Marine grade color topcoat
- apply another topcost of a differnt color to the sides of the wheel
via a design template
[Optional]:- then finish it with a UV resistant varnish to avoid
sunlight epoxy degradation. (Does an epoxy with UV protection built-in
exist?)

These are some of the problems I am encountering and questions I have
so far;

1. Is there a faster/better/more efficient way of sealing and finishing
the Water Wheel than the above outlined method?

2. I cut out the Water Wheel side panels and stands using a trim flush
router bit and a steel template as a guide. However, cutting and
assembling the Water Wheel buckets is very time consuming and prone to
error on assembly. What are the design and manufacturing alternatives
available i.e. I was thinking of steam bending the Water Buckets on a
jig?

3. The Marine Plywood is difficult to work with, expensive, causes
burning sometimes whilst routing and chips easily.... would I be better
off using moisture resistant MDF? Is there a need to use Marine Ply
since I seal, undercoat and topcoat the Water Wheel? Someone suggested
trying solid cypress as it is relatively cheap and is very durable.
Would this be easy to work with (i.e. easy to route, cut, bend etc)?
Are there problems combining different types of wood in the manufacture
of this i.e. MDF and Marine Ply?

4. I'm thinking about steam bending some parts of the Water Wheel such
as the Water Wheel buckets. I heard that Marine Plywood would be more
suited to this? Can anyone clarify?

5. I seal the Water Wheel with an epoxy resin (mixed with a hardener)
using a brush and a gloss roller but this is extremely time consuming,
difficult to apply to hard to reach places and sets very fast. The
brush and roller (and any other tools used) are unusable afterwards.
What can I use to thin it out? Is it possible to spray it on? If I was
spraying it on, would I need to apply two coats?

6. I need some type of container to act both as a water reservoir and
as a base for the Water Wheel unit for standalone designs and display
designs. I was considering using a half barell type design in a
rectangular shape (window box shape). Does anyone have any thoughts on
this? I have viewed many images from other Water Wheels worldwide but
nothing really seemed to fit.


Any suggestions or ideas welcome. For reference, please see
www.irishwaterwheels.com.

Any helpful thoughts, suggestions or criticisms are welcome.

Kind regards,
Alan.