You can see the results of my hole filling technique he

http://www.advantagecomposites.com/t...8-0869_img.jpg

This picture shows a bow section after installing a second layer of 1/4" ply
over the first, kind of like cold molding on a bigger scale. Lots of screw
holes. The fills are all very smooth and flush. I used epoxy/silica plus a
little microballoons for the filling mixture. In the past, I've tried
filling holes then using a putty knife to scrape it off flush while soft but
it seems to always leave a hollow over the hole so you have to do a second
pass. The second pass can sometimes _still_ have a hollow. The method of
filling and leaving it slightly overfilled followed by using a SurForm to
bring it flush after curing is faster and gives better results. Your
mileage may vary, but this is what works well for me.

--
http://www.advantagecomposites.com/tongass -- My 22' Tolman Skiff project
http://www.advantagecomposites.com/catalog -- Discounted System Three
Resins products


..
"Old Nick" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 15 Apr 2004 02:59:36 GMT, "Brian D"
vaguely proposed a theory
......and in reply I say!:
remove ns from my header address to reply via email

Not the same solution as mine. But I agree with the idea that the
surrounds go down faster than the filler, in almost all cases.

When I fill holes, I usually let them stay bumped up a little until
after curing, then I use a SurForm or scraper (or both) as appropriate to
bring it down flush. Sanding seems to remove material around the hole
more
than it removes the filler in the hole, so I don't sand. I then coat the
whole section a couple of times (usually 3) prior to painting. Works for
me.

************************************************** **
I went on a guided tour not long ago.The guide got
us lost. He was a non-compass mentor.........sorry
........no I'm not.

What's in the 407 and the 410? I know WEST has some fillers with cotton
fiber in them, others have plastic, but I can't remember which is which. My
favorite mix for hole filling is 75% silica, 25% microballoons (phenolic).
A separate post talked about my fill it, cure it, SurForm it way of making a
smooth fill with fewer passes, but here's a picture of how it turns out:

http://www.advantagecomposites.com/t...8-0869_img.jpg

Brian


--
http://www.advantagecomposites.com/tongass -- My 22' Tolman Skiff project
http://www.advantagecomposites.com/catalog -- Discounted System Three
Resins products


..
"Old Nick" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 15 Apr 2004 22:53:52 -0700, BCC vaguely
proposed a theory
......and in reply I say!:
remove ns from my header address to reply via email

there is/was no wood "plugs" - there's 3/4" marine ply that's been in
there for 26 years - and why would a ring of 6 holes expand?

turns out West says their 410 additive can expand - they now say use
only 407.

OK. I and one other posted saying that the sanding may be the problem.
OOI, can we hear back what happens with the non-expanding filler?

We may be wrong, but we tried to help.....
************************************************** **
I went on a guided tour not long ago.The guide got
us lost. He was a non-compass mentor.........sorry
........no I'm not.