mrmagneto wrote:
My Coronado needs new seats in the cockpit so I lavished some time on
creating them with 5/8 in. marine ply with birch sides. They turnd out
well. My plan: 2 coats of polyester resin, then prime, then 2 coats
Interlux Brightsides to match the newly painted boat.

First coat of resin went well for a first-timer. Working outside, dry
weather, 75-80 deg. F. Applied with roller and brush. Set up well.

Second coat- rushed a bit and either got not enough hardener in or did
not mix well enough. Anyway, this coat refused to "kick off" properly.
It has remained tacky for 10 days.

I tested putting on another coat with extra hardener, but it also has
many tacky sections. I'm concerned that the paint will not adhere
properly.

Right now I'm brushing on acetone to strip it. Is this my only choice?
Is there anyway to get the resin to harden? If I must strip it off,
is there a better solvent? The acetone does not soften it like I
thought it would. I have some MEK solvent, but it doesn't seem to touch
it.

Appreciate any comments or suggestions.

Cordell

First off, forget acetone or MEK, as they're too volatile to use as
strippers. Most polyester resins are laminating resins that will not
harden on the surface if they're exposed to air, so using polyester
resin was a bad idea (Epoxy would have been the right product for the
job). You can try spraying the surface with PVA to seal it off from the
air and allow it to harden. Barring that, you can scrape off the gummy
surface layer until you get to the cured resin underneath. Once you've
done that, you can prime and paint it.