Success! The support patches on the outside of the hull were removed and the repairs did not instantly explode. Today, the ties will be tightened just a tad to bring all the seams into exact alignment and the first series of epoxy 'welds' will go in to hold the hull together for removal of the ties. Fingers crossed!
4 comments:
Remember that if this doesn't work out, you can always mount a clock on it and display it proudly in your home.
Success!
I'd put a piece of fiberglass tape over that wound to hold it together and help fair it out for finishing. Epoxy has no strength unless it has reinforcement.
michael
Thanks, guys.
O Docker - I have had a nice little clock movement from Tiffany waiting in a drawer for such an opportunity as this.
Doryman - The breaks will be taped over when the seams are taped. Though it is a common misconception that epoxy has no strength. In fact, almost all the strength in GRP is in the resin - the glass fibres have no mechanical strength at all but prevent cracks from propagating through the epoxy.
Chris, I'm afraid that the resin has a very low tensile or bending strength, virtually all of the strength and stiffness in GRP comes from the glass, carbon fibre, Kevlar or other reinforcement fibre used.
Epoxy with milled glass fibre added as a filler has a little more strength than resin on its own, or resin mixed with other filler/thickening powders, but even then it isn't great.
Grinding out an area around the damage and patching with some glass cloth and resin, then fairing this in to the rest of the hull, will give a good repair that will be as strong as, or maybe stronger, than the surrounding wood.
Jeremy
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