Like watching paint dry (very quickly).

Got done with what i wanted to do and it all looks not very Westerly, more Najad / Hallberg Rassy, even if i say so myself, the guns starting to give a little bit of gip although it may be a regulator problem but got through all the joinery i wanted clearcoating.

Gonna start on the joinery i want white maybe in the evenings this coming week, the overspray is a little problematic as theres quite alot although that would be the only reason i'd change the gun seeing as the i need 50 PSI for mine and the likes of Devilbiss need about 30 so can see the benefits as i had to re-do a couple of pieces as they felt like sandpaper to the touch although looked great at first glance.

The only other fly in the ointment is figuring out how to reassemble this lot and bond to the tophat section in the hull without disturbing too much as i go - bit like the table cloth trick and leaving all the cutlery and crockery intacted. Cant help but feel alot of salty language will be aired that day.

More than enjoying the whole experience as its a skill i'm re-learning from years ago making furniture on a commercial basis and at the price i'm paying for the lacquer i dont mind re-painting the odd piece if i'm not totally satisfied with it.

Winner, winner

Chicken Dinner!

Folks I can declare the paint shop a roaring success, spent this afternoon base-coating the forepeak components in Morrells PU lacquer, For this i need to wear an air fed gimp mask but thats a small price to pay as this stuff is up there with the Reactive resins epoxy - yes it rocks too.

The reason it rocks is simple: this lacquer is touch dry in 15 minutes sandable in 30 and recoatable in 45, whereas that bloody over-priced Hempels crap i bought (to topcoat the window frames) would take 16 hours - yes thats not a typo, 16 arse-dragging hours till it went off.

And as is typical most of the time here in Blighty the marine-based product is total fucking robbery as the Morrells super quick drying PU works out at £50 give or take for 7.5 litres and the Hempels super slow diamond hard is getting on for £40 a litre!!!

 Mmm...........................fuck that!

Admittedly you dont get a cute picture of a sailboat on the Morrells tin but i can just about live with that if i'm honest. Also i should big up the Sealey spray gun i've been using, the SSG501 (if you're interested) and still available on ebay for less then £20 as the last time i talked paint i was considering a Devilbiss gun.

This mainly because they're amazing spray guns which we used to use back in the day at the shop but seeing as they were brother Rik's and i dont have money to burn i'll stick with the Sealey gun.

A truly great bit of kit seeing as you can get a needle/aircap from 1.2mm all the way upto 2.5mm making it a really versatile spray gun for no money, go buy one! 

Heres how things look at present:

Thats three coats of sealer on the above and below:

These pictures make me look almost talented - will be a different story spraying the hull and deck i'm sure, tomorrow i'll lay down the clear top coat and white basecoat for the outer frame.

My only concern based on todays efforts is i dont have enough free air capacity to run my mask and gun for more than 15 mins so when it comes to spraying the boat i may have to get a bigger air receiver................more kit i guess...............

Ciao

Meanwhile four months later.................................

In truth i wish i had more to show but just haven't really, the joinery for the forepeak has been made and broken down currently in the paint shop awaiting lacquer and paint, the beams have been fastened to the foam bulkheads with A2 screws and thickened epoxy resin.

Spent today doing a few bits of paid work in the shop and inbetween sanding down all the pretty bits of the forepeak ready for basecoating. Other than that not a lot to tell, this is where i was at this afternoon with everything removed waiting to go back on. 

All the athwartships beams that are pattressed through the bulkheads are back on permanantly, still loving the epoxy resin, interestingly had an icing bag full of the stuff burning my hand - it was that hot - and yet still totally usuable, absolutely kicks arse.