Not crazy about Total Boat epoxy. Fish eye issue.

[RaisedByWolves]

Switched form West systems to Total Boat epoxy as it was recommended here and other places to save some coin.

Never had an issue like this with the west systems and used the whole gallon last year. Same conditions, same process, same type of wood, mixing equipment....

Ever since I started with the TB Im getting fisheyes and places where the epoxy seems to "Draw back" almost like it was put on too thin and retracted onto itself some how.

I tried wiping down the surface of the first layer with acetone before and even after sanding in prep for the next layer and nothing changes.

There almost seems to be an oily looking rainbow to the surface when cured. Anyone have any ideas here?

Fisheye.

 

[LDUBS]

I think I would send the photo to Total Boat and see what they say. Even above those two circular shaped blemishes the finish looks cloudy. But maybe that is just the photo, IDK. Was it high humidity that day?

I'm not an expert but doubt there is any easy fix. I would not be happy either.

 

[eeshaw]

I'd try applying it to something else and see if you have a repeat issue. My guess is that the epoxy is contaminated.

 

[DaleH]

Well another possibility is that it also COULD have been your wood AND/OR the time of day you applied it. If your wood wasn’t as dry as it could have been or if you had applied the epoxy BEFORE the hottest time of the day, then fish eye can occur with any epoxy.

For the best epoxy finish, and for epoxy penetration, I always warm my woods with a heat gun on low. Then I wait until AFTER the hottest part of the day has passed, when temps are dropping. If epoxy, or even some thin ‘finish’ paints (or a spray paint), are applied BEFORE the hottest part of the day, trapped air/moisture inside the wood can/will heat up to escape … and that bubble then bursts under your finish coat, which causes the fish eye.

You say it looks like something was “sucked in”, but I wonder that if you did apply it before the heat of the day, then perhaps it was a bubble that burst, that then caused an improper cure in that spot. I would also guess what the oily ring is the amine blush, which is an artifact of epoxy curing. I’d surmise that a poor cure would probably result in more blush.

FYI, also check out www.raka.com epoxy; might even be cheaper and has totally replaced the expen$ive West Systems epoxy for me and all the boat yards near me. I’ve been using it for about 20-years and probably have a replace twice as many transoms as that number, always using Raka, and I have never, ever had any complaints.

 

[PGRChaplain]

Are you sure that's not from contamination on the surface? I've seen something similar from Silicone Residue.

 

[cyclops2]

deleted

 

[thill]

That looks like contamination in the wood to me. Like oil had gotten on the wood and soaked in. Maybe not obvious, but when you applied the epoxy it came to the surface.

This is just a wild guess from looking at a picture. Of course, the ideas about the epoxy not being mixed fully or being contaminated or just a bad batch are just as possible.

I agree that you should contact Total Boat and see what they say.

Just for kicks, maybe try mixing up a batch, making sure it's mixed very well, and then apply it to a known clean piece of wood. If it doesn't repeat, then that helps narrow things down.

If you have a bit of the West System around, maybe scuff up the area and see if it has the same problem. That would definitely let you know if there is something in the wood.

Either way, I hope it works out for you. Problems like that really suck.

 

[jlake1958]

Switched form West systems to Total Boat epoxy as it was recommended here and other places to save some coin.

Never had an issue like this with the west systems and used the whole gallon last year. Same conditions, same process, same type of wood, mixing equipment....

Ever since I started with the TB Im getting fisheyes and places where the epoxy seems to "Draw back" almost like it was put on too thin and retracted onto itself some how.

I tried wiping down the surface of the first layer with acetone before and even after sanding in prep for the next layer and nothing changes.

There almost seems to be an oily looking rainbow to the surface when cured. Anyone have any ideas here?

Fisheye.

View attachment 112230

i think that is "unseen" contamination. Looks like someone put a can of "something" on that wood and it dripped and spread some. what temperature was this applied in and cured in? i have used gallons of Totalboat Cold Weather 2:1 epoxy with great results.