Re: 1960's 13' MFG carefree Rebuild (complete noob, i know nothing about this!)
On your air bubble problem...even in cold temps you can slow down the "kick" rate by staying on the low end of your MEK-P...
Point 75% to one percent...
The resin will kick, but it will take longer, also, when you lay up several layers of resin and cloth, one over the other, the heat generated by the chemical reaction will cause the resin to "kick" off faster, NOT slower...just don't try glassing below say 60?...this is a good thing when it comes to the bubble problem...using the bubble buster roller can be a double edged sword...with practice and careful use it does what it is supposed to do, otherwise it can and does cause more problems...
I personally prefer to use a chip brush almost exclusively...with a slow kicking resin, it is a matter of patience and perseverance, but you can get a majority of bubbles out...you can even cut the hairs on the chip brush to about half their length to make it a bit stiffer...and when you use it to lay the glass down and bust the offending bubbles, go slow and methodical...don't try to press too hard...lots of short light jabs are better than ham fisted stabs...make sure you get the majority of the bubbles in your first lay up before continuing on to the next one...the more layers over the trapped bubbles, the harder they will be to eliminate...another tip...if there is a big bubble trapped in the middle of your layup, DON'T try to pop it...try to gently "walk it out" to the nearest edge...
Now don't expect that you are going to get 100% of all the bubbles out,100% of the time...your goal is to get the maximum majority of any really big bubbles out, say bigger than a 1/4"...yeah, I know that sounds like a big bubble, but in the entire scheme of things, if you end up with 3 or 4, 1/4" bubbles over an area of a couple of square feet, that is pretty much insignificant, in the circles I have run in...
You will also almost always end up with many tiny, micro bubbles, they too, are pretty insignificant...
When you take into account the way a lot of these boats were originally built, you were lucky to find areas that even had any glass adhered to anything at all in lots of places, and yet they have lasted 20 plus years of neglect...
Don't drive yourself crazy trying to get everything perfect...even if you do the job 50 % better than it was done originally, you have still almost doubled the original life expectancy of your boat...
When you look at pictures of my finished glassed areas, they look pretty darn good...FROM a COUPLE of FEET away!
Some places you would be hard pressed to find any bubbles, others have some...with the amount of resin and glass I have put into this thing, I would put it up against any of the new boats from its era and even if I were to neglect it, I would bet my last dollar that it would outlast the originals by several years...
Like I have mentioned elsewhere, I have worked with guys who work on Yachts, really expensive toys, and they think I tend to go 'overboard' when they see my glassing...
So, like I said, don't make yourself nuts over some bubbles...this is a learn as you go process and it can only get better with repetition...
If you are having big bubble problems, post up some pics and descriptions of what you did and we'll try to analyze the situation and find a solution...
Another note of interest, keeping your MEK-P in the fridge will make it last a very long time...
AND, as long as the resin hasn't turned into jelly, or is full of a MAJORITY of hard lumps, then it is probably OK...of course time takes its toll on everything, but I have used resin that has been properly stored, which is over a year old...of course my disclaimer is that just because it has worked for me, does not necessarily mean it will work for you...
The best place to keep your resin is in a cool and dry place and never in direct sunlight...
If possible, you should try to keep some smaller containers handy to store your resin in ever smaller vessels, like paint, if you have a quart of resin in a gallon container, all that trapped air can and does cause problems.
The less air you store with your resin, the more stable it remains...
Hope some of this helps...
Best of luck
GT1M
