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COVERING
WITH FILLER
The application of
filler is determining in every cycle of painting, to polish, fill up,
trim, while a short time ago filler was used only to fill up. When correctly
applied and respecting the simple directions for use, the fillers of our
range give more protection and safety to the treated parts, and from year
to year you can verify it. The protection by NAUTILUS epoxy resin and
the fillers of the same range, perform completely the greatest performances
and we’ll have results like: perfect hull and broadsides, end of
corrosion of screw and nails, more speed of the hull with reduction of
consumptions…more spare time and a greater value of the boat. NAUTILUS
Light Filler and NAUTILUS Fine Filler have the following characteristics:
LIGHT, epoxy filler two components with mixture ratio in weight (2 parts
of A+1 part of B), mixture length about 2 hours, which incorporates microspheres
to make it lighter, very easy to apply and suitable to cover big imperfections
(12-15 mms.). LIGHT must be applied on and under the water-line after
the C-systems 10 10 cfs cycle or other epoxy cycles of the same range.
LIGHT has specific weight of about 0,6 kilos per litre, it permits to
polish easily the surface on which it has been applied, making the covering
with filler very strong and light at the same time. NAUTILUS Light Filler
must be always covered by C-systems 10 10 cfs or C-systems 10 2. LIGHT
is also available in the FAST version (quick to dry) in small packaging
of 800 cc (485grs), so that we can do small workings too, always with
the best care and high technology.
FINE (FAST) is a thin filler, as it to say for small thicknesses (2-3
mms), of great polished surface, extremely dense and very quick to dry,
(about 30 minutes of pot-life/duration of the mixture) and 2 hours to
be rubbed down. It has got (thanks to its formula and to the excellent
property of its components) a great protection against osmosis, which
also permits to the filler to be applied directly on the craters where
osmosis shows itself, after having cleaned them well. Also FINE has two
components with mixture ratio in weight (2 parts of A+1 part of B). It’s
very easy to apply and endures the worst working conditions. It’s
available in 600 grs. packaging.
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Filling
of the keel, helm, hull, broadsides and other structures
The keel and the rudder
are the technical appendixes of a boat and their characteristics are extremely
important both for their low friction coefficient to the boats movement
and to their interaction in order to achieve a better all-round performance
of the bottom. The keel is almost always in fused metal (cast iron and
lead) and for this reason it has to be protected to remain smooth and
compact and without surface corrosions or modifications. It is to be taken
into consideration that the keel fusion shows small cavities and ridges
which are to be perfectly levelled so that the protecting layer is uniform
and secure. After a closer inspection or after a season at sea it has
not to appear like a worn out part (like the elbow of an old jacket) where
humidity, corrosion and vegetation have easily spread to look like spots
on a leopard.
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New
or reconditioned keel
These are the best
working conditions, because it is assumed that the keel is in "blank"
metal (perfectly sanded) and we start immediately with the first coat
of NAUTILUS Epoxy Primer two.
When it is not possible to sand, it is important to clean either with
a flexible disk grinding wheel or with an electric drill with a sanding
disc attachment.
It is important to make sure you don’t continue to use a disk that
is clogged or gummed up, and anyway it is advisable after having worked
with the tools to hand sand with 60-80 paper to scratch the cleaned metal
to allow a better grip.
NAUTILUS Epoxy Primer two is a multi-purpose epoxy solvent primer with
a wide spectrum of applications which can be used in for many different
jobs always giving as an end result the highest protection level.
If applied directly and quickly onto sanded or highly disk-brushed metal
it creates a barrier against air humidity which could cause oxidation,
it covers perfectly and deeply with a perfect impregnation of the entire
part to protect, transporting into the metal’s micro-pores also the
anti-corrosion pigments and passivators in its formula.
NAUTILUS Epoxy Primer two is a two-pack epoxy with mixing ratio 3:1 by
volume; 100 gr. + 20 g. by weight) and with a working time of about 8
hours at 18°C.
On the same day (with 18°C temperature) it is possible to apply (after
6/8 hours) the second NAUTILUS Epoxy Primer two coat (in winter it is
advisable to apply one coat per day), and when it is dry and within 30
days (otherwise it is necessary to finely sand) another two C-Systems’
10 10 CFS coats. This protection will uniformly cover all surfaces and
C-Systems’ 10 10 CFS will form a very protective barrier also on
the front part of the keel, which is more subject to attrition and collisions.
Now we could take a good look at the entire keel, by filling it thickly
(at least 500 micron on average) with NAUTILUS Light o Fine Filler. These
high quality fillers are very easy to apply, fill all gaps, level the
keel surface unifying all parts, which no fused metal will ever achieve.
NAUTILUS Light or Fine Filler are also a further success guarantee for
our work because they strengthen the moisture barrier. Once filling and
sanding are finished the work will be even more protected with two C-Systems’
10 10 CFS coats with additive A 20 followed by NAUTILUS Epoxy Primer two
and by the first anti-fouling coat. The second anti-fouling coat can be
applied a few days before launching.
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A
smoother hull
It is also advised
to fill the hull using a toothed spatula (see price list and pictures)
in order to obtain uniformly thick results as well as a good final aesthetic
result and.... to save time and energy.
The filler, applied with this spatula, is formed like a ploughed field
and we will be able to work very fast to cover the surface, any excess
should be picked up by another spatula.
To cover a surface of about 2 square metres, we are going to reunify the
filled surface downwards putting the “grooves” in one direction
and then we will start again for a new surface. We will go on like this
until we've covered the entire area and the final aspect of our work will
remind us of a ploughed field ready for sowing.
After drying (about 12 to 24 hours, and about 2 hours with fast types)
with a well planed piece of timber about 30 cm long and with a coarse
grain (40-60) orbital sanding paper, using a squared timber like a carpenter
plane, we are going to “plane” levelling out all excess filler
on the keel and the hull. In a short time (about 3 hours) we will be able
to level and smooth the entire hull and the keel of an 11 metre sailing
boat, being certain to have created an uniform and compact underground.
We just need to dust, caressing the bottom of our beautiful boat, to control
whether it is homogenous and to make sure that the work made up to now
is correct
We sanded only the surplus, as there were no elevations and gaps typical
for applications with smooth spatulas, and without sanding "eating"
mountains of dust. Now we are ready to apply the second filler coat, which
will fill the grooves previously made. In this case a smooth spatula is
used and the filler application will be homogenous after cleaning.
We will follow the "ploughing points" using all necessary pressure
to achieve the right filler quantity. Furthermore, the connections between
single spatula applications will be so small that by passing over a hand
on the second application, even before final sanding, we will find very
small imperfections to be eliminated with an extra half hours work, this
time using 140-160 sand paper.
It is important to keep in mind that NAUTILUS Fine Filler as well as NAUTILUS
Light Filler need to be sanded after 48 hours in order to receive another
coat. If first applied with a toothed spatula, after this time it is necessary
to sand down the surface as well as to brush it with an steel brush in
the direction of the grooves in order to allow the next coat to adhere.
Anyway, for the hull and keel it is preferable whenever possible to respect
timings so that the coats of different product can chemically bind together
as the final reticulation has not been finished yet. If we went over the
48 hours, then after going over with the steel brush it is advisable to
apply a "draw across" a coat of C-Systems’ 10 10 CFS followed
straight away by a filler coat using a smooth spatula.
It is interesting to observe that given a certain surface and the above
described products and wanting to achieve a result “X”, an expert
worker needs about 10 hours.
For the same surface with the same products and the same worker, who accepts
our suggestion and applies the filler with a toothed spatula, you will
achieve a 15% better result in comparison to X needing only about 4 hours.
If the owner carried out the same work with the same products and with
"X" as end result he will need about 8 hours.
The keel connection with the hull deserves consideration on its own, because
at this point there are always small movements due to the very high keel
weight concentration and to the elasticity of our “boat belly”,
which cause some cracks in the anti-fouling protection and moisture infiltration
into the joint. Despite various connection “designs” which foresee
“flexing gaps” filled with rubber (polysulphuric or polyurethane
- not silicon rubber because it comes off and it cannot be painted), this
problem has always to be faced on older boats with uncertain results.
Today this problem is often sorted out thanks to the functionality of
the designs made by the project designer in order to sort out this problem.
If the keel is removed to check the stays it is advisable to extend the
anticorrosion protection also to the contact and connection parts. For
the connection part, after applying the anticorrosion protection and before
taking up the pins, it is very important to cover well with epoxy filler
NAUTILUS Light Filler, which will fill out all the not perfectly touching
parts making a perfect connection. Taking up the pins properly and their
correct functioning help to solve the problem, because the filler surplus
is forced out, and what is left “kisses” perfectly. Special
attention is to be paid to the outside rim of the keel and rudder. Many
of these extremities have rounded edges, this is not correct. They drag
water, cause backwater and slow down the boat. Line up with a spatula
the right and left sides and then level their heads creating in this way
a trunked tail. Sand and finish again with filler to make the corners
even "sharper”. The boat will work better
and the fast ones, if you check, can only be like this.
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