epoxy finishes?

[leighd]

Ive used marine varnish on my guns and its not as durable as i would like and ive read some people use an epoxy finish..
Is it just epoxy resin like West Systems brushed onto the wood? or is a special type of finish?
I was thinking of using west systems then lightly sanding and then putiing a coat or 2 of varnish on. will this work or not?

[Spear One]

NO............epoxy on epoxy only! Varnish is mineral spirit based and will not properly adhere to epoxy.

[jmaze1]

You can use WEST systems epoxy, but you should thin it out with acetone to get a nice level finish. Plan on at least three coats. Sand the gun between coats with a wet sandpaper (320 to 400 grit). The water helps keep the epoxy from building up on the grit.

Once you've got the epoxy nice and smooth, you can then seal it with tung oil. Again, plan on at least three coats. This will help provide some protection from UV, which can quickly make epoxy yellow and brittle. After all this effort, you can reapply the tung oil on an annual basis to keep the gun looking good.

[Fish Tale]

This stuff will stick to epoxy.

http://www.minwax.com/products/protective/helmsman.cfm

Minwax® Helmsman® Spar Urethane: is specially formulated to protect wood against nature's toughest conditions. Its improved formula can be recoated in 25% less time and contains over 100% more UV blockers to reduce the sun's graying and fading effects. Helmsman® forms a protective barrier against rain and moisture and its special oils allow the finish to expand and contract with the wood as seasons and temperatures change.

It comes in a spray can as well.

It's what I used to protect my epoxy saturated guns. It works very well.

If that brand's not available where you live you'll likely find a substitute.

[deadend]

West Systems recommends not thinning epoxy with acetone due to strength and integrity losses and instead using heat on the part being coated to reduce the viscosity of the epoxy. With that being said, it is a pain to get something the size of a speargun hot enough to coat. Using acetone yields the lowest strength loss and it takes only a very small amount to thin the epoxy down to a suitable viscosity. I wouldn't thin the epoxy when using it in a structural application but when used as a coating it should not be a problem and several coats will be used anyway. Wet sanding between coats is crucial to get a smooth finish. Also, foam applicators are alot better than brushes. West epoxy with 207 hardener has uv resistant properties as well but should still be coated with a poly or other finish for best results.

[Bill McIntyre]

Originally Posted by jmaze1

Once you've got the epoxy nice and smooth, you can then seal it with tung oil. Again, plan on at least three coats. This will help provide some protection from UV, which can quickly make epoxy yellow and brittle. After all this effort, you can reapply the tung oil on an annual basis to keep the gun looking good.

For what its worth, the lazy man's alternative is to just use the Tung oil in the first place and skip the epoxy. I was very happy using that stuff every six months or so when I had a couple of uncoated guns. In my experience, epoxy inevitably gets chipped or broken and you get discoloration under it. The tung oil is not a hard finish, so you can just wipe some more on when the gun starts to fade.