Dear Ask-a-nerd. (Sign finishing and weather-proofing.)

[Gawdzilla Sama]

fibre-glass resin ...Flow coat

Is that expensive? I'm on a budget here.

Good choice, and dirt cheap. Dunno about your prices, but over here you can get a 5 kilo can for around £12

Mixing measures to confuse me, are you?

[Geoff]

fibre-glass resin ...Flow coat

Is that expensive? I'm on a budget here.

Good choice, and dirt cheap. Dunno about your prices, but over here you can get a 5 kilo can for around £12

Mixing measures to confuse me, are you?

http://www.tools4grp.com/Catalog/Product/392

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Doesn't appear to be available in the US.

[Pappa]

Marine varnish?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Marine varnish?

Sailor make, marine varnish. Sounds like a plan.

[normal]

Resin

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Resin

Gesundheit.

[Kristie]

I bet Woodbutcher has a good answer for you!

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I bet Woodbutcher has a good answer for you!

[Jason]

I'm making some directional signs for the Wolf Center. I want to apply a finish that will keep them from rotting in our hot and damp summers. They're made out of pine. What would you suggest for a finish?

Long in coming, but I'd go with a fine coat epoxy polymer - probably at least 5 applications, the entire thing. The idea is to completely encase it in epoxy.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I'm making some directional signs for the Wolf Center. I want to apply a finish that will keep them from rotting in our hot and damp summers. They're made out of pine. What would you suggest for a finish?

Long in coming, but I'd go with a fine coat epoxy polymer - probably at least 5 applications, the entire thing. The idea is to completely encase it in epoxy.

I went with spar varnish. If I have to redo the signs in the Spring I can do them right this time.

[Jason]

I'm making some directional signs for the Wolf Center. I want to apply a finish that will keep them from rotting in our hot and damp summers. They're made out of pine. What would you suggest for a finish?

Long in coming, but I'd go with a fine coat epoxy polymer - probably at least 5 applications, the entire thing. The idea is to completely encase it in epoxy.

I went with spar varnish.

That's a mariner for you.
It'll probably do the trick for at least 5 years.

If I have to redo the signs in the Spring I can do them right this time.

An epoxy is really the best way to go - it'll last for decades. Epoxy shops that specialize in just epoxy products aren't all that uncommon where I come from. It's pretty cheap too.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

The area the signs are in nearly virgin woodlands and a bit on the damp side so there's lots of rot around to attack the wood. If they get destroyed it will just be a chance to do them over properly. They wanted them rather quickly back in June so I just kludged up something.

brace.jpg (204.5 KiB) Viewed 2833 times

[Calilasseia]

For the parts that don't need to be transparent, by the way, such as the supports, here in the UK, there's a paint you can buy called Hammerite. It's supposed to be applied to metal surfaces, and produces a finish that looks like hammered wrought iron. It's also, apparently, excellent protection against corrosion, and would probably work on wood as well. Don't know if you can get it in the USA, but if you can, it's worth spending money on if you need a tough outdoor paint coat.

For the parts you need to cover that have to be transparent, epoxy resin, if you can get hold of it without breaking the bank, will probably outlast you and the staff at that place. It'll withstand anything the weather can throw at it once you've applied a complete sealed coat, and it'll also be tough enough to withstand the most corrosive bird shit that the local bird population can dump on it. There are few things it won't withstand, but then you're making signs for a conservation centre, not an atmospheric nuclear test site.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Saved for future reference. The signs got two coats of marine varnish. If that doesn't survive the winter we'll have to get more ambitious. I have to redo the signs anyway, I put both sides oriented in the same direction, so you have to swap the signs rather than just turning them over. Luckily, Summer Camp is only two weeks a year.