The Tin Mule Resto

[jbcurt00]

Bolt up, not glued to the aluminum hull.

Spent some time on the roof cleaning the gutters, yeah, hot & humid

 

[sphelps]

Thanks John ! Yeah I did some gutter cleaning the other day also ..
Not very enjoyable ...

 

[kcassells]

Gluvit makes Gluebolts Sam.

Only kidding.

 

[sphelps]

Hope all have had an enjoyable Independence Day weekend!
Been raining everyday down here but did manage to get the grass cut thankfully ..
Also been tinkering on and off . Got most everything fabricated up for the seats . All cut just need to sand everything and a bit of filler here and there . Also blasted the remaining parts and pieces so almost ready to prime and paint the inside .

Also picked up some water base stain that will go on the wood before epoxy and varnish .

Should look ok I think and last a very long time .. Looking forward to calling this thing done .. It’s taken way longer than I had hoped it would .. I still need to weigh the trailer so I can get it legal ..

 

[sphelps]

Moving forward a bit . 2 coats epoxy primer inside and all the parts and pieces . Murphy showed up attacking my air line connectors so made a trip to HF . 100’ hose and one of the hand reels for it .
Replenished the red condensation filters and gloves ect while I was at it . May shoot the finish white tomorrow.. Probably will .

 

[sphelps]

It wasn’t exactly an easy shoot . Hard to get at bad angles and killed my back leaning in with the gun .

 

[buxmj]

Looks great Sam! What is it about getting older and having back problems? Hope it feels better and not worse in the next day or so. Can't wait to see any one of your boats next to mine on the water!

 

[sphelps]

Buck we definitely need to do some boating when you get done . At some point we actually get to have fun with them instead of work on em ... LOL!
Got the white inside done .And the silver rails and pieces . Not the best paint job I’ve ever done but good enough .. I’m really not sure about the idea that tin boats are easier to restore than glass .. just try sanding around a gazzilion rivets ...

 

[GA_Boater]

Sam - From 300 miles away, she looks great! The best SammyCraft resto ever!

 

[zool]

That looks great Sam....luv the teal color...that 40 Johnson behind it would push it nice

 

[sphelps]

That looks great Sam....luv the teal color...that 40 Johnson behind it would push it nice

Good to here from you zool ! You ever gunna get back on that ski boat ?
Yeah the 40 would push it but not with me in it .LOL! Its an extra long shaft motor anyway ... This one gunna get the Speedy Twin among others run on it ... Some day ...

 

[zool]

Good to here from you zool ! You ever gunna get back on that ski boat ?
Yeah the 40 would push it but not with me in it .LOL! Its an extra long shaft motor anyway ... This one gunna get the Speedy Twin among others run on it ... Some day ...

Same here Sam, thx........the Checkmate is right in the middle of my shop, a little more glass work and shes paint ready....its just the engine is still locked up...so the Century is the path to least resistance right now...a little prep and she fired right up after sitting since 2008 lol

 

[jbcurt00]

Looks great Sam

 

[sphelps]

A quick drive by look at the stain color .. Pecking away at it ..

 

[sphelps]

Murphy guys been visiting again .
Didn’t read up enough on varnish over epoxy . I didn’t prep properly I guess . I’ve can never see the Amish blush everyone talks about so I just sanded down then wiped wig DA and a rag and varnished the back sides of all the pieces . Well after about 3 days of not drying I did more reading and figured out I goofed .. You know kinda when your putting stuff together and not bothering to look at the instructions .. That usually don’t work very well .. Anyhoo , cleaned all the varnish off with MS then mixed some hot water and Borax detergent with a lithe dish soap. Scrubbed the crap out of it with that and a scotch bright pad .. Revarnished a test piece before I did them all ..
Dried good overnight so got the first coat on everything this afternoon .. Need to get past this part so we can start installing all the parts and get this thing splashed ..

 

[kcassells]

Murphy guys been visiting again .
Didn’t read up enough on varnish over epoxy . I didn’t prep properly I guess . I’ve can never see the Amish blush everyone talks about so I just sanded down then wiped wig DA and a rag and varnished the back sides of all the pieces . Well after about 3 days of not drying I did more reading and figured out I goofed .. You know kinda when your putting stuff together and not bothering to look at the instructions .. That usually don’t work very well .. Anyhoo , cleaned all the varnish off with MS then mixed some hot water and Borax detergent with a lithe dish soap. Scrubbed the crap out of it with that and a scotch bright pad .. Revarnished a test piece before I did them all ..
Dried good overnight so got the first coat on everything this afternoon .. Need to get past this part so we can start installing all the parts and get this thing splashed ..
View attachment 346983

Been there done that Sam. Its all a learning curve. Besides real men don't read instructions anyway. LOL!
I wouldn't think you could varnish over an epoxy because its sealed anyway by the epoxy. So am I wrong on that concept?

 

[jbcurt00]

Varnish is for UV protection, epoxy isn't UV stable, or at least most isnt

 

[kcassells]

Varnish is for UV protection, epoxy isn't UV stable, or at least most isnt

JB does it add a color tone over the epoxy? I'm thinking it doesn't get absorbed in my little mind of knowlede.
So it's like a paint?

 

[sphelps]

No real color tone KC .. Maybe a slight amber tint of the varnish ... The epoxy seals the wood and builds some thickness so you don't have to put as many build up layers with the varnish .. Originally I was just gunna epoxy the transom board on the back because it stays submerged a good while while the boats in the water . But I figured may as well do all of it .

 

[sphelps]

I have 18 pieces of wood varnished one coat . Out of those 6 are still tacky the rest are perfectly dry . Same prep , same varnish ..
At some point I’m gunna have this thing done but it’s becoming really aggravating..