Taking advantage of some free moments in the schedule, I rushed over to do some final fitting work on the bow patch. After some final shaping on both the patch and the void, I prepared the surfaces for epoxy work: wiping down the surfaces to be epoxied with solvent to remove any contamination, and then applying "neat" epoxy to the patch and void. Finally, I mixed a batch of epoxy thickened with "wood flour" taken from sanding work on the patches themselves. Once I had generously spread the thickened epoxy throughout the void, I gently coaxed the patch into place with a rubber mallet.
April 9th, 2013 - Total Time .75 hrs
The following evening, I returned to Rhino intent on setting the port dutchman patch, following the same process for the bow patch. Working both the patch and void with chisel and hand plane, I arrived at a tight fit and turned to epoxy work to set the patch. Again, I wiped all surfaces down with solvent, removing sanding dust and any contaminants that may prevent a good bond. Once the surfaces were cleaned, I proceeded to paint out the void and patch with "neat" epoxy. Setting the patch aside, I then mixed a couple of large batches of thickened epoxy using a combination of "wood flour", 407 low density filler, and 406 colloidal silica. Once I had enough of the thickened mixture placed in the void, I set the dutchman with a rubber mallet, working the piece into the void for a tight fit. Picture below shows the port dutchman set.
Another view of the port dutchman patch.
April 10th, 2013 - Total Time 3 hrs
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