"Assembly of Japanese bicycle...

...requires great peace of mind." That phrase, from Robert Pirsig's 1984 book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values, came to mind whilst rolling primer yesterday.

Before I am through with this project, I will have rolled and brush-tipped ten coats of primer and paint on this structure, top and bottom.

In the present moment

Cultivating peace of mind is imperative when faced with applying ten coats of paint. It it is not productive to think about when this job will be over. The trick for me is to keep my mind in the present moment; to focus on technique, and to breathe as deeply as my respirator allows.

I already knew that there is a lot more to painting than cracking open a can and swinging a brush. So it comes as no surprise that I find myself in another marathon operation. It started when the weather moderated earlier this week, and it is still going on.

So far I have applied two coats of two-part primer (sanding after each coat) and three coats of two-part topcoat to a four-inch band around the top's underside perimeter. Yesterday morning, I rolled and tipped a full coat of the primer to the sky side of the top. This morning I sanded that coat with 120-grit sandpaper discs. This afternoon I applied a second primer coat. Tomorrow morning I will be sanding that coat with 220-grit.

After that, only three coats of topcoat paint remain before the top is finished and ready for installation on the boat.

But I am not thinking about that now. All I am thinking about now is painting--and all the mixing, measuring, sanding, dust removal and cleaning up that must be done between coats.

Surprise, surprise

I was surprised by one development during the painting marathon: The quantity of stuff that will be going to the landfill when the paint job is done.

In addition to the expected empty paint cans and stirring sticks, the trash bin includes:

Paint tray liners which must be discarded after each coat, one-time use measuring and mixing vessels of various sizes, paint rollers, disposable paint brushes, sandpaper, innumerable spent sanding discs, paper dust masks, respirator cartridges, countless disposable vinyl gloves, paper towels and cleanup rags. My Tyvek coveralls  may make it through the last coat, but probably not. The size of the waste heap increases markedly as each coat is applied.


My Paint review

I am using white Interlux Epoxy Primekote for the undercoat, and Interlux Perfection topcoat paint in a color the company calls "Snow White". Both are two-part paints. They are not particularly difficult to use.  Each part has to be carefully measured before the two are mixed in the prescribed ratios. Both primer and paint require a 20-minute "induction time," which means you get to do something else while it somehow cooks itself into a workable state. There is a special thinner, Brushing Reducer 2333N, that can be used to thin the topcoat up to 10 percent when applying the paint in hot weather. The Brushing Reducer is also used for cleanup and to wipe sanding dust off the surface between coats.The topcoat flowed on nicely when I did the underside and only minimal brush tipping was required. The result on the underside was a glossy, smooth and very hard surface. It is supposed to last 7-10 years before needing renewal. So far, I like the stuff.

Questions, comments, advice?


Please use the comments button below to post your feedback.