Thread: Fast-cure Filler alternatives

Use a thickened epoxy, preferably a fast cure, then post cure it with heat and very low humidity. The shallow depression you have shouldn't take very long, though the heat must be continuous, it doesn't have to be especially "hot". At about 50C you'll half the cure time of most normal and fast cure epoxies. At 65C you're cooking as fast as regular marine grade epoxies can cure. You can buy special epoxies, formulated to set fast, but at much higher the ambient temperatures (150C), as well as specialty adhesives that do the same. I have a powder that works this way. It's a slightly gummy powder until about 65C, then it goes liquid and flows, setting up in just minutes. These types of epoxies and adhesives are expensive and not typically available through retail outlets.

The polyesters just don't stick very well to epoxy, so regardless of brand, you'll probably find them "circling out" fairly quickly.

The handyman quick set epoxy tubes, sticks, creams and other assorted "hobbyist" formulations usually make huge sacrifices in physical properties, in order to get the quick, handy set. My exsperence with the sticks is they cure fast, underwater even, but often can't be mixed properly or in the correct ration for a complete cure (which sounds like your issue). Also they tend to be brittle or overly pliable.

House painter's filler comes in two types: acrylic and polyester, both truly suck on a boat. Again they tend to be cakey and brittle. Their fine for filling a knot hole in a door jam on your front porch though.

Sometimes you just have to wait. A bit like your first date with a girl you've been dieing to have. You got to pick them up, talk to the parents, pet her dog without getting bit, go to dinner, make meaningful small talk and only then can you consider how the rest of the evening might go.

Thank you for that, PAR, clearly advice coming from considerable experience. Seems my options are limited unless I can utilise heat.

I've found a tarp tent, with some space heaters under it can generate a surprising amount of heat. Now most of these type heaters have a thermal trip which kills them when the temperature reaches a certain point. I've removed or modified these in mine, but unless you have some electrical experience, you should leave these alone.

If the timber is already sealed and even undercoated and you have small shallow imperfections.

Have a look ar automotive knife putty...you should get a tube from anu auto refinish suppiler.

It is intended for filling small chips and imperfections found late in the finishing process.

I have a tube of 3M product blue tube and it is red oxide colour and has a strong solvent smell.

It dries up pretty damn hard and goes off reasonably quick especilly on a warm day an in thin section.

it is a fairly stiff paste and as the name illudes you apply it with a knife or spatla.

If you are carefull with it you can apply it pretty accurately to hasten drying and minimise sanding.

And it does not seem to go off in the tube either.

cheers