epoxy coat - amine blush

[Florin Andrei]

Following advice I received on this forum, I coated all the plywood parts with epoxy resin to protect it from moisture. So far so good. Next step - painting.

Now, I read that before I paint the resin, I need to remove the "amine blush" - what exactly is that?

After the resin set, for a few days it felt as if it was covered with a very thin gooey film - but not anymore, now it feels dry. Was that the blush?

Final question: I plan to sandpaper the whole thing anyway before I paint it, would that be enough to remove the blush?

Thanks.

[Gary Pennington]

Florin,
I'd suggest NOT sanding first, that can push the blush into the epoxy creating adhesion problems for the topcoat. The route recommended to me is to wash with warm water and household ammonia. Rinse with clean water and let dry thoroughly before sanding. Boat builder forums are an excellent source for more info, Bear Mountain is one I've found to be helpful.

[Howard Acheson]

Google "epoxy coat - amine blush". There's some good info there.