to much smooth on epoxy

[bob46]

im working on my second build and i am having trouble with lams trying to slide sideways when the fire hose is inflated. i have an over abundant amout of epoxy squeezing out the sides. i used a putty knife to spread the smooth on. during glue up i had no excessive (i Thought) amount of epoxy on lams. is there a better method of spreading epoxy/

[Trux Turning]

I use a popsickle stick to spread the smooth-on. I guess it would be similar to using a putty knife. The slippage can be addressed by putting stops on the sides of your form. A washer that can be rotated up and down works well- a few spread down your form on both sides will correct your sliding lam problem. If I were to error with the smooth-on, it would be on the TOO much side rather than not enough. If you check out some build alongs you will see the washer stops on other's forms. I also know some people use a wall paper seem roller with good results to spread the smooth-on.

[kennym]

What he said!!

 Also when you inflate, try about 3# ,check alignment, add a few more#,check again.

Gives glue a bit of time to squeeze out without taking lams with it.

Another of my quirks is never final check inflation without giving the hose one more small burst of air. I figure the gauge check drops about 2# pressure.

Probably doesnt matter in the least,thats just me!

[bjhaug]

If you have access to the small shrink wrap things, like the shrink wrap that's about 4 inches wide, wrap it moderately tight around it, just enough to keep the lams in line and then go for it.  I used to have the same problem, but after doing that on my last bow, the lams come out perfect every time.

What I like most is if you just make it snug, the wrap has room to stretch, like it will when the glue comes out.  Love it.

[JGray]

I use four fender washers on each side of the form as Trux described - near the tips and back from fades just a bit which keeps the lams and riser from going anywhere.  As Kennym mentioned, airing up slowly makes a difference.  I used an air compressor to air up my hose all at once on my first bow and had the lams and riser sliding all over the place.  Been using a bicycle pump (checking every few strokes) ever since and don't have any problems.  I also use a putty knife to spread the Smooth On and don't seem to have any problems getting it too thick.  If your shop is cold, Smooth On can be a bugger to mix and spread and is easy to get more on than necessary.  In the winter, my Smooth On comes in the house the night before a glue up so it can be at room temperature before I start.  As I gain experience and confidence, I seem to use less and less glue - my first bows had epoxy running down the sides of the form, and now I get a small, uniform bead squeezed out along the edges with no runs.

Jerry

Jerry

[rkmnt2]

I've always aired up a bit, maybe 15-20lbs, to get some squeeze out then released the pressure so I can adjust things back into position, then air it to finished pressure. It's basically a way to spread the glue more evenly.
   Sometimes the lams have some side bow to them that wouldn't allow them to line up inside the washer setup without adding some undo stress I figure, so I have avoided that route.

[bob46]

Thanks for the help. i tried the hand pump and washers yesterday on a set of recurve limbs, and the problem went away