Wood Varnish - Gold Fashion

Marineepoxy resins, additives, exposed wood, metal and fiberglass paints, epoxy fillers--the company Cecchi Gustavo has been supplying the boating world since 1958, and is among the leading brands for those who love their boats and want to maintain them at their best.

Maybe you want to change the color of your boat, maybe you want to take care of your teak deck, maybe you want to stop deck seepage, maybe you want to polish the wood on your old but great boat, maybe you're looking for fillers to refurbish your craft, or maybe you want to get rid of osmosis blistering. And again, maybe you want to restore your rudder to its former glory, maybe you need to do some work on the bulb because of an accidentally bumped sandbar, or maybe you want to completely restore your boat, top to bottom. Either way, you've come to the right page: from Cecchi resins on, you can find the best of the Viareggio-based company's products here.

What are epoxy resins?

On our portal, on this page, we present Gustavo Cecchi boating epoxy resins. But what is an epoxy resin? Well, such products are nothing more than thermosetting polymers with cold reaction, which give rise to a special and resistant vitrified layer. These products are used in many different areas and sectors: here we are talking about nautical epoxy resins, but resins of the same type are also used in construction, the electronics industry, the air-space industry, the food industry and the pharmaceutical industry. The main advantage of epoxy resins is related to its use, which can be implemented anywhere, even in 'civil' environments: unlike other resins, in fact, there is a cold reaction, which therefore does not require the presence of specific ovens.

How do you work with Cecchi resins?

Well, let's assume that we use the nautical resins multifunctional Cecchi C-Systems 10 10 CFS, perfect for gluing, laminating, grouting and building with wood and fiberglass. In preparing the compound, it is advisable to use the dosing pumps for sale on this same page, which facilitate the mixing of the two components. In fact, it should be stressed that the ratio between the two starting resins should always be 2:1 by weight: for every 100 grams of component A, in fact, 50 grams of component B should be added. Thanks to the two different dispensers, this is done automatically, and it will therefore be sufficient to release one pumping of component B for every pumping of component A.

Having facilitated the dosing of the two components with thehelp of the micropumps, it is possible to continue with the mixing of the resin, carefully removing the material on both the bottom and sides. In order to be penetrating on the material to be treated, the resulting resin is fluid and liquid, so that it creeps perfectly into all the small cavities of the wood and fiberglass. Application of the resin, therefore, can be done with a brush, as if one were dealing with any paint.

The resin should be applied before any filler or gluing work, to go in and impregnate the material. In this way you can optimally saturate the substrate surfaces. If necessary, it is also possible to add powdered thickener to the mixture, so as to have a less fluid resin: it will be sufficient to pour in as much powder as is needed to obtain the desired consistency. For bonding operations, you will mix the necessary amount of thickener to have a spatulable resin, of the pasty consistency, like that of ice cream.

Moreover, one should not think that marine epoxy resins have to be used in a hurry. Once the impregnating resin layer is spread with the brush, there will be up to 4 hours to apply the thickener-treated epoxy. In the event that this limit is exceeded, or in the event that the substrate is to be bonded in the following days, it will be sufficient to wet sand the surface, or wet it with fresh water and then proceed with normal sanding. All this is necessary because CFS resin does not contain solvents and, as it dries in a natural environment, tends to become greasy on the surface. Failure to remove this greasiness-it should be emphasized - can compromise the entire job.

Once the spatulable resin has been spread and the components glued together, excess resin is removed to make any subsequent work easier.

How do you paint wood with Gustavo Cecchi nautical products?

Now that we have seen what is the most classic use of Cecchi multifunctional epoxy resins, we can go to see a specific practical case: how do you use this brand's products to paint a boat with exposed wood? There are many steps to follow carefully and meticulously.

First, one must make sure that the wood to be treated has a moisture content of less than 12 percent: if not, a dehumidification operation will be necessary. Once this is done, the first coat of C-Systems 10 10 CFS, which should be immediately followed by a second one, so as to ensure a thorough impregnation of the wood.

Once this is done, you can move on to sanding the painted wood: you can choose to wet sand or wash the surface before proceeding normally with a sandpaper of the 240/280 type, which must be passed obligatorily following the grain of the wood. Once this operation is completed, the actual varnishing can begin, using Spinnaker Nautilus Pack Varnishes, In any case, it should be stressed that no more than two days can pass between coats. For varnished woods, at least 2 coats of varnish should be counted, sometimes 3. For new woods, on the other hand, the coats of nautical varnish can even become 6.

That is, in short, with regard to painting exposed wood with Cecchi resins and paints. What about painting wood?

Again, before proceeding with the application of nautical epoxy resins, it is necessary to check that the moisture content is less than 12 percent. If so, a first application of Cecchi C-Systems 10 10 CFS resin can be proceeded with, which will be followed by a second one: in this case, however, the resin will have to be additivated with Microfiller Powder, to optimize the result.

Once the first two steps have been completed, sanding is done to finely sand the treated surface. Refining, then, will be done with a smooth squeegee. We then return to the epoxy: first two coats of C-Systems 10 10 CFS should be applied without anything else, and then a third coat of A20-added resin. We then move on to finishing, i.e., applying primer, applying antifouling, and finally applying two coats of enamel over the waterline.

How do you treat fiberglass hulls with Gustavo Cecchi products?

So far we have looked only at wooden boats: let us instead cast our gaze, now, toward the maintenance of fiberglass hulls.

The first step, as seawolves well know, is to get the boat dry, and then clean and dry the surface to be treated perfectly: so there must be no traces of moisture, dust or grease. Having ensured that the fiberglass hull is completely clean, one can proceed to prepare the epoxy resin as seen above, and then proceed, with a small brush, to treat every crack and osmosis crater. Having completed this first step, a full coat of resin can be given over the entire hull, using either a brush or a roller. In general, the resin is spread up to 10 centimeters above the waterline.

Once at the bottom, the work stops for two hours: in fact, this is how much time must pass before the second coat of resin is given. Once this stage is over, when the newly laid resin is still viscous, you can move on to actually filling the osmosis craters and cracks in the hull, using nautical epoxy resins with some thickener or, otherwise, Nautilus Epoxy Fast Fine Filler.

After this filler step-the next day-you can move on to wet sanding using 120/150 sandpapers. Once the surface has been perfectly sanded and cleaned, the third coat of epoxy can be applied.

This brings us to the actual puttying stage: the first coat of Cecchi putty should be applied with a notched trowel. Having done this, after more than 12 hours but less than 24 hours, you can proceed to sanding, which is followed by a pass over the entire area with the smooth trowel and a new sanding, in order to eliminate any residual defects. To finish this step, a new coat of Gustavo Cecchi resin is applied.

We are still far from completing the renovation of the fiberglass hull. In fact, the time has come for the primer, which acts as an adhesion agent. Specifically, Nautilus Epoxy Primer should be applied by roller and brush and left to rest for 6 to 8 hours before proceeding to the second coat (for which, in the winter period, it is instead necessary to wait 24 hours). Having done this, after 72 hours, two coats of Cecchi marine epoxy resin 10 10 CFS should be given (in the case of new fiberglass hulls, however, there should be at least 7 coats of Primer).

Here we come to the final treatments: to finish the renewal of the fiberglass hull, the enamel must in fact be given, or, in the case of Gustavo Cecchi products, the two-component gloss polyurethane enamel Nautilus Polyurethane Enamel, which must be diluted in varying proportions (between 10 and 30 percent, depending on temperature) with thinner. The enamel can be applied with either a brush or a roller, as well as by spraying. It is important to remember that, starting from the application of the enamel, the boat must remain dry for at least 7 days, so that the product dries perfectly.

When the surface is completely dry, the self-polishing antifouling is finally applied.

In what cases can Gustavo Cecchi nautical epoxy resins be used?

The 10 10 CFS epoxy resin is not called multifunctional by chance. No, such a product can be used for a wide variety of needs. Here are the main uses you can make of it on your boat:

• you can use epoxy resins as a glue between different materials. So we are talking about wood on wood, wood on fiberglass, fiberglass on fiberglass, but also many other combinations

• you can use nautical resin as a filler-mixing it with thickener-to fill and smooth

• cecchi resins are a perfect primer to combat osmosis, as well as to repair a hull affected by osmosis

• epoxy resin is successfully used to laminate Kevlar, carbon and glass fabrics to wood, fiberglass and other materials

• epoxy resins make an excellent structural filler, with the addition of special additives.

What is osmosis, and why is it the No. 1 enemy of fiberglass boats?

We have seen that among the most common uses of nautical epoxy resins is to prevent and possibly eliminate osmosis damage. But what is osmosis? It should be noted that in the 1960s, when even in Italy docks slowly began to fill with fiberglass boats, this phenomenon was completely unknown. Hulls made of this material, in short, had no obvious defects. It was only around the 1980s that osmosis began to appear, and from there a real race for prevention began.

Osmosis-that is, the passage of water between one membrane and another-occurs when, in the layering of a fiberglass hull, water manages to sneak in, which takes advantage of a few air bubbles trapped near the gel-coat. Once in, that small amount of water begins to dissolve parts of the cover, drawing in additional water from the outside, causing the blister to expand more and more. It is thus understood that osmosis is a degenerative phenomenon that does not spontaneously stop, but rather, without maintenance, can only get worse. And we are certainly not talking about an uncommon phenomenon: at least one in 4 old boats shows signs of osmosis.

Well, now you know when and how Cecchi epoxy resins are used: you can buy them on our e-commerce at affordable prices!