Tony,

Many people tab, i.e. epoxy fillet between the wires, let it cure, pull the wires, finish the fillet and then tape. So cured fillets before taping is common.

Filleting and taping in one operation avoids a second gluing operation and all of the sanding in between. It saves alot of time but you end up with the wire bumps on the inside of the seam.

If you are going to let the fillet cure before glass taping, be sure to use a round cornered spatula (like a tongue depressor) to strike the fillet smooth and scrape off any surplus on the flats adjacent to the fillet. Being neat saves a lot of sanding especially if you are using fumed silica as a thickener. That stuff makes epoxy bullet proof after it hardens. Cured epoxy always needs to be sanded before adding more epoxy to ensure a good bond.

A trick I used when I tabbed between the wires is to make a small radius fillet for the tabs. I used a Popsicle stick for a spreader. Then after the wires were removed, I made a thicker large-radius fillet (tongue depressor) on top of the small tabs which also filled between the tabs.

Cover the outside of the seams and wire holes with masking tape before you fillet. It will eliminate all of the epoxy drips that form on the outside through the cracks.

When you make fillets that will not be covered with glass (like bulkheads) it is worthwhile to mask the edges of the fillet to avoid smears on the adjacent flats.

Dave