: I am in the process of building a Pygmy Tandom - my first build project. So
: far, I have the hull glassed and coated with two coats of System 3 over
: the exterior. Everything so far is going great. It seems that most
: builders now wait for the Epoxy to set for a few weeks and then sand with
: a random orbital sander (after attaching the deck, etc). I am finding that
: using a cabinet scraper when the Epoxy is still slightly "green"
: works SO WELL that I don't know why more folks aren't doing it. The
: Scraper provides a perfectly smooth surface result without all of the
: Epoxy dust/mess of a sander. I expecially like using the scraper with a
: Cabinet scraper holder which provides a slight flex to the scraper as well
: as more control. If things continue as they have been going, I may never
: have to pick up my electric sander AT ALL!

: I would like to hear your thoughts about this approach.

: Gary

I use both a handled carbide scraper and a cabinet scraper. I use the cabinet scraper 90 percent of the time.

I use RAKA epoxy which is quite thin. I apply four fill coats before sanding and the scraper is just the ticket to remove drips and dust bumps off the green epoxy between coats. Sanding between coats would require a longer cure time to avoid the white smears in the green epoxy.

I use the carbide scraper for heavy removal like feathering tape edges. Carbide scrapers are narrow and will leave low tool marks on flat areas. The cabinet scraper is much wider and shaves off only the highs. It can also be flexed to match curved surfaces.

A corner on a cabinet scraper can be filed to match the radius of fillets. Great to remove a fillet bump.