HELP!!! Any Wood Workers/Net Builders Out There?

[BH Spey]

My son is building a laminated wood Trout net for a high school class project. He decided he wanted to do a Jungle Cock feather inlay in the handle. We sprayed the frame and handle with an aerosol spar urethane and while the first coat was still tacky laid three feathers in at the throat of the handle. Six light coats of the urethane later the net was looking great but one of the feathers was coming loose. That's when good old Dad had the brilliant idea to spay a small puddle of urethane on to a plate and brush a heavy coat over the three feathers. It looks like hell! Now I feel terrible for suggesting such a stupid idea and for ruining his beautiful project.

Any suggestions you might have on how to fix it at this point would be greatly appreciated!

[Thwack]

I don't normally use that finish but it would seem like you should be able to sand out the roughness (as long as that won't cut into the feather...if it does, you have to keep sanding until you're below the feather).

There are a couple of really good books on finishing including, "Understanding Wood Finishing" by Bob Flexner. Perhaps your local library has a copy you can borrow?

That should explain the ins and outs of the type of finish you're working with.

Polyurethane (for example) can only bond one layer to the next for a fairly short period of time after the prior layer was applied. That's one of the reasons poly is essentially unrepairable (the fix doesn't bond properly to the existing, undamaged layers).

For spar urethane, the rules may be different. That's why I suggest consulting Flexner's book or equivalent.

You might get lucky and find it at a local bookstore in the craft section but I'd try the library first.

[BH Spey]

I don't normally use that finish but....

What finish would you recommend using for a trout landing net to provide a good water proof/water resistant finish?

Would you recommend the same finish to seal in a feather inlay or would you use something different?

I appreciate your comments!

[Thwack]

I should clarify...as a woodworker, I don't normally use that finish. But, I also don't normally make things intended to go in the water which made my answer confusing (my apologies for that).

For things being submerged, I know of two boat-related finishes. Spar varnish of course but I've also seen expoy used by boat makers.

System 3 epoxy I think (though no doubt diffferent boat makers have their personal preferences). Google a bit and see if you find any trends or insights.

Typically, the epoxy on a boat is applied over a layer of fine fiberglass "cloth" which turns invisible in the epoxy finish but significantly strengthens the resulting item (usually a boat). Overkill for a net, but perhaps the same epoxy can be used without the fiberglass mesh?

One of the best bits of advice I got from books like Flexner's was to always practice a new finish on scraps to see if they'll do what I want.

I would hope that the "bad" spot on your son's net can be sanded through or stripped. The embedded feather sounds really cool and I hope you two can make it work.

I'd try some scraps of the handle material, embed a spare feather, let it dry, and try sanding or stripping. I would expect to need fine grit to not leave heavy scratches and in hopes of not sanding down to the feather.

Fine grit will sand much slower though. You might even be able to buff out the bad spot if you have a buffing wheel handy (something soft, not a hard polishing wheel).

One other possibility is to Google for sites dealing with home made nets and see if they offer any finishing advice. I wouldn't expect to find info on fixing problems, but I would expect to find info on appropriate finishes.

I tried searching FAOL for net making info but got way too many hits and didn't manage to figure out the right search phrase to narrow it down quickly. No doubt there are some very good articles here on making your own net, I just don't know where they are.

Good luck.

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

I use fiberglass epoxy on a regular basis to make radio controlled sailboat hulls. You would cover the feathers with a patch of cloth which would hold them down nicely then apply a layer of epoxy. You could just do one layer or you can apply several layers of the epoxy on top of the cloth easily. Each layer is quite thin and would add very little bulk or weight to the net. Then sand it down to about 600 grit wet sandpaper then again with 1500 grit wet sandpaper. Finally hand rub with pumice. At 1500 grit the fiberglass epoxy loses its opaqueness and becomes clear. For a bulletproof water resistant mirrorlike finish. The epoxy, with a small amount of practice is quite easy to use. It does need a well ventilated heated room and the smell will penetrate the whole house for a few hours but the finished product is worth it.

[Jeremy]

Hi Mark,
Curious here and have never done it...the info regarding doing a test area that Thwack suggested is dead on with anything of this nature so I got to wondering...

Would it work to use a thinned epoxy and apply just a thin coat to the bare wood and immediately just lay the feather on the wet surface and allow to dry overnight? I mean a THIN layer..just above a "thick water" consistency.

Next mix the following layer(S) a little thicker..not much but all little. Do this a few times before the build up allows you to take a popsicle stick and ultra fine (600-800 grit) sandpaper that would allow you "carefully" smooth off that layer and NOT go through. Then apply a topcoat of a couple layers...??

Just my thinking/guessing here..I've never done it!

I have a woodshop and the Flexner book that was mentioned if you need a ref. It's about the best book on finishing out there....

Jeremy.

[GBurgFisher]

http://www.goldenwitch.com/pdfs/FeatherInlays.pdf

This may be of help. I friend sent this to me a little while back. Haven't read or tried it yet, but it looks pretty comprehensive.

[BH Spey]

http://www.goldenwitch.com/pdfs/FeatherInlays.pdf
This may be of help.

GBF - Thanks for the GoldenWitch link - GREAT information there!

Jeremy, I wouldn't mind taking a look at that Flexner book sometime. Maybe we can get together for lunch sometime.

I've done 4 or 5 feather inlays on rods with pretty good success but my son wanted a satin finish on the net as opposed to the thick glossy finish of a rod wrap. I was very pleased with the appearance of the net up until the point I noticed one of the feathers pulling loose and suggested painting on a layer of urethane over the top to help seal it down. I played around with it a little last night and it may be possible to buff out that ugly transition line from the thicker painted on portion to the smooth sprayed surface. I'm hoping at least!

Take Care & thanks again for the comments!