We just bought a used Blackgold Morningstar. Part of the floor is covered with thin layer of white crud. From the outline, I’m guessing it was a pool of pine-needle soup that dried. Scrubbing with a stiff brush and soap made only a slight improvement. The unfilled weave on the interior does make cleaning more difficult.
Any suggestions for cleaning this off?
dont bother
– Last Updated: Jul-24-11 2:00 PM EST –
Its an amine blush...Some Bells were prone to this.
Blush is an issue only if you have to make a repair and then you have to scrape it off.
http://www.specialchem4adhesives.com/home/editorial.aspx?id=4342
Sorry to report but my pine trees leave spatters all over like tiny raindrops and not puddles of pine sap. Otherwise I would not be able to get out of my house.
pool
The outline of the white area matches what you’d have from a pool of water with the boat slightly tipped. It doesn’t appear anywhere else in the interior.
blush
caused by moisture and epoxy reacting and yes it can be caused by pooled water.
http://www.huntsman.com/performance_products/Media/Blushing_of_Amine-cured_Epoxy_Resins.pdf
Not surprising that yours is puddle shaped. That’s what I have seen on many Bells.
Read what Eric Nyre said
http://www.solotripping.com/community/showthread.php?t=2723
though it didn’t work for me.
Y
Thanks
I’ll try a few more things…
Formulka 409 makes it go away
until the next time you get pooled water and the reaction occurs again. But in the mean time the 409 can give you the visual improvement to make you feel better.
Acetone and rag
– Last Updated: Jul-24-11 4:01 PM EST –
Cleans it up the best. Thereafter, a light cot of spray lacquer should prevent re-occurrence.
By the way, no epoxy is used in Bell lamination.
my bad…
– Last Updated: Jul-24-11 4:26 PM EST –
I tend to think of all resins as "epoxies"
Not sure but the resin seems to be vinylester
and Bell does mention "blush"
http://www.bellcanoe.com/content.asp?id=606#10
Congrats!
Good luck getting it cleaned up to suit you. Isn’t this your second Morningstar? That should be a sweet paddling boat in Blackgold.
second
We’ve had a Royalex Morningstar for years and been very happy with it. Still, my wife is tiny and saving 15 pounds seemed like a great idea, so I’ve been looking for a used Blackgold Morningstar or Northstar. This just popped up at a great price and we jumped on it.
Water reaction with resin
CEW is correct that acetone will remove the white film, but it will return unless you coat the interior with something water repellant.
Penetrol is quick and easy to apply with a rag and will keep working to bead the water for several months. Some sort of polyurethane coating would be a more permanent and heavier solution.
Have you considered
just getting used to it? We’ve used a KevCrystal MorningStar for eight years and it always has a blush on the floor (the pattern changes depending on where the water stood in it on the last trip) and once I made sure it didn’t affect the integrity of the Kevlar I quit worrying about it. Of course, I don’t wash my car very often either.
Comparison
Just took it out for a short paddle. Compared to the RX boat it is quieter through the water and tracks better, which I’m guessing is due to the finer ends. The beam also seems a bit narrower but I’ll measure to confirm that. It does feel a bit more efficient.
Overall, it seems like a better lake canoe than the RX, which is what I wanted.
One downside is that the scratches in the resin are painfully obvious against the black. None are very deep – there’s nothing into the cloth – but they do stand out.
Couple of thoughts…
If the residue is from pine trees, why not try cutting it with turpentine?
And Penetrol is great stuff. Coat the interior, and then use it on the fine scratches to make them disappear. I learnt this from NT.
Jim
canoe weight
Hello,
Off your topic but i just bought a bell morningstar in carbon fiber in white gold do you know the weight of these canoes.
Dichotomy
"In carbon fiber" and “In White Gold” are mutually exclusive terms, as carbon was never used in white/gold lamination. Further, wood verse Alu trim needs be addressed.