Smith's CPES

[richardculver]

I finished staining and have allowed 72 hours to set. I was going to apply two coats of Smith's CPES. Is two coats sufficient? The boat is 16 foot Chris Craft (1950) runabout. Can the second coat follow immediately? Any suggestions on using CPES before I apply varnish would be appreciated. Thanks Richard

[mbigpops]

Two coats is recommended.

The second should immediately follow the first.

Be careful not to apply too aggressively so you don't move the stain.

Mark

[evansjw44]

The solvent in CPES is very likey to cause the stain to run. I prefer to use Interlux 1026. It dries much faster and doesn't run the stain. If you use CPES put it on sparingly if you want the stain to stay put.

[SSlezak]

I recently put CPES over Interlux filler stain without any trouble. I did have a week for the stain to really cure but only because of my schedule. You should be fine with 72 hours. I brushed the CPES on pretty heavy, one coat right after the other, without any running. Start at the lowest point and work up to avoid runs and drips.

I think as long as you rubbed most of the stain out, you shouldn't have to worry too much. Granted, this was my first time doing it and I was a bit nervous. In the end, mine wasn't to be a show boat quite yet, so I was okay with just giving it a go. Anything that turns out less than acceptable can be fixed the next time around.

After 8 coats of varnish, I am pretty happy with the results so far. Not bad for my first time, but I've learned a lot by just doing it.

[boat_art]

Nice work SSlezak! You got every right too be proud! Got more pics?

[SSlezak]

Thanks boat_art. I will purposely leave out the areas I am embarrassed about for now. If you've seen my other post, you'll remember my goal was to keep the boat from degrading, learning and getting some practice in until I can afford to do the all out, real deal in 5 years or so.

This should do it.

That spot light really makes that CC red glow.

-Sam

[boat_art]

Nice!

[richardculver]

Two coats is recommended.

The second should immediately follow the first.

Be careful not to apply too aggressively so you don't move the stain.

Mark

Thanks

[Al Benton]

CPES is great stuff. I used all over my cruiser. On bright work you must remember that CEPS does not contain any UV protection. Therefore, in order to protect the integrity of the stain below the CEPS, you must maintain the varnish and its UV component fairly often. If not well maintained, the stain could begin to be affected and start fading.

The effect of the surface CPES also diminishes when not protected from UV rays by a good varnish product. Striping bright work down to bare wood is more difficult once CEPS is applied over stain. Just a precaution.