Quickie Q2 Lite Construction Manual - page 49
epoxy is much better on the floor than on the airplane. It is possible to
squeegee too hard and make the layup too dry. If this occurs, the surface
will appear white, indicating the presence of air. If this occurs, wet
the cloth by painting on a little epoxy and stippling it down into the
layup. The best quality layup is obtained if each layer of a multilayer
layup is squeegeed. The excess epoxy which is pushed off the edge can be
recovered and returned into the cup. This is easily done by catching the
epoxy on the squeegee and scraping it on the side of the cup.
.....
The finished layup should appear smooth and green so that the weave
of the cloth is clearly visible, but not so dry that any area appears
white in color. If you've done an excellent job, the weight of resin will
be about 2/3 of the weight of cloth used.
.....
To check if there is too much epoxy in the layup, pull a squeegee
across the surface, stopping before you reach the edge. Lift the squeegee
up and look for a large "ridge" of epoxy where the squeegee stopped. The
ridge under the top ply indicates that the layup is too wet and you
should spend time with the squeegee to remove epoxy off to the sides.
.....
Don't hesitate to use your stippling roller or brush on an area
after squeegeeing. Some places are not suited to the use of a squeegee
and the dry brush or roller must be used to expel the excess epoxy. On a
given layup, about 1/2 of your time should be spent squeegeeing or
stippling.
STEP 8: GENERAL INSPECTION
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After you have finished the layup, take a few minutes and give it a
good general inspection for trapped air, dry glass, excess epoxy, and
delamination. It is much easier to correct these things while the layup
is wet than to repair the cured layup. Also, have someone else inspect
it. Usually a different person can find air flecs or bubbles that are
missed by one inspector. Carry a good light around for the inspection.
Glance the light off the surface at various angles to look for airflecks.
If any air is visible, stipple it out. Be sure the overlaps on the edges
are perfect. If, due to a sharp corner etc, you have a problem
eliminating an air bubble, use one of the following two methods:
1. Lift the cloth up off the foam, trowel some wet micro
into the troublesome area, add more epoxy as you
stipple the cloth back down.
2. Add excess epoxy over the bubble, cover the surface
with saran wrap (thin plastic wrap), then push firmly
outwards to force the air out to the sides. The saran
wrap will seal the surface to keep air from being drawn
in. This method will force the cloth to stay down even