Aloha… Was that too much hardener ??? For a lam coat? It sure went off fast . I got the lam done but didn’t expect it to go off that fast. I was shooting for 1.25% on the catalyst . 3/4 oz to 2 quarts??
The temp here is 80 deg . I thought 1.25 would be OK. Went with 2 different charts for the amounts… Any advice? Go with 1% next time? Thanks D.J.
For lam at 80 degrees, I think the best mix is 5cc to one quart.That is 1/2 of 1%. I don’t know what that is in ounces, but it gives you enough time to get it right, and you don’t risk making the resin too brittle. Doug
…Or better yet, do a test batch…figure out what 1%, 1.25%, 1.5% etc. are in relation to about an ounce of resin in drops, and run a quick timed gel-test…I’ve heard that different batches of resin and hardener have different properties, and degrade over time as well. Formulas and guidelines would be great in a perfect world…
wells
Howzit Hotcoat, If you finished the lamination without any problems then there’s no problem and you are getting to be a real guy glasser. My glassing mentor used twice as much catalyst as any of the glassers in his factory and could do a lay up in about 3 1/2 minutes, he used to blow us away. Aloha,Kokua
Aloha… And Thanks Kokua… It just was that I had just gotten the glass laid down when I noticed that it was gonna go off and I barely had time to finish laying the laps over the rails . I still had a lot left in the bucket and would have liked to work it in to the glass more …
You are right , it worked fine just scared me a little that I wasn’t gonna get to finish it. As it turned out the bottom dried enough to flip it and do the top… That was great… Cant wait to finish this thing and try it…
Gonna use the Edge Fin System from the Roger Brothers … Have you heard of them???
Howzit Hotcoat, The best part of being able to use more catalyst is the layup dries crispy faster and you can proceed to the next step quicker. Actually 2 quarts of resin is more than neccessary even for a longboard. I use about a quart for the bottom of a 9'0" and less than a quart and a half for the deck so don't worry about what is left in the bucket other than it's wasted resin that could be used later in the construction. I've known Clyde since he came to Kauai in the early 90's and met his brother John at Billy Hamilton's shop when John was the glasser. The Edge system works really good but like any fin system the installation is the key,do you have their install kit? I've installed a few of them and had no problems. Clyde does repair work on the side and does a lot of fin system repairs but he says he never sees any of the systems I install and that includes FCS,Futures,etc. He has even offered me a job as a rep for their co. Aloha,Kokua
Hey Kokua… Thanks for the reply . I remember now you telling me to say hi to John as he is living here in Florida now. He was great in getting me a Big set of Fins to use. And he even offered to install the fins for me . He’s in Daytona? I think and I’m in Jupiter 2hour plus ride.
I could also go to Greg Loher's shop in Melbourne to get it done . They have the special bit. I'm friends with Steve Forstall/CODA Surfboards next door to Greg's Shop..
I don’t have the Install Kit . John R. told me there’s a new Router jig now instead of the Drill. I think I can do it myself if I am careful with just 2 Hole Saws. ??? Wonder if I should make the hole a hair larger than the box/plug to allow for some fiberglass cloth to be used?? I know to be careful not to let the pilot bit of the hole saw to go thru the deck.
Is there any advice you can give me on this?? Thanks… Mahalo, Don J.
I was checking this thread and wondering what brand of catalyst is it? Some catalysts are “hotter” than others. For example when the pinliner comes to our shop from Christensen’s place, he uses much less at our place. We use Norox which is known in the industry as running a bit hot… We try to be sure the reaction goes to completion as much as possible. For what it’s worth…