A question for the gloss coat masters

General Discussion
1

Hi guys,

Two questions for those of you who have perfected the gloss coat.

My first question is what brush do you use for laying down a ridgeless gloss coat in resin?  Natural Bristle?  Nylon Synthetics?  Any brand preference?  I’ve used the styrene additives, with surfacing agent, in the perfect dust free environment.  Filtered the mix through a strainer, and I still get little ridges that I need to sand out.  I never can get it to flow out smooth like a good oil paint.

Second question follows the first.  While sanding out the litle ridges with 400 grit, I just kissed into the weave in a few spots.  No a burn through, the cloth is fine, but in the light it shows.  Any tips on spot gloss coat, so I don’t need to do the whole side again?

Thanks in advance

2

Wipe with styrene and immediately re-hot coat. I use a nylon bristle brush but a lot of guys just use the cheapie throw away ones but they seem to be too course for me. Do you brush out both directions and then "lay it off" from nose to tail?

3

Thanks tblank, 

I’ve got the brush strokes worked out, but I get small ridges running the length of the board.  I’ve been using the cheap throw away brushes, and I think that’s part of the problem.  I know with paint, the cheap brushes don’t flow well, but with gloss resin, what is the right brush?

How do you touch up gloss coat?

4

Also, work FAST. Ridges like you experienced may be the result of a gloss that has been “worked” too long.

5

I suspect what Balsa says is the case. It is a very difficult lesson to learn: Stop messing with it when you see the wax rise. I'm guilty of that and know better. Since you have some sanding to do, you can spot fix the hot coat. Styrene will wet out the weave and you need to get resin on it right away. Good Luck.

ps. That agave stalk sounds like a real monster!! Never seen one that thick! Now you see what a pain in the A it is to work with. Makes Miguel's work all that much prettier. As for cacti, I'm done. BTDT.

6

Hi Balsa,

I’ve got the speed down,  Quick lengthwise, Quick rail to rail, One more time lengthwise. Total process is three to four minutes,  I’ve walked away a good five to ten minutes before I see the wax rise.  Gel time about 20 minutes later. 

What stumps me is how to minimize the brush marks from the start.  Do some gloss resins flow better than others?  What brush are you using?

7

One of the biggest mistakes is putting the gloss on too thin and brushing too much. Usually ridges mean too thin. Brushes are brushes. Cheap ones drop hairs which are another deal. Also I never sand the hotcoat past 180. My 2 cents.

8

Hi Cleanlines,

Thickness might be the problem.  Trying to keep weight down, I did put the gloss coat on pretty thin.

9

My guess here is nobody had to gloss for a living.  First the board needs to be clean.  Second strain and mix your gloss resin. Mix about a 2% catalyst solution at ambient temperature, and apply a thin coat of resin evenly with a 4’’ a clean purdy chinese bristle brush.  Thick gloss coats weep and shear, and shitty brushes produce less than stellar results.  That’s pro advice, and the truth; the question is can you handle it?

10

Hey Ghettorat I would love for you to teach me how to gloss.

11

I have glossed thousands of times, and it is still a challenge.  Temperatures, humidity, resin, catalysts and tools all play a vital function in what i call a producing good gloss.  If someone else can start to rub it out at 320 without cursing, it is a success, anything less is failure.

12

Wow Ghettorat… after thousands of boards it should no longer be a challenge. According to section 12 paragraph 8-c of the Glossers Manual you should have had it wired after 36 boards.

     This straight from the book “Surfboard Master Building” put out in 1969 by the Brotherhood Union of Surfboard Tradesmen (also known as B.U.S.T.). I had glossing wired after only 14 boards. When I had glossed 1250 boards I got an official B.U.S.T. cerificate of Merit. I love the smell of Reichold 37-737 Gloss Resin in the mornings.

13

I’m finding a plethora of polyurethane  brushes at the 99cent store.

Will these dissolve in acetone? or otherwise be good for glassing?

14

I guess I’m just not that bright, perhaps too much cobalt, and DMA.

15

BTW are you using Reichold gloss resin?

 

16

…hello Everysurfer,

first let me tell ya that all about gloss is contained on the somewhat old and very big “gloss thread” or like that, in which we dicussed all the aspects.

 

-Do not use cheap brushes for gloss coats

-do not use synthetic ones

-if for any reason you are in the mood to use cheapo brushes, you need a fine technique and know exactly whats going on with everything.

-spots gloss coats are very tricky and you should be very seasoned to not fuck up everything.

-you need a very good sanding step previously

-let the coat post cure

-in perfect conditions you start with 400 grit, in normal conditions with 360 or sometimes 320; with less than normal conditions you can start with 280. As I mentioned in other threads, if you have a gummy gloss coat, but really knows what s going on, you can start with 240 to try to “clean” the gummy thing, but very light

I do gloss coats in very less than perfect conditions, read: cold weather, non gloss resins, etc

so in these years I see that the most important factor is the technique and a super soft pad

 

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17

i prefer sylmar gloss.

brushes are brushes,i prefer my overly expensive natural hair brushes and i keep them clean and covered.

most of the zitty,pocky stuff is from the brush being contaminated not the airborne particles(this is all subject to location).

99cent stores or big lots have excellent brushes for single use applications,and with give me identical results as my 50 dollar brushes will. my fav gloss brush is a cut down standard brand wallpaper brush.one stroke covers the whole side of a board from rail to stringer.

the ridges or ,"plowed fields" look, is usually from air flow/current.

uneven surfaces or split-offs are caused by the board not being level(level from side to side) or a corrupt surface.

or.........brushing the resin out aheck of alot while the resin sets-up...........or too hot of a set off or a combo of  the mentioned .

glossing is easy if you take your time and don't mother it.

a great beginners tip is to add some sanding resin,styrene and surfacing agent to the batch.

in fact i have a racing skateboard airbrushed,glassed and gloss/polished.

it's 5' x 12" 14 ply maple weighing in at 26 lbs.

the gloss/polish is mirror..........you can't get it better.

i glossed the skater(downhill speed board for the up coming movie,"signalhill speed races") with lam resin,sytrene,and homemade surfacing agent.

i get tons of comps on the board.

cleaning up the train tracks on the rails is easy too ..............i use a extra fine body file.

if you burn the tracks to the glass just dab a bit of resin or even acrylic on it.........it'll blend out fine as long as you cover it well and don't burn that off.

as far as a bonnet i like my 100% woolies.

i also have several syns and blends.

what to polish with...................mr. clean will love this as it was his brain child.................toothpaste.

i'll take a pepsi challenge anyday.

herb

18

Thanks Guys,  Really generous info here.  I stopped at the Dunn Edwards paint store after a round of bowling with my kid.  They have their own line of 3" China Bristle brush for six dollars.  The Purdy equivalent was over $20.00.

I dont think my ridges came from air flow or seperation issues.  They came right off the brush, and just wouldn’t flow out.  Typically, throw away brushes do the same thing with paint; leave ridges, so I think my problem is there.

Or it could be the House brand of gloss resin I used from Hastings Plastic. 

Can someone tell me if Sylmar resin is water clear?  The resin I have has a pink tint to it.  Not a problem on a thin coat, over a red tinted boards, but not sure if it is the best to use over clear.

19

it's rarely the brushes fault.

your batch was too hot.

remember this:

it's not the gun...............it's the shooter.

herb

20

Herb,

What is a good gel time for a gloss coat?