This question is regarding small air bubbles that form under the lam coat around the 90 degree edge near the bottom of the tail section.
My question is two-fold.
What will be the consequenses of leaving the air bubbles in and hot coating over them? Is it just cosmetic or will it cause problems? (this is a 6oz cloth with epoxy resin)
I have already hotcoated and am now sanding down. Will be gloss coating soon. What is the easiest way to fix the bubbles? Sand down and fill with resin? Or is it even necessary?
Help from anyone who knows or has experienced similar would be really great.
There's a slew of threads about bubbles
in the archive.
But, and this is just my opinion,
99.999% of the time it's just a cosmetic issue (I'm assuming the
bubbles are small, as in 5 mm max, hopefully less.)
That's the upside, the downside is that customers don't like them,
it's seen as a lack of quality control. And it is to be honest, it's
just that the quality here has nothing to do with function.
As for filling them, sure, sand down a
bit, and fill them one by one... and perhaps I'm alone here, but once
you fill one or two, you will surely notice another, then another...
in fact I'm convinced that when you fill one, two will spontaneously
appear.
Now call me crazy, but for some strange
reason, once you're aware of the bubble issue, the next time you
glass, you generally get fewer, and then fewer, … until you wind up
bubble'less. It's a mystery I tell ya.
Anyway, perhaps some bubble repair specialist will chime in on the latest protocol... perhaps a Dremel application, and who could argue with that. I am always looking for another justification for buying my Dremel... I can see it from where I am, now... sitting there in its little anal case constantly whispering 'hey, use me'... 'hey, use me'...'hey, I can do that, use me'... its like having a little brother, but without the option of beating him up occasionally.
Cloth has trouble bending around a fully crisp edge. If you ''break'' that edge very slightly at the end of your fine-shape, the cloth will wrap easier and bubble-free. Getting the edge is more a function of sanding the hotcoat properly.
Thanks to both of you for chiming in.
I read a ton in the archives and it mostly spoke about how to avoid getting the bubbles which I can use in the future but doesn’t help me a ton right now. kc, I will try sanding down and filling one by one… I guess that’s the best (and probably the only) option.
Yeah, my response was more based on avoiding future problems. For now, just go ahead and finish if the bubs aren't too big. When you are done sanding the hotcoat, wet the area (so you can see) and determine if the bubs are deep or close to surface. If they're close, open 'em up with corner of a (clean) razor blade, and fill. If they're deep, just live and learn.
Yeah I just realized my problem. My first two boards were epoxy with bamboo fiber cloth. The bamboo is very stretchy and easily stretches around a 90 with no problems. This summer I decided to build 4 new boards all in one go. 4 boards in one go has taken me over 2 full months. Anyway I used regular fiberglass for the first time. I guess you can’t make that hard edge in the foam like I’m used to with the bamboo fiber. 3 of my 4 boards have serious bubble issues. well, lots of little bubbles, nothing major… I think they will be ok.
Problem is that I’m selling two of them… I think they’ll be fine but customers might complain… Any thoughts on some kind of hard rail pin stripe that goes into the tail edge? Would that be too obvious?
A pinline would be obvious, and a PITA. You'd probably sand it off in the rubout.
Are the bubs under the first side (bottom), or in the wrap of the deck lam? The latter can often be sanded open easily. The buried ones from the first side are another matter.
I think most of them are from the first side (bottom)
Some of them exposed when I was sanding the hotcoat so I’ll fill them, but there are others that feel pretty solid. I think I might just leave them…
it’s my 3rd, 4th, and 5th boards so I think of it as a learning process right?
Two guys approached me and asked to purchase boards. I was very upfront and told them that I was still a beginner but both still wanted them. Well anyway I wont have bubbles on my boards in the future now that I know.