A question for the fin guys.
Do you use laminating resin for the panels or sanding resin?
I just made a couple of fins from a panel I made with laminating resin, no wax added, no sanding resin after. I lay the panel up on a sheet of wax paper. They were left to dry for over a week before cutting them out and another week before foiling. When I cut them out my blade was gummed up and when I foiled them my sanding pads got gummed up too. I don’t remember having the problem before, but I used very little catalyst.
Is the gumming just from the surface? If it is just the surface resin, I can add a coat of sanding resin or lay another sheet of wax paper over it.
I think in the past I layed a sheet of wax paper over the panels then added weights to compress the panels. I usually make small panels, just big enough for the fins I want to make using left over glass from making boards.
Thanks for your help.
Hi SC… I’ve always used lam resin (polyester) but mixed with enough catalyst to get a tack-free cure. With wax paper or waxed glass pane on either side, gumming up hasn’t been a problem. I too just use scraps of glass but try to get a complete fin outline with each layer. If I recall, it is 36 layers of 6 oz to fit a standard FU box, or maybe you’re doing glass-ons and don’t need to count?
Yes, after you finish laying up the panel with lam resin, you canbrush a hotcoat on the top before cutting out your fins. That might halp a little.
After you are done laminating the panel. Put a flood coat using sanding resin to cure!
Mahalo, Larry
Thanks everyone. I’ll do that next time, and before I cut out another fin from the existing panel. I think I can get at least one more fin from that one. I managed to finish foiling and final sanding of the single foiled fins. I just have to drill the holes and insert the pin that keeps them in the box. Now all I need are waves big enough for the double fin board. It’s been really small lately, OK for a longer board, but not too good for a short board. I really want to try the board with the different fins, foil inside, foil outside, then thicker fins and the same. It will be cool if I can feel a big difference.
Larry have you compressed your panels with weight? I did that before because the G10 panels are supposed to be made under pressure with heat. I think they use epoxy resin. In the past I would place wax paper then a piece of plywood and hollow tile blocks onto the fin panels I made. Most were reasonably small, just enough for a large single fin, or a large single fin and maybe 2 small rear fins. I give fin guys a ton of credit, I don’t like foiling fins. I don’t like sanding boards either, but you it’s a big part of glassing boards.
I’ve been toying with the idea of taking some of the scraps I have and gluing up pieces to make an FCS adapter that uses a pin through the tabs for a more secure hold. I tried making one with a single piece of G10, but I don’t have a good drill press to mill the part where the tabs go.
Larry & the others are spot on. We used to have a full fin production at The Surfing Underground throughout the 80’s and we always layed the panels up on good plate glass prewaxed using lam resin then (as Larry said) a flood coat of hot coat resin. We had good rollers and squeegees to use thru the laying up process as we were doing full sheets versus scrap cloth for less fins.
Fins are a lot of work, but very satisfying when you can make your own!
