Got too tired to ride a shorty (all the surf we now have on the Gulf) and spent the day on my longboard. Got my first polyester ding. It is on the rail.
The board has a blue tint bottom with a cutlap and no pinline. The ding is on the rail and didn’t go too deep. I think I can save the color below if I can avoid sanding into the colored lap below the deck clear lap.
I recall reading somewhere here, can find it, about using maybe Xylene or MEK to somehow loosen up the fractured glass?
Any pointers on how to go about this. I am not a polyester user so be gentle.
Is the foam crushed? Hard to tell from the picture. Sometimes the foam compresses and the glass pops back to near its original shape. Othertimes, just the top layer of glass fractures and turns white, but the rail is solid underneath. If the later, then you can carefully sand off the top layer of glass, leaving the colored layer below as is. Most of the white area will be gone after sanding.Then brush on some styrene and add another layer of cloth. The styrene will help to turn the remaining whitish areas clear.
If the rail is soft, you have to get in behind the glass and add some fill. You can cut through both layer of glass with a utility knife. It takes a while, but leaves only a small scar. Add your fill, trying to keep the rail the same shape. Sand off all loose glass, then reglass as above.
Sometimes you can salvage the cosmetic appearance by infusing the fractures with ‘‘super glue’’, as it will penetrate the most minute cracks by capillary action.
All of the above, after the area is dried thouroughly. Good luck.
Hi Greg, Use only a small random orbit with 120 grit and sand off the gloss and most of the shattered hotcoat but don’t hit the weave (to preserve the color). Check for crushed foam and fix it like Nick had said. Before you laminate a patch of cloth over the damage, paint it with straight styrene, and lam immediately before it dries. Hotcoat, sand, clear acrylic spray.
Sanding should not be a problem since you’re supposed to have two layers of clear fiberglass (deck layers) covering the tinted bottom layer. So I would not be too much bothered sanding through the tint, if I were you.
Howzit Greg, You can sand the glass right down to the paint if you’re careful and then reglass it. If done right you don’t need any styrene and if the foam is dented use a heat gun or hair dryer to bring the foam back, just keep the heat gun moving so you don’t burn the foam. Done this more times then I can count.Aloha,Kokua
