Hey, I am getting ready to glass a long board, and I have been coveting a board at my local shope that has a blue bottom and rails, with a thing black pinstripe, and then a clear resin deck. How the hell do you do that? I have been searching the archive for about an hour, and really had no luck. Thanks you guys.
is it a tint or airbrush spray? http://www.surfboardglassing.com
It is a tinted job. The guy at the shop tried to explain it, but was just not exact enough for me. If I do the bottom with a colored tint, how do I make sure it follows a precise line? Do I tape it?
Hey Even the spray jobs need taping off. Try Pinliner, he can do an “adaquate” job. Don’t forget to use mellow colors for an even finish. Keep a steady hand and be aware of where you came from, where you are, and where you goin. Pinstriping is one of the real arts in board making, hope you’re good at it.
Actually it is not the pinstripe that I am worried about, but the color seperation of the top and bottom lams.
The design tht you re tlking bout is deceptively simple. The bottom was glassed with tinted blue resin. And of course you know that you wrap the bottom layer of cloth around the rails till about a few inches in from the rail on the deck (that is where the color on the rails comes from). The top is glassed with clear, non-tinted resin. To do this you will need to tape off the deck prior to glassing the bottom. This is basically what is known as a “cut lap”. Ly the tpoe few inches from the outside of the rils all round the board. Then when you are ready to glass the bottom make sure you trim the cloth so that it falls about a half inch over the the outside edge of the tape. Glass the bottom and then once it is more than halfway cured flip it over and take a razor blade and cut along the outside edge of the tape. This is where you will get a clean trimline along the rail. If your tape line is smooth and even, and you take your time cutting the cloth you will end up with a razor sharp trimline thus eliminating the need for a pinline. After all pinlines were put on boards to cover up sloppy trimlines. But they do look cool, so you could add one if you want the asthetic look. Repeat the preocess of trimming the laps when you glass the deck! One note however. If the color of the board is a dark blue, you might have trouble getting a smooth even color. Darker shades are very hard for someone who does not have a lot of experience doing resin tints. Drew
when doing a resin tint with say bottom in colour and deck clear (like discribed above) you will first do a bootom tint lam with cut laps as Drew discribed. Ok so far. but if you do the deck (clear) do you also wrap the laps around the rail or do yoou cut it on the deck side “pinline” like a kind of inlay??? if you wrap it all the way ro the bottom before cuuting how do you avoid are bubbles at the “pinline” edge on the deck as you can#t bast the lap? Z
Ok, I thought I was pretty clear on the process of doing cutlaps (on an intellectual level, anyway), but this thread has confused me… If you do your bottom lam with a tint and a cutlap on the deck just inside of the rail (as described above), do you have to do a cutlap on the top lam as well (on the bottom)? Or can you freelap the clear top lam? Another tint question: What if I’d like to do an allover tint? Can you freelap that? Or would that have to be cutlapped top and bottom?
Hey Shwuz Clear topcoat can be freelapped, but only with clear cloth and superclear resin. We always taped off and cut the top lap because our resin was slightly colored. Full board tints require taping and cutting both lam coats. Frees will look ragged, with jagged cloth showing thru colors. Pinlines to hide the less than perfect razor cuts on the lams. Hope you can tape off really smooth and even, like your templates. And yes, color tends to magnify shaping imperfections.
LeeD said it best!!! I will also place emphasis on the way tints magnify imperfections in the final outcome. You might think that you have your blank sanded nice and smooth but in reality the colored resin will fill in any imperfections and look sloppy. Not to discuourage you or anything. Just be very careful of how you final sand your blank. For instance using a drywall screen is ok, but you will have to go over that with sandpaper (200 grit). I use a flexible 3M sanding pad. The thing is great. it is about a .25" and is made out of foam rubber with the grit buuilt into it. Go over the entire board with this in long smooth strokes. Start from the tail at the center of the stringer and walk the sponge up the entire length of the board. Continue moving the sponge out to the rail on each pass. Do this and you have a well prepared blank to take on a tinted lay-up. Drew
Please Let me know if i got this right…
Tape off the deck with masking tape (As Smooth as possible)where I want the wraped fiber edges to end Nose to tail on both sides about 2 inches from the rail. Glass it. After the dottom has been layed, let it set about halfway (more?) and then cut away the stringy edges along the outside of the tape ( on the Deck) with a razor?..Is there any way ( other than obviously wearing gloves) to protect the bottom lam form being contaminated while flipping the board. What is the best way to cut along the tape? Work upside down below the Glassing rack? or flip the board?
When glassing the top with Clear resin I tape off the bottom just as I did the deck and follow the same procedure?
then I follow with the Hot Coat?
Thanks
Ray
my input
when I do a bottom color with cutlap deck, I do the bottom then trim at tape
retape the rail color and do a deck patch to the tape line and trim
this give an even surface at the cutlap on the deck
then procede with another layer on the deck lapping around the bottom
cut lap it or freelap it but cut lapping is nicer
so its almost like an Inlay…that sounds pretty precise…the only way to learn is to do it i guess.
thanks
You wait until the resin is about the consistancy of a cold cube of butter or set enough not to stick to your fingers. When you flip the board we put a bit of Saran Wrap or aluminium foil on the racks before you put the board down to keep the lammed bottom clean.
You want to make a really clean cut right along the edge of the tape line so doing it upside down is not gonna cut it (so to speak). Cut away, pull the tape, then roll or press the cut edge into the foam (takes a way that little bit of ridge).
Once the bottom has cured, flip the board back over and put a tape line around the perimeter of the board just like you did the deck. Flip it back and lam the deck. Wait to the butter stage and flip it and cut. Be careful to not cut too deep or you can cut through the bottom lam. It won’t be too hard to do right 'cause the bottom lam will be pretty hard. Clean up any boogers and you’re ready for the hot coat.
I’ve never done the deck inlay thing. Too much trouble for me unless you want to color the deck.
Once you get used to doing cut laps, you’ll always do them. Looks really nice and it really isn’t that much of a hassle.
Ive done the crush it in the foam method
Me no like and it didnt crush eavenly, I had a lot of sand throughs on the hi spots
I use two layers of tape for the initial lam on the bottom when doing a separate color of deck inlay. First, use resin-proof paper to mask the deck. Attach it with 2" wide tape about 1/4" inside your marked lap line. Then use 3/4" wide tape over that right to the line. This way, you can pull the 3/4 tape and cut cloth without exposing too much of the deck foam to keep it clean. After the bottom cures, I lam a single layer inlay + any deck patches to the lap line (masked with wide tape). After this cures, I carefully grind down the lap line where the cloth meets, hotcoat the line, and sand it again. I then lam a separate clear layer over the deck cut lapped to the bottom. This is way too much for production shops, but it is pretty foolproof. Grinding, hotcoating, and sanding the lap line at the deck gives a smooth, pinhole free surface for your pinlines. Just don’t overdo the grinding and be careful.
Awesome…
Ill post pictures as soon as Im done.
Thanks