Cure Time

General Discussion
1

Right!

Board was glassed about 6 days ago. Final hotcoat was done 4 days ago. All sanded and doing the gloss coat thisarvo! Should have it all sanded and ready for riding by tomorrow afternoon!

Question: How long should I leave it before I can ride her? A week after it’s been glassed or a week after the hot coat?

 

Thanks Again.

Mick

 

Better to ask a stupid quesion then to make a stupid mistake!

2

epoxy or polyester?

3

Polyester!

4

The clock starts ticking after the deck is glassed.

5

when the resin smell goes away its done

usualy a few days to a week

6

…the poly resin depends on weather conditions

so is not the same the cure times in cold + humidity weather than cold but dry than summer weather conditions

 

-makes and types also vary the post cure time

-type of MEKP too

at 24ºC x 24 hours x 7 days closed room will be the minimun

but years ago (late 80 s)  I did many test lam for ex 1 4oz deck and bottom but leaving the foam thick not letting the board to cure but then leaving the board a year in a 24º room, etc

all with some interesting conclusions

 

 

 

7

"all with some interesting conclusions"

 

And you're not gonna share?

8

…hello John,

of course

happen that just took a break from the lam room and checked Swaylocks with no time…

 

-that time tested differents material combos (foam densities, fiberglass types, resins) several glass schedules

etc in different environments and long cure times

be in mind that the foam chemistry in those years was not so good in comparison with the best now so we (builders) were tried lot of stuff to going on demand, etc

 

with all that experimentation what clear was:

-when more time (months) a board can post cure in 24 - 27ºC (sometimes more) less than 35% r humidity stored in closed room (not in racks) the better

no matter what lam schedule was used

the board will be very strong (if the materials are good) and feel very light and responsive (at least shorboards - no experimentation done with longboards)  in the water

-very difficult to achieve that in countries without proper weather (and sometimes the right materials)

-the boards compression were very fine

so going normal on a board with 1 4oz + gloss on deck only few dents found after complete summer sessions (foam plugs were from CF and Burford)

  • -thick (2 1/2) shortboards with flat decks glass sched of 1 4oz bottom and 1 4oz + 4oz 3/4 patch with gloss coat all breaked in 2 pieces at the 3/4 patch (no matter what cut was done…) in the more “strange” situations; I mean, without over the falls, etc only riding …

these boards were laminated in cold + humidity winters with no more than 7 days post cure time and without pre cure time before sand hot coat or gloss coats

Hexcel fiberglass

-Warp glass was not good for lam deck surfboards; good only for bottoms

-oven post cure not improved anything faster

-Tinuvin was not so good like now

hope its help someway