im about to start another board and i want to do a resin swirl lam. ive never done a cut lap on a board before so i was wondering how the process would go using a
UV activated resin like suncure. i know about taping off the deck and all that, but how would i go about cutting the laps using the suncure. Should i just take the board and set it in the sun for just a couple of minutes and bring it back in to be cut, or would it be easier to just use a catalyst in my resin and do it that way. Any tips are greatly appreciated.
I use UV and do cut laps. The first couple I did was just as you propose. Now I have a booth built from an old tanning bed.
The trick is to flash the board just like you said for just a minute or two and then take it back in to cut the laps before they become too hard. Tricky stuff and I dropped a board and other stuff that’s embarrassing now. But you are on the right track. It helps to have an extra pair of hands to lay some aluminum foil or waxed paper on your racks because the bottom will still be very tacky when you’re cutting the laps. You can try putting it on the racks ahead of time but mine just slid all over while I was glassing. Maybe tape the wax paper where you could just flip it over onto the surface of the racks with one hand or something. Anyway good luck, once you get the knack of UV you’ll love it. Then make yourself a curing booth or portable lights!
Can we go back to the original concept. A resin swirl. Tint and uv cure don’t go well togehter. Although the UV will eventually cure when tinted, depending on the color and intensity, it has a good chance of taking so long to cure, that too much resin will soak into the foam, and too much will drain off, leaving a poor glass job.
The only way I see it working is to catalize the resin as if it were normal resin. Then do with it as you will, and use the UV cure to speed up just the surface cure. But unless all you have is UV resin, tint uses catalized and for clear, use UV.
yeah i was thinking about adding the catalyst but i wasnt sure, thanks for the advice.
My bad I should’ve been more specific. Tints are translucent, you can do very nice swirls with them and they cure just fine with UV. Pigments are opague or mostly opague and don’t cure well with UV as pointed out by everysurfer. I have added small amounts of pigments mixed into tinted resin and again they cured just fine.
I took your main concern to be doing the cutlaps with UV not which colors to use. Just another small point you may want to put just a few drops in all your UV batches so that the stuff that hits the floor will eventually cure also.
Logos with UV: if you can see through it when held up to the light you’re ok. If the logo is too opague then make a couple oz of resin with normal MEKP cat, baste the backside of the logo lam, put it where you want it then roll the cloth over it and laminate with the UV resin. The cat will ensure the backside of the logo gets cured.
Lots more info on using UV resin in the archives. You may want to read up a little more…but the bottom line is this… if you can see through it then the light can get to it and it will cure. I have never had a tint that didn’t cure hard as a rock within 15 minutes. I have had some UV (premixed) resins turn weird colors when fair amounts of MEKP were added. You can buy the powder and make batches as needed with normal poly resin. I find this works best and gives you more shelf life too. UV can get chunky in a few months if not used.
all these guys gave you some good tips.
allways add some cat to your resin colors, about half the normal amount.
what I do is put the board outside on a rack to cure then come in and cover your racks with plastic wrap
you will notice the bottom (up) will cure faster than the underside rails. when the bottoms mostly cured you can flip it and let the upper rails kick.
walk it in and out to slow the cure on both sides, that keeps the volcanos down.
let the board cool down before you cut the tape line.
darker colors will kick slower
better to be more cured that less cured so you wont fray the cloth when cutting
as you cut fold the tape/cloth up 90 deg, and use a bent razor to cut the cloth without cutting into the foam.(a better tecnique that cutting straight down into the foam)
[img_assist|nid=1055286|title=East Coast Gun|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=640|height=480]Kicked the bottom in the sun, flipped and flashed the rails, then brought it inside to cut the laps like normal. Put it back out in the sun to fully kick the laps. Lightly catalyzed with mekp.
[img_assist|nid=1055382|title=UV poly swirl|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=480|height=640][img_assist|nid=1055287|title=and hurricane swells|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=480|height=640]
NJ,
Awesome board, but I feel sorry for your ping pong net.
Heck yes NJ, nice stick man!
thanks for all the tips, i post pics of mine when its done next week