Hey everyone, I’m new here and stoked about Swaylock’s! I’ve been researching and have learned a lot from the experience of you guys.
I’m going to be attempting to laminate my first longboard. I’m not very experienced and a little freaked out about getting the job done well before the resin cures. I thought it would be a good idea to use a UV catalyst with poly resin to give me plenty of time. My question is, if I am using volan cloth how will I cut my laps? Everything I researched said to wait until the resin starts to gel ( using MEKP ), then cut. Using UV catalyst, is it possible to cut when wet because I know once the board is exposed to UV light it’s a done deal ( no time to cut ). Should I just quit my crying and go for it with MEKP?
Also, are there any drawbacks about using a UV catalyst compared to MEKP…quality, etc…
You can cut the glass after the resin goes off, but it is not as good a job since you have to make sure you just cut the glass and not all the way through to the foam, which takes someone with skill, and since you are doing your first board I would just use the MEKP, or better yet don’t use Volan glass. If I were you and it was my first board I would not be using Volan, for a number of reasons. 1. you need to do a real good tape job to make sure you have a good clean line or be ready to do a big pin line. 2. you will need to put 2 coats of hot coat on or you may have a sand through problem. 3. a baste coat of resin on the bottom lap is needed to make sure you don’t sand into the glass, remember if you touch the volan with the sander it will show. 4. you are going to end up with a heavier board that is not much stronger if at all. 5. your timing has got to be good on when to do your cutting, or your really going to make a mess. Save the Volan tell your next board.
It is possible to give limited exposure to the UV light source so that the resin gels, trim your laps and pull your tape, then back into the UV to fully catalyze your resin.
This is my standard procedure for ding repair but it would probably be fairly difficult when laminating a board.
What are you using for UV light, if you have access to a sun cure tube with a timer its easy enough to set it for 30 seconds for the resin to gel, however if you have to pick the board up and carry out to the sun then flip it to get uv exposure on the laps then carry it back inside, life becomes much more difficult.
A cut lap is no big deal. I did it all the time until Grubby took all his marbles off to play by himself. And now with all the alternatives out there, I should be back at it.
Laminate as usual with UV resin in a 3/4 closed garage. Wear a good activated carbon canister respirator, okay? When you have it all done and down, drag the rack and board into full sun for a minute or so. There will be enough direct light on the fully glassed side to set it off, and there will be enough ambient light or reflections, whatever, to gel the shaded rails.
Worried about how much is too much? Well then pull it into full sun for only 30 seconds or so.
Only time I’d catalyze is when using opaque pigment. UV cure resin can handle tints as far as I have gone with them. I don’t do much full opaque stuff - you can’t see the tape through opaque resin, so it’s hard to cut it right; might as well freelap it all in the same color. boring.
It’s no big thing. Really. You will of course need a sharp knife. And you will of course discover what God and all the old farts used pinlines are for - they are specifically to hide a sometimes not-too-pretty cut line.
Now then, making a good resin pin - there’s an art. But anyone can make a good pinline if 1) they are careful and 2) they use the search function. There are also those who use acrylic paint for pins. Those heretics and nonbelievers shall be burned at the stake! Not. This is another of those topics that has been done to death.