Hey, I have a quick question. What are some methods of removing the ugly blush off my board? Is there any solvents? Do i sand it off?
Thanks,
Jakub
Sanding will gum up your sandpaper. Water will remove the blush. Spray with a hose for 2 min on a strong stream. Then you can sand.
Just to be clear as they seem to be confused often… are you referring to blush or froth?
Blush is a greasy film that forms on the surface of some epoxies during the cure process. Froth is the cloudiness that develops from excessive squeegeeing.
The guy at One Ocean Kayaks, Vaclav Stejskal, is experienced with different brands of epoxy resins and has done some interesting work on epoxy testing. Here is a link to what he says about blush.
In my experience, even “Non-blushing” epoxies will blush if conditions are cold/humid.
Thanks guys.
I think its Froth. I used epoxy for glossing my board (im on a tight budget). It turned out nice and shinny and smooth. Today I sanded a few “drips” off the rails and per her in the tub for a rinse and once the water dried, some areas were foggy and no shine (areas that I did not sand or touch). I believe its Froth. What can be done to remove froth?
Water interaction with blush might cause it to become cloudy… try sanding. It it comes off, it’s likely just surface blush. Froth might be better off left alone.
Here are a few pics of it.
So the only way to get rid of it is to sand it off? If i do sand it off, can I buff the board and make it shiny again? (this is epoxy)
It looks like blush that has been exposed to water to me. Gloss coats usually have to be wet/dry sanded through the various grits to 600 or finer before being buffed with polishing compound for a showroom shine. Epoxy generally is harder to buff out than polyester.
In any case, if the cloudiness is removed by sanding, you’re good. If not, froth doesn’t affect the physical properties of epoxy as far as I know - more of a cosmetic thing.
If that were my board, I’d let it cure fully and try the wet/dry sand followed by buffing routine.
{edit} john you are 100% right, it hasnt cured properly and has gone in the tub. stick it in the sun to dry for the arvo.
Thanks guys,
The board was epoxy glossed 6 days ago. It was done indoors in room temperature. How long does it take epoxy to fully dry? The board was nice and shiny the entire week till I wet it today… Any ideas what might have happen?
Don’t worry!
All that matters is that the board looked good before you washed it down.
This is very common with epoxy.
You have just removed the blush, which was giving it a shiny look.
My boards always look cloudy when I wash them.
When you start wet sanding and then polishing, the shine will come back and the cloudiness will disappear.
If the resin was clear before you washed it, you are golden.
So many people try and sand or polish epoxy before it is cured…
POSTCURE!!!
Epoxy is a dream to work with when it is rock hard cured.
Postcuring is the only true way to achieve this, but leaving it for 6 days in a warm environment is probably adequate, you’ve done it right!
After enough time, the epoxy will achieve nearly the same hardness/strength/Heat distortion temp as if you post cured, but not the full deal!
People complain about epoxy clogging their sandpaper etc etc, all problems relating to it not being cured properly.
Thanks KKSurf! I was a bit worried.
Is there any vids I can watch on wet sanding surfboards? I watched some car scratch wet sanding on youtube, are they done the same way? What tools should I be useing to wetsand my board? Or by hand?
Any help would be great!
Jakub
Hi Jakub -
If you have a disc sander and soft pad, stick some wet/dry paper to that and go to town. If not, elbow grease is the call.
I would have recommended a post cure but didn’t want to hear about any delam bubbles on a brand new board.
Is it vented? Fin boxes installed?
Use Additive F and eliminate blush chemically … wayyyy easier and more sure.