Hey there i just got a ding in my epoxy tuflite board. I went down to my local surf shop and bought a small epoxy ding repair kit. However it doesn’t have filler. My question is do i just use the regular filler that i would use on regular board? And how should i apply the filler to the crack? Do i mix it with the resin and harderner and then apply it in the cut area?
Thanks,
Brad
Use the “regular” filler. It won’t hurt it. Did you penetrate the plastic?
Yes, as Jeff said, all the regular fillers mix just fine with epoxy.
Though if it’s just a crack rather than a crunch with penetration and such, you might be better off just sanding and then glassing over the area. Use a fair amount of resin so the crack gets filled.
hope that’s of use
doc…
let me describe the ding so you guys can recommend me cutting it out or not. The ding is on the deck near the side of the rail. It is not on the rail (thank god). I am pretty sure a knee of mine banged it in the water. Now when the pressure ding happened the epoxy kind of went like the earth shifts in an earth quake. One piece went upwards while the other went downwards so the crack is not just any old crack, its a deeper crack.
Whenever I hear ‘cutting it out’ I shudder.
Figure this as a general rule for all ding repairs, with very few exceptions: don’t cut anything out.
The worst stuff I see as a ding repair guy ( professionally, if that means I get paid for it) is when somebody got a little cut-happy with a ding and started slicing and it turned into a nightmare. It is almost never necessary, it is rarely useful and it is always a lot more work.
So, here’s how to tackle this one.
First, make sure it’s completely dried out. Clean the wax off the area, sand the area lightly with 80 or 100 grit sandpaper. Get the dust off.
Depending on how much separation there is, you can either fill the depression with straight resin/cabosil mix ( using epoxy resin ) or carefully pry up the edge of the depressed glass with an x-acto knife or something similar ( scalpel, for instance) working the tip of the blade inwards so that everything’s even. You them fill underneath the glass with a cabosil-resin mixture. If you have an airbrush design or color you want to preserve, this is the better way to tackle it. Use masking tape and position of the board to help the resin mix get in there and gently depress the loostened glass to help get all the air bubbles out. Use a mostly-resin, little cabosil mix so it’ll flow well.
On a surftech or other epoxy board, you may be able to see some results without cutting in between cloth and foam or filling, depending on the foam used in that particular board. Use a hair dryer to warm the area, which can bring back the crunched foam. Use this method carefully, don’t overheat. If you don’t see some results pretty quickly, stop. If you do see results, several gentle warming cycles may be necessary. Then, deal with what remains with the method described above.
Okay, now you have a sort-of filled surface. Sand it so it’s even with the rest of the deck. That means either a power sander ( random orbit or orbital ) if you’re good with one or a block and some sandpaper and some patience. I wouldn’t use anything coarser than 60 grit with a sanding block, 80 grit with an orbital or random orbit sander. Sand out a little way ( about an inch) from your filled area. Clean off the dust, fill some more if you need to, sand again if you need to.
Now, glass over the area. Squeegee it fairly dry so sanding the edges won’t be that difficult. Sand the edges. Give it a combined hotcoat/gloss, laid on heavy enough to fill the weave, sand and polish that as you need to or don’t need to and you’re done.
hope that’s of use
doc…
Ok! Thanks. I sanded it down, and it got down pretty dang smooth. I mixed up some epoxy resin and glazed over it. I then put a 2 pieces of cloth over it. The only thing i’m worried about now is that the resin seems to be taking a very long time to dry. Does epoxy resin dry slower? Any advice?
Thanks,
Brad
Hi Brad,
Yeah, it can take quite a while, 24 hours or more for some epoxies. I didn’t mention it ( sorry) but it’s absolutely crucial to mix it in exactly the ratios that the manufacturer suggests, which also vary from epoxy to epoxy. Otherwise, it won’t harden at all.
Warm it up some, if the temp is below about 65F, say inside a cellar or garage. The fumes from epoxy are not nearly as nasty or penetrating as polyester fumes, so a cellar can be quite good without stinking up the house.
I’d say be patient, it’ll go off eventually if the mix is right. Warm it if you have to, but I wouldn’t unless it’s quite cold.
hope that’s of use
doc…
Hey again. Yes thanks for the help. By the end of the day it was dry. Now all i have to do is sand.
Thanks for all your help.
Brad