So I installed my first set of FCS Fusion fin boxes in my most recent shape the otehr night and made a slight error in the initial install. I didn't set my router deep enough for the rail fins and the box now sits about 1/16" above the foam instead of the same distance below the foam. I didn't check my work before setting them with resin and now the box protrudes slightly above the foam.
The board is my second attempt at an ASymm with 5 fin boxes for tri/quad set-up and a kind of complex bottom contour, so I don't really want the fin boxes to bulge and screw up all my hard work. I was also planning on doing an apaque resin tint with a sanded gloss finish...how do I fix this?
I was thinking of one of two options...
1.) Put the standard 4 oz. football patch over each box, then laminate the bottom 4 oz layer as normal with pigmented resin. Then sand the fin box areas past where you normally would (i.e. the fin tabs that stick up), all the way to the edge of the box itself. So I would end up with the edges of the white fin boxes flush with the 4 oz opaque colored lam on the bottom. Then cut a fin patch, like on a longboard, and glass that over the bottom tail/finboxes with the same color resin and sanding just down to the fin tabs. I am worried this might not be strong enough around the fins though as the only fiberglass covering the edges of the fin box would be a 4 oz fin patch.
2.) Put the satndard 4 oz football patch over each box and cut a tail/fin patch, again like on a longboard, and glass the tail patch over the football patches in clear. Then sand down to the edges of the fin boxes so the bottom is flush and no bumps around fin boxes. Then laminate the standard 4 oz colored layer as normal on the bottom of the board.
What do you guys think? Will either option work or is there a better way?
If you want the cleanest finish - I’d take out the grub screws, put the jig back over and carefully rout the plug out, starting with very shallow cut depths. Once you got past the upper flange level should be pretty easy with a sharp bit and shallow cuts. Use a higher speed, tilt the base so that far side is touching the jig and the near side is high, then slowly lower the base to flush while being extra careful on the intial ‘bite’ of the router engaging material. Rout away progressivly deeper cuts until it’s gone and put in a new plug at the right depth. Watch out the fly away plastic slivers will be hot. Did I mention shallow cuts
They're already set, it's your call, but I'd glass it as is. Looking at the pics, the boxes don't appear to be that much higher than the foam. Worse thing that happens is you sand it all flush with the bottom and have minimal glass over the boxes. If that happens, lay another layer of cloth over the top, fill coat it, sand smooth, and you're rolling. Nice looking stick (both you and Bud).
Thanks for the input guys. I don’t think I’m up for routing out the entire boxes out and resetting. I think I will just sand as carefully as I can to get the glass flush, the boxes dont really protrude that much above the foam.
Yikes I didn’t pay attention to what you wrote, I thought it was just one of the boxes, not all of them.
#1 if you sand away the risers till the flange is flush, not sure if you’ll be able to sand open the tab holes later
#2 If you somehow build up the bottom to meet the minimum depth so you don;t sand into the flanges, I think it will alter your nice clean bottom contour
Probably go with #1 careful not to sand away too much of the flange then figure some way to carfully get to the tab slots when all else is done. Fusions peanuts are pretty strong once they’re set in the holes
Dont’ use the installation bit to remove the box if you change your mind. I had to remove 4 of those boxes and the tip of the bit shattered on the 2nd box. The hard plastic and the resin was too much, luckly I was wearing eye protection.
I ended up using a 1/2" full size router with a larger bit. Larger thicker flutes on the bit with more horsepower did the trick.
Less is more. If they really are only about 1/16th" above the foam just do your patches and bottom layer as desired, leave a bit resin rich around the areas, if you get any bubbles cut with a razor and flatten out. Do a generous hotcoat.
The worst that can happen is you sand the raised ports as usual and some of the flange shows through in the sanding. Restrengthen it with the original color laminate to he point you feel is appropriate for the amount of the top plate you compromised in sanding.
Then finish as usual. If you do enough of these, stuff like this happens. I ALWAYS check my depth of cut and as FCS suggests, if your router setting is at 1.12" it will result in the box beng 1/32" below the surface of the foam.
I prefer to do my Fusions all in the foam whereas some guys do them on the hotcoats. That represents an extra step for me (sanding and capping) so I don’t do it that way. Plus my router bit thanks me for doing it in the foam.
Bud- I think I said 'Box' in my original post, but I meant 'Boxes', as in 4 out of the 5 are about 1/16" above the foam. So all four rail quad boxes have this problem, the center box is good.
Dead Shaper- Ya, I will definitely check my depth in the future, I did it with the center box but not the rail boxes. The bottom contours are kinda complex on this board which means that the standard 1.12" router depth needs to be changed from center fin to right side quads to left side quads. I made the changes in the router depth but didn't check after the first change...dumb mistake I will not repeat again!
I think I will follow your advice here:
"The worst that can happen is you sand the raised ports as usual and some of the flange shows through in the sanding. Restrengthen it with the original color laminate to he point you feel is appropriate for the amount of the top plate you compromised in sanding."
For reference the bottom contour on this board is a slight rolled vee in the nose, transitioning to a flat bottom under the chest, moving into a light single concave developing into a moderate single right out the back of the board. However the toe edge side (the square tail side on the ASymm for me, I'm a goofy) has a panel vee out the last 12" of the tail. This is intended to increase the tail rocker on the toe edge side, so the toe edge rail, center line, and heel edge rail all have different rocker lines with more rocker on the toe edge and less rocker on the heel edge. I really like the way a round tail goes backside, but I also like the straighter rail and release of a hard square tail on my frontside rail.
Props to PlusOne shaper and Carl Ekstrom for inspiration on this one.
It looks like you've got it; I think DS has the best advice for how to ''save'' it. (I would throw it away and start over, it's just a blank and five fusions, lol).
I think this should emphasize to other DIY'ers how important it is to test fit the route before install. Route, leave jig in place while checking, run again if needed.
I think I might take a 2" grinder and take down the plug, leaving the caps as much as possible. Throw a carbon fiber patch like on that PlusOne in the other thread, grind down the caps and declare that you absolutely positively did it on purpose... exactly as planned. Grind the caps carefully - they do look cool like deadshaper shows sticking out of solid color - black in your case.
John, that’s exactly the advice I got from PlusOne Shaper, excet for the carbon fiber bit. I don’t have a 2" angle grinder but this might be a good reason to purchase another tool. However I’m kinda scarded to go at the boxes with an angle grinder with raw foam sitting snug up against the boxes!
It sounds like Plus One will help you out. I'd take him up on his offer. If you decide you'd like to try the carbon fiber thing, let me know via PM and I'll send a piece that will cover the tail.
OK, you guys convinced me. I’ll bring it in next week, thanks in advance for the help!
As far as resin color, I meant opaque, not tint. Was originally going to go with an army green/brown blend in the tail area, transitioning to blue, then to white in the nose with a sanded gloss finish. If it’s gonna look like crap because of the resin on the foam around the boxes I am open to suggestions…
If it is opaque enough, it probably won’t show, especially if it is not a solid color over the whole board. do a test piece, and if it is bad, you could seal the entire blank with clear lam resin before you lam. good luck, and hope this helps
My first box installed too deep because of a deep double concave… Stinks. I put a patch over the exposed foam and proceeded with the hot coat. Not to bad… Had to hand sand to open the slots up. Worked fine. Just made me mad because the whole board and the other 3 fins came out great.
