Filling in dings and holes in shaped blank?

Hiya there everyone,

So throughout the process of shaping my blank and putting in the fin boxes, i have notices that there are little pockets of air in the foam that are now half exposed.  Furthermore, I didn’t realize how delicate the sahped blank is and accidentally put a couple of dings into the rails and top - nothing to crazy, but I would like to fill them in before glassing.  How would y’all suggest taking care of/filling in these dings and holes.  For reference, its competition light foam.  Thanks in advance!

Zach

Poly blank?  if so hit the ding with a heat gun, the foam will expand and pop the ding out…lightly resand.  Be careful not to burn the foam.

As for the air pockets in the foam. just leave them alone and glass it.  If you fill them with something it will show up worse that the little bubbles.

EPS/epoxy: make a putty from epoxy and Qcell. Don’t use other fillers like talc (heavy) or  cabosil (sets hard)

Edited out my brain fart where I got qcell and Cabosil switched.

Mix on a board with a putty knife, not in a cup.

People question it when I tell them this method until they try it.

Get an iron. Yes like the one you iron your clothes with. Plug it in on high.

Wet a clear sheet of clear copy paper. Fully soak it.

Lay over dings,

place iron flat over area on top of water-soaked paper.

Ding will rise and iron will keep it from over-rising.

Works unreal.

Heat guns work, but often burns foam and yellow it.

An Aussie friend of mine taught me that one.

Good Luck.

Barry…that’s a great old wood worker trick for taking dings out of wood too!  Just as long as its a ding and not a gash cut.

What’s clear copy paper?

Same as blank, I’ll bet.

Lite weight spackle works just fine.  Funny that Fast-n-final put an optic brightened in theirs.  Now it’s a good match for Arctic and Millenium.  Dab it with yor finger.  Don’t smear it.  Screen it when it’s dry(24hr).  I used a heat gun last night to take out a couple of dents.  Once the gun is hot it only takes a quick pass or two.  Yes using an iron is an old wood worker trick.

You are correct sir.

Barry, 

Like you said, I doubted you until I tried it and wow, it really does work unreal.   Takes the dings and scratches out and makes it look like they were never even there.  Thanks for your .02.  The iron is now on my go to method.  

Cool.

Glad to see that worked for you.

My Friend Mike Andrews showed me that.

He’s a head shaper at CI now.

“Tripped out” a few people with that one.

Timely tread!

Mahalo.

here is one

gash or ding?

I’m thinking

a ding could be something like

my finger or elbow dents on those first orange blanks

Careful now!

But Kaka happens!