Yeah, what the heck is all that?
Looks like there are bigger issues than the fin box at hand.
...Hammer time......
That there is the product of inexperience and having a fin box template that was to wide. Also it is extra fiberglass to fill the hole and epoxy that got really hot because I added too much catylist. So I tried to fix it the best way I knew how. If anyone saw pictures of my first board, this fin box f-up is a walk in the park compared to my first board that remains unfinished and is used as a practice board.
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That there is the product of inexperience and having a fin box template that was to wide. Also it is extra fiberglass to fill the hole and epoxy that got really hot because I added too much catylist. So I tried to fix it the best way I knew how. If anyone saw pictures of my first board, this fin box f-up is a walk in the park compared to my first board that remains unfinished and is used as a practice board.
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Good experience if nothing else. Next time you will know how to do things better.
My jig for the 10.5in box is made out of masonite. I used the box itself to trace the hole. The box fits flush into the jig. So make a new jig for the next one.
Are you sure you used EPOXY resin? Adding too much catalyst to epoxy is a crime, adding too little is also a crime. Both crimes are punishible by extreme tomfoolery and flaming on swaylocks. :D
Epoxy, when mixed correctly, will only get too hot if there is a large enough volume of it sitting in one space (eg. mixing cup, or inside the poorly routed fin box recess). Epoxy getting hot has nothing to do with the amount of catalyst added.
So I think you might have added to much catalyst to POLYESTER resin. (NOTE this resin can also get hot when in large volumes. The amount of catalyst will determine how fast it will get hot and cure).
Plan your next build to detail. Saying...."meh...ill get it done somehow" generally produces v.poor results.
I think what Ken is telling you is that there are bigger issues here than a bit of resin in the fin box.
Swaylocks has qualified people who can (and are willing to) guide you through the process, if you let them. But coming on after the fact, saying I have some resin in my fin box, and posting a pic like that, you're not really letting them. Not asking the right questions, at the right time.
I think that using a name like "kook", and posting pics of a disaster like that, shows you're willing to take some knocks, and you're looking for some guidance. You have a certain chutzpah and determination and tenacity to have gotten you here, and that's a good thing. But you need to temper that enthusiasm and momentum with some knowledge and surfboard building moxie.
My suggestion is that you go back to square one, and re-think what you know about surfboard building. I don't think anyone here wants to see you fail, ruin a blank and a board's worth of resin and fiberglass again, or post any more painful pics like that!
Learn what questions you need to ask. Learn the steps / procedures you need to build a quality surfboard. Learn to take your time, and not go on to the next step, until you got the one you're on right. Do you have any surfboard builders nearby who would let you watch any of the steps? Have you tried any of the instructional videos that have been recommended? Have you checked out the free information at Greenlight's website? Have you followed the links and read up on the threads recommended for beginners? http://www2.swaylocks.com/forums/faqbeginners-area-read-first-sticky-thread
The information is out there, you have people here willing to help where its needed, if you ask the right questions. You shouldn't have to make throwaway 'practise boards'.
Just something to think about.
Firstly always finish your projects dont just leave them sitting around, DO EACH STEP CORRECTLY… if you have a good template that shape is better, you can see little waves in your outline… if your shape was good than the lam will be easy… i can see burn through in areas that shouldn’t… if you lam is good your hotcoat will be butter…we will see what happens…as stated above with epoxy it is a 2-1 ratio most of the times, if you are adding to much or to little that is not good. the only time epoxy will get hot is in volume, which means you left it in the cup to long or filled to large of a gap, you should try to set up everything and prep everything to be ready before you even think about mixing epoxy, try to think of everything possible and eventually get a system down that you can repeat over and over. secondly their seem to be burn through in spots that really shouldn’t have them, i suggest not using a sander at this point in time since it seems to be getting the best of you, which also might mean you should not use the dremmel for your 10.5 box, try a flat head first so you dont sand out the bottom of your box. secondly i install my 10.5 boxs after my hotcoat, next make sure in your hotcoat you tape your box so you dont get more resin in it… when hotcoating make sure you fill in those pinholes around the box, take your time i am not sure if your rushing or not, but slow down… what is your rush?
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I think what Ken is telling you is that there are bigger issues here than a bit of resin in the fin box.
Swaylocks has qualified people who can (and are willing to) guide you through the process, if you let them. But coming on after the fact, saying I have some resin in my fin box, and posting a pic like that, you're not really letting them. Not asking the right questions, at the right time.
I think that using a name like "kook", and posting pics of a disaster like that, shows you're willing to take some knocks, and you're looking for some guidance. You have a certain chutzpah and determination and tenacity to have gotten you here, and that's a good thing. But you need to temper that enthusiasm and momentum with some knowledge and surfboard building moxie.
My suggestion is that you go back to square one, and re-think what you know about surfboard building. I don't think anyone here wants to see you fail, ruin a blank and a board's worth of resin and fiberglass again, or post any more painful pics like that!
Learn what questions you need to ask. Learn the steps / procedures you need to build a quality surfboard. Learn to take your time, and not go on to the next step, until you got the one you're on right. Do you have any surfboard builders nearby who would let you watch any of the steps? Have you tried any of the instructional videos that have been recommended? Have you checked out the free information at Greenlight's website? Have you followed the links and read up on the threads recommended for beginners? http://www2.swaylocks.com/forums/faqbeginners-area-read-first-sticky-thread
The information is out there, you have people here willing to help where its needed, if you ask the right questions. You shouldn't have to make throwaway 'practise boards'.
Just something to think about.
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Guys thank you so much for all the wisdom. I have read forum after forum on Swaylocks for answering my questions and guidance, and I have gotten the right questions that I have asked answered and with detail. I have been on Greenlight, and followed their videos and instructions to a T. I have also watched over and over Greg Loehr’s Epoxy 101 videos. Shaping is my escape from reality, I love doing it. I try and do my best and know that I am still in the learning stages of building boards. I appreciate all the guidance and wisdom that have come from these posts; if it were not for guys like Huck and a2tall, and many others with all of their knowledge, my board would be far worse than it is.
I have asked for local help and requested to come into shops and "apprentice", however with four young ones, a full time wife and job timing is not my strong suit and would rather surf with my kids then be in a shop without them. So I resort to my videos, Swaylocks and my garage for guidance.
I am hoping that the fin box is fixable. Trust me, I hate wasting my hard earned money on board materials that are not going to amount to anything that looks good or surf able. More than anything, I want to finally build a board that I can be proud of and that fellow Swaylockers will be proud of and that I can surf.
Thanks again everyone for all your help and constructive criticism. With a name like "kook" I am expecting everyone to give me sh#it.
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...with four young ones, a full time wife and job timing is not my strong suit and would rather surf with my kids then be in a shop without them...
...Trust me, I hate wasting my hard earned money on board materials that are not going to amount to anything that looks good or surf able. More than anything, I want to finally build a board that I can be proud of and that fellow Swaylockers will be proud of and that I can surf.
Thanks again everyone for all your help and constructive criticism. With a name like "kook" I am expecting everyone to give me sh#it.
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Hahaha, if you have a full-time wife, be thankful. Mine is tons of unpaid overtime, LOL.
I really don't think anyone is giving you sh#t, just trying to help you get where you want to be, via the imperfect channel of the internet. In reality, your board may not be that bad, but the photos you posted really do make it look pretty rough. Don't blame us, the photos are all we have to go by! - and they make it look like the template is off, the foil and rails need work, the glassing looks wrong, it looks like it was chewed up a bit by a belt sander, the fin box doesn't look lined up with the stringer, etc etc.
OK you got all your questions answered perfectly as you asked them, but what I was saying is, if you posted pictures of your blank as you were shaping it, you could get imput as to how to true up the template, shape the rails, check the foil. You could get imput as to how to lam, mark the fin box location, router it out accurately, set it without problems, etc etc. There are problems evident in the photo that could have been avoided, and people here would have helped you avoid them, if they had the opportunity.
Really, if you're happy with the board, and a bit of resin in the box is the only thing that concerns you about it, then carry on and ignore the rest of the imput. We're not trying to be harsh, only to help you improve your skills if that's what you want. At the end of the day, its your board, you can build it however you want, nobody wants to take that away from you. Surfing should be fun, board building should be fun, although neither is completely painless!
[quote="$1"]
[quote="$1"]
...with four young ones, a full time wife and job timing is not my strong suit and would rather surf with my kids then be in a shop without them...
...Trust me, I hate wasting my hard earned money on board materials that are not going to amount to anything that looks good or surf able. More than anything, I want to finally build a board that I can be proud of and that fellow Swaylockers will be proud of and that I can surf.
Thanks again everyone for all your help and constructive criticism. With a name like "kook" I am expecting everyone to give me sh#it.
[/quote]
Hahaha, if you have a full-time wife, be thankful. Mine is tons of unpaid overtime, LOL.
I really don't think anyone is giving you sh#t, just trying to help you get where you want to be, via the imperfect channel of the internet. In reality, your board may not be that bad, but the photos you posted really do make it look pretty rough. Don't blame us, the photos are all we have to go by! - and they make it look like the template is off, the foil and rails need work, the glassing looks wrong, it looks like it was chewed up a bit by a belt sander, the fin box doesn't look lined up with the stringer, etc etc.
OK you got all your questions answered perfectly as you asked them, but what I was saying is, if you posted pictures of your blank as you were shaping it, you could get imput as to how to true up the template, shape the rails, check the foil. You could get imput as to how to lam, mark the fin box location, router it out accurately, set it without problems, etc etc. There are problems evident in the photo that could have been avoided, and people here would have helped you avoid them, if they had the opportunity.
Really, if you're happy with the board, and a bit of resin in the box is the only thing that concerns you about it, then carry on and ignore the rest of the imput. We're not trying to be harsh, only to help you improve your skills if that's what you want. At the end of the day, its your board, you can build it however you want, nobody wants to take that away from you. Surfing should be fun, board building should be fun, although neither is completely painless!
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Huck believe me, the help is greatly appreciated, as is the advice. I know you guys are just looking out for us in-experienced builders. This is all a learning process for me and I am greatly appreciative. Stupid me thought that I could do this second board alone and without the help that I SO desperately needed. I’m not happy with the board the way it is. I made some mistakes that are not fixable, however, as someone else said, always finish the board. Never have a "practice" board. So I’m going to continue to post my progress on this post, and gain the expertise that I definitely need, and hopefully can salvage a decent "First" board out of all this! Thanks again for everything Huck!
What’s my next step besides CAREFULLY getting the resin out of the box?
Well you should patch all those burn through’s with some cloth to make sure you not burning through your hotcoat again… after that feather your edges for each patch as well as those high edges around your box, use your extra resin to fill in those holes around your box (i think you know what im going to say here tape off your box…) once you feel comfortable with the way your lam is, hotcoat your bottom and top (to get more resin on your rails tape the lower part of the rail and have your tape hanging off the board so no drips, than sand your whole rail where the hotcoat resin is, than flip the board and tape the same way… this will basically give you more resin on your rails so you dont burn through them… or you can just tape the mid point of the rails each time you hotcoat. than install leash device (plug, loop, drill through whatever your doing) sand the entire board smooth start with 80 or 100 grit, if you just want to surf it stop there, if you want it nice go to 240,320,400? heck 2000 if you really want to, but that is really unneccassary, surf it and make another one and take your time with it.
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...I know you guys are just looking out for us in-experienced builders. This is all a learning process for me and I am greatly appreciative..
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Thanks - I'm just a grommet too, when it comes to board building. I try to share what I know, answer a question if I can, and shut up and listen the rest of the time. Don't always succeed on every count, but I keep trying! Working on board no. 10 right now.
Thanks everyone, a2tall, Huck, everyone. Ill take the advice, take it slow, and post pictures so you guys can see my progress. Thanks again!