fin construction

I’am considering making some surfboard fins, can you tell me what oz. cloth is used, and how many layers?

I’am considering making some surfboard fins, can you tell me what oz. > cloth is used, and how many layers? The fins are easy to make. I used to save all my trimmings and sort them to size. It takes about 14-16 layers, it doesn’t matter what cloth you use. They can be cut out with a sabre-saw and foiled with any sander. The foiling is the itchy job though.

The fins are easy to make. I used to save all my trimmings and sort them > to size. It takes about 14-16 layers, it doesn’t matter what cloth you > use. They can be cut out with a sabre-saw and foiled with any sander. The > foiling is the itchy job though. Hey guys, I was wondering what the method of layering the glass up is. How do you start? Is it layer by layer, or all at once? Thanks for the help, ryan

A couple layers at a time if this is new to you.Stick with white opague it cleans up the best,and go to a hardware store and buy a good dustmask,nice fitting thin rubber gloves,and a paper paint suit with a hood.The gear I have described will help in the foiling phase(keep you from itching)+you can use it to lam with(keeps the resin off your skin/clothes).You need a respirator,and a pair of rubber boot wouldn’t hurt either.p.s. make sure you get all the air out of the lam that you can!

A couple layers at a time if this is new to you.Stick with white opague it > cleans up the best,and go to a hardware store and buy a good dustmask,nice > fitting thin rubber gloves,and a paper paint suit with a hood.The gear I > have described will help in the foiling phase(keep you from itching)+you > can use it to lam with(keeps the resin off your skin/clothes).You need a > respirator,and a pair of rubber boot wouldn’t hurt either.p.s. make sure > you get all the air out of the lam that you can! What Herb left out is, DON’T do this in the garage, patio, mom’s living room or anywhere that PERMANENT reminders of the attempt will remain. You need a large piece of cardboard or tarpaper to work over. Resin has a way of finding the only uncovered piece of realestate. If you wear anything that is not already ruined, it will be. I’m still recovering from the beatings that my dad dished out in Hawaii 40 years ago. I glassed boards on the lani with no paper or protection, I got to sand the military housing floors smooth and repaint them, whew!!! Jim, not the genius @ 15

What Herb left out is, DON’T do this in the garage, patio, mom’s living > room or anywhere that PERMANENT reminders of the attempt will remain. You > need a large piece of cardboard or tarpaper to work over. Resin has a way > of finding the only uncovered piece of realestate. If you wear anything > that is not already ruined, it will be. I’m still recovering from the > beatings that my dad dished out in Hawaii 40 years ago. I glassed boards > on the lani with no paper or protection, I got to sand the military > housing floors smooth and repaint them, whew!!! Jim, not the genius @ > 15 Thanks, but I’m still unclear of the actual method of layering. I’m fully aware of the hazards of resin. Do you take a couple layers of glass to start and just lay them on something, then wet them out? What do you lay them on so they won’t stick to it, and should the cut glass be similiar to the shape your looking for, or maybe just a larger sqaure shape which can be sanded down to the shape and foil you want. Thanks again, ryan

Ryan, Cut the glass in big squares. If you can do it, make them about 24"x24". that way you can get more than 1 fin out of it for all the hassle!! As I believe Jim said, a couple layers at a time . This is so you can keep quality control as far as watching for air and stuff. Even though you’re laying up a couple layers at a time, you want to do ALL the layers with the same batch of resin, this will negate any chance of layers not bonding together properly. Multi color fin layups are done with a multiple lamination process with a hot coat between the colors but that’s a whole 'nother story! Anyway, yes you can make 1 fin at a time, just make the panel large enough so the entire fin will be the same thickness when you cut it out; sometimes the edges of the panel taper down because of squeege-ing.Good luck!!

Ryan,You need a smooth flat surface to work on. If you can find a piece of used plate glass or a formica’d surface. You can used car wax to prep it with. apply one coat, buff with a rag then repeat. Have all of your cloth ready, don’t fire off the batch too fast, because laying up a fin sheet takes a while and the resin will go off on you in the bucket sooner than on the table. Wet out the table and put down one layer, work the air out and rewet. Next put down two layers, squeegee those out well, looking for air and repeat the process until done. When the sheet has set, mix up a waxed hot coat and seal the exposed surface. When the sheet is thoroughly cured,start a wedge of wood or plastic under one corner and slowly free the glass sheet from the lay up table. You will feel the hairs stand up on your arms while doing this as it creates a static charge as the two seperate. Using a scrath awl or tempered sheet rock screw you can etch the outline of your fin template onto the sheet. When cutting them out is is best to leave the extra scrap on the fin base, this gives you some room to clamp to while foiling. After the fin has been foiled, cut off the remaining part on the base. You now have your set of fins, for longboard center fins the process is the same, just use 30 layers of cloth. Oh how I long for those days at Fins Unlimited, one night(I was working night shift)I foiled 455 glass ons @ .20 cents each. Now that’s work!!!

Ryan,You need a smooth flat surface to work on. If you can find a piece of > used plate glass or a formica’d surface. You can used car wax to prep it > with. apply one coat, buff with a rag then repeat. Have all of your cloth > ready, don’t fire off the batch too fast, because laying up a fin sheet > takes a while and the resin will go off on you in the bucket sooner than > on the table. Wet out the table and put down one layer, work the air out > and rewet. Next put down two layers, squeegee those out well, looking for > air and repeat the process until done. When the sheet has set, mix up a > waxed hot coat and seal the exposed surface. When the sheet is thoroughly > cured,start a wedge of wood or plastic under one corner and slowly free > the glass sheet from the lay up table. You will feel the hairs stand up on > your arms while doing this as it creates a static charge as the two > seperate. Using a scrath awl or tempered sheet rock screw you can etch the > outline of your fin template onto the sheet. When cutting them out is is > best to leave the extra scrap on the fin base, this gives you some room to > clamp to while foiling. After the fin has been foiled, cut off the > remaining part on the base. You now have your set of fins, for longboard > center fins the process is the same, just use 30 layers of cloth. Oh how I > long for those days at Fins Unlimited, one night(I was working night > shift)I foiled 455 glass ons @ .20 cents each. Now that’s work!!! Nice job Jim but I want to do multi colored and maybe cloth and planned on letting colors kick and move on. Tom mentions hot coat next to colors and this seems to add work and I don’t see the benefit, Little help jim and tom before i screw up.Oh I have to use 36 of 6oz and 3 layers is about as much as i want to handle at one time.coool site swaylock mike

Nice job Jim but I want to do multi colored and maybe cloth and planned on > letting colors kick and move on. Tom mentions hot coat next to colors and > this seems to add work and I don’t see the benefit, Little help jim and > tom before i screw up.Oh I have to use 36 of 6oz and 3 layers is about as > much as i want to handle at one time.coool site swaylock mike What type of resin is used, laminating or hot coat? If laminating resin is used doesn’t that cause problems by gumming up the sandpaper when foiling?

This link should help. Surfboard fins are simular to windsurfing fins. http://callisto.my.mtu.edu/windsurfing/fin.html http://www.viser.net/~anthwind/

No,laminating resin only remains gummy on the surface(s),The reason you hotcoat between color lams is so the colors remain even during & after foiling.You must sand the hot coat throughly before lamming the next color.p.s. you can also use color hotcoats between lams too!