i understand all the aspects of laying up fin panels except for one thing: i am using 40 layers of 6oz. …do i lay up all the panels at once, or do i do 5 or more layers, let set…then continue laying up panels until all 40 are together??? pretty much how do i lay up the cloth panels??
thanks teddy…still here
Teddy- you want to lay them up 2 at a time but you do not have to let them cure in between, the only time I do is when I have colors that I don’t want to bleed into each other. Good Luck!
Watch out for heat as you build thickness. Two layers at a time is good (if you use a roller you can do more).
Assuming you’re doing a solid color, pigment all the resin first, then divide into batches. I doubt you can lay
up the whole sheet without stopping to let it cool. Get out ALL the air, bubbles are ugly in fins.
ALWAYS use a roller.
I recommend 5 layers at a time. Roll as you go, and lay up the whole stack, 5 layers at a time, in one sitting. Once the stack cures fully its grinding time.
how much resin should i plan on using for a 12" x 12" panel,for 40 layers??
how much resin should i plan on using for a 12" x 12" panel,for 40 layers??
Teddy- i’ve found that anything more than about 4 layers of dry cloth at once gets hard to wet out and starts to froth as you try and try to work it in and gradually your fin panel starts to get cloudy. so yeah 4-5 layers each time.
I’d say maybe 16 oz. total but it will go off too fast if you kick it all at once and pour bits out as you wet out all those layers. try kicking 4 oz. at a time. plus that way you wont waste resin.
i have made them by laying up 5 sheets at a time using 6 oz cloth, and built up the pannel to about 40 or 45 layers. i used uv resin and let each 5 layer panel gel, then i cut the outline of the fin into the new layer with a razor blade (it gets easier as the panel gets thicker) then let it fully cure and repeated (i used a different color each time, it looks cool when you foil it). i just liked doing it with the razor because cutting 45 layers of 6 oz cloth with a jig saw is a %!@*&. careful if you do this with opaque colored resin however, the uv resin may not cure fully (can easily be done with regular resin).
the middle board is an old one, it was my first attempt at making and glassing on a fin. i didn’t let each new layer cure so the colors bled as i built it up which made it weird when i foiled it.
I did them in epoxy and polyester, frankly polyester is a lot easier, but epoxy leaves me a lot happier with the lack of exposure to organics. But you can foil a polyester fin the same day.
I always catalyze, even using UV, because I want to lay the whole stack up at one sitting, and use of pigment and/or multiple layers makes UV tough (unless you gel a layer at a time).
Cut it out with a jigsaw or bandsaw, but use a blade made for cutting steel, with at least 3 teeth across the thickness of the panel (the 3 tooth rule of thumb). I had access to a metal cutting bandsaw which made it easy. With the right blade and some patience it is not so bad. At Rainbow they have a high pressure water jet to cut their panels to template. Very cool if you are doing a high volume.
There’s a fair amount of fin panel making and grinding info in the archives.
the board on top looks sweet!