So after not damaging a board in years, I ran a buddy’s brand new Machado over a newly revealed rock. (You know you have real friend when they’re still your friend after that.)
The good news - the damage isn’t that bad, mostly scratching and some shallow trenching of the glass. I’ve logged a decent amount of time repairing dings, so there’s a chance I might be able to handle this.
I’m seeking any info on the board’s construction or repair suggestions. The Firewire website seems to suggest the outer shell is fiberglass lammed with bio resin. Would any type of epoxy do the job here?
If the inner core is exposed you definitely need to use epoxy. That said, there are many different types. Some epoxies even require heat treatment to cure, so NO, any type of epoxy would not do.
I’d recommend a modern 2:1 epoxy to hardener formula that you might find in a surfboard material outlet.
Also - not sure if that is bondo on the outer shell(?) Here is another pic but I can’t tell if it is indeed a catalyzed bog/slurry or if it is some sort of sheet foam like Core-Cell. That is a curious separation shown in photo by WideAWAKE leading me to lean towards the catalyzed bog/slurry coating.
EDIT: Firewire website is calling it a high density aerospace composite deckskin. Not sure what that means exactly. It appears to be somewhat brittle?
hellium like fst before is a compsand build with high density foam sandwiched between fiberglass for skins and balsa/pawlonia rails on light eps core, nothing really fantastic but a good build. “aerospace” is a for marketing, that’s just an high density, near 100kg/m3 white foam, i bet it’s PET foam. So take a “surf epoxy” Uv treat resin and repair as usual.
I consider you to be one of the composite experts and have always respected your opinions so I’m taking that at full value. Do you have any ideas as to why or how the high density foam flaked off like in the photo?
As well… I haven’t seen the board in person after it was snapped but apparently it broke while duck diving (or maybe ditch and dive) on a decent day at the rock.
the exposed part of the board sure doesn’t look like eps foam.
Only supposition, look photo on my cel phone: this board buckle so skin separate from core up to break. Probably guy lift off unattached skin foam part by part with a cutter but what we see don’t look like eps foam but more some tan époxy (yellow basic époxy with microbalon) like inner layer in surftech tufflite or cobra sandwich windsurf. If so the skin foam delam very well from resin ! More like pu or xps foam than PVC or pet foam from my small expériments with those matérials… Need others better photos.
May be but PVC foam became a generic word for foam sandwich foam core, a white one at light weight don’t exist on the market, white ones can be PU or XPS or acrylic based PMA (rohacell) or PET foam which is put in front now because can be build from plastic bottle recycling. It can be a proprietary product too.
So I’m just curious what differentiates Helium construction from the original Firewire construction (other than the use of paulownia). Looks like the exact same Bert Burger tech to me. And are they vented?
