i’ve just glassed the bottom of my first board, and am worried that the glass hasn’t fully set yet. I used 1/4 oz. of go juice for 1 quart of resin. Its started to get cold here in encinitas, and i’m worried i didn’t use enough cat.
The leftover resin in my bucket has kicked and is solid but the laplines are still unsandable after an hour and three quarters. i’ve heard that the lam stays tacky so you can hot coat, but it doesn’t seem like the glass will stay on the board being this tackey. How long should i have to wait?
Also, can someone describe how well you should be able to see the cloth grain, as a measure of how much resin i should leave on the board.
QUESTION 2:
I got a finbox from Mitches for a 5.8 single fin. I hadn’t properly researched what i needed here and just took what the kid recommended. it happend to be a fins unlimited 10.5 and reads “channel” next to the 10.5 in the box. It has a really large lip, sticking 1/4 of an inch above the level of the slot where the fin pin starts. Do i have the wrong finbox type and/or length? If this is the right box, should i grind this lip down? all the finboxes on boards i’ve looked at don’t this lip.
You may have done everything right if the stuff in the bucket has kicked. If you look closely at the lamination, can you see micro air-gaps in-between the strands of the cloth? If you can, then your lam resin has drained into the blank and this is bad. To fix, you would have to mix another hot batch and “cherry coat” the lam to fill and kick it off.
If your weave is just filled and the “over” portion of the “over-and-under” in the weave is just sticking up, then you are golden. The voids between the weaves should be full of resin, but the lam should not reflect light; as this would be too wet.
In your weather/time of day, you may have to wait as much as 8 hours to have a lap line “meaty” enough to sand/file down. If it is wet still, then along with the “cherry coat” you may have to “baste” the lap line with some hot resin. Ideally, you shouldn’t have to bother with either one, but they are resources available to get you out of trouble…
…the fin box you got is the right one. The lip was introduced on the new version of the Bahne Channel (if you say finbox to either of the Bahne brothers, they will subtely correct you, or worse, ignore you). Usually, the channel is installed with a couple layers of 6 oz and white-pigmented resin. This is done after the board is all hotcoated. The hole for the channel is taped-off since this “potting” operation is potentially messy. Once the resin kicks to just firm like an eraser, you can trim the excess cloth with a sharp blade. Cut using the outside surface of the channel’s lip as a cutting board. (This is a hint that you should have your finbox, er channel, cloth “straight up” so you can trim it later).
Also, be sure the tabs are seated down on the board as the channel could float up on you a bit.
In the factory setting, we use a 4-1/2" high speed grinding wheel with 50 grit green disks. The lip is flushed in less than a minute. HTH.
maybe its just because its in answer to MY particular question (and i was starting to sweat it), but that was the most informative, professional reply i have ever read in the forums.
the 8 hours thing makes me feel alot better. i noticed a difference in the lam between 1:00hr and 1:30 after glassing so i don’t have a doubt now it will be fine.
I mainly do repairs but it always kills me waiting around for the lam resin to kick off. Just like the watched pot will never boil. Because I’m a garage operation I don’t have to be in a hurry to finish the job. I always plan something to do while the lam resin is setting up ,wash the car ,mow the lawn ect. Standing around touching the board and waiting for it to set up can be very nerve racking. Have fun.
i hear you ray, i got ansy and picked the board up to look at the laps after an hour and almost screwed the pooch. should have lammed it in the morning and then surfed.
I think i get extra points though, just for glassing when there is still swell. for the top i plan to do it and leave, so i am not tempted to hot coat it too soon.
I glassed a 10’1" longboard at the end of Dec using UV catalyst. The end result came out very good. I learned a few lessons like don’t start too late in the day and the drips on the floor (cardboard covered) won’t cure without UV light but over all I am sold on UV. I’ve done two repair jobs in Jan using the left over UV lam resin and I can’t belive how must faster I can complete the Job. I’m still using standard catlyst for my hot coat but I’m reading all the threads to see how other glassers are doing UV hot coats…Waiting for wax to rise ,how much time in the sun ect.
Howzit stingray, Keep using catalyst for your hot coats and after it gone off wait about 10 minutes, expose it to sun or UV lights for a fast cure.Aloha,Kokua