Hey guys, This is my first post but I’ve been using the forums heavily and learning alot. I am in San Francisco, been really into surfboard design for awhile but finally got around to setting up a little shaping space in the garage hallway. Turned out pretty sweet. I recently shaped a 9’6 longboard and I want to glass it myself. I have done plenty of repairs and worked with resins a bit, among other things. Generally handy guy and have a degree in sculpture so that helps!
I am researching and getting all my info straightened out before glassing with the Polyester resin/catalyst I picked up. I will be glassing with 7.5oz Volan cloth. I have some racks to glass on and I will put brown paper down arond the board for resin drips. Probably a couple layers of contractors brown paper. Hope thats enough…
My main question is this-I commonly do projects in my driveway, surfboard repairs, etc. It has become an extension of my garage space. I figured it would be better to NOT glass in the garage/shaping space for fear that it will linger in my garage and travel upstairs- and to glass the board in the driveway in open air. But I’ve never used this resin so I don’t know how far fumes travel and how long they will stick around in open air. I am going to attach an image of the front of my house/driveway and I’d like to know if you guys think it is a semi-appropriate space to glass in. Neighbors are pretty chill but if polyester resin in open air is really that dank, who knows.
Another concern…I will be glassing during the day starting in the morning. But at night, sometimes my roomates will come home from work and have a cigarette on the front porch/steps. If I glass in the mid morning, by 5/6pm will the fumes still be sitting present and potentially hazardous when someone may be smoking in the general area? Also, at the back of the garage about 30 feet behind the garage door is a water heater with pilot lit. Will that be an issue? I can glass with the garage door closed if that helps.
I did some browsing/searching but couldn’t find the type of opinion I needed-so I hope this is an appropriate first post.
Yeah, don’t do it. In your circumstances it would be way better to just use epoxy. No fumes to speak of, no nasty solvents to use for clean up, ample working time, and way stronger results. Your garage is right under your living area, if you glass there with PU you’ll be smelling fumes for a long time. As in, more than a day or two. That board will be gassing for a while after you’re done, too.
Consider the neighborhood in which you live and the likelihood of just one your neighbors getting butthurt and calling the fire department in the name of protecting their cute little kid from hazardous materials contamination. It’s amazing how acute a neighbor’s sense of smell can be when you’re doing something they don’t like.
Another thing to keep in mind. The resin drips will soak through the brown "contractors " paper so you’ll end up staining the concrete below it as well. Also, you’ll be stepping in it as you walk around the board and it will get slippery. You might try putting some plastic sheeting “visqueen” under the paper and then spreading some sand on the top of the paper (like the floors in Carpers’ glassing video. Hope it helps and good luck with the laminating.
I second using epoxy, if you are doing it near living spaces.
The plastic sheeting works well too, I get it for somewhere around 5-10 dollars each time I glass a board, and put that under. It works well for epoxy. If I was more careful, I could probably reuse it more, since the epoxy doesn’t stick to it, and just cracks off.
Another thing to keep in mind, I glass outside in a covered carport, and you have to be real careful, because there is all sorts of stuff floating around that wants to get in your lamination. Like one time it wasn’t supposed to rain, but 40 minutes into it curing, I got sideways rain that went in my carport… I brought the board inside, and luckily it cured fine. If you can do it safely in an enclosed area with good ventilation, go for that. But polyester resin is pretty intense to do anywhere near a living space.
Otherwise nice shape.
Good luck!
Jason
Thanks for the help folks, just sayin-I won’t be doing epoxy. I already ordered all the necessary supplies for poly. and all my boards are glassed that way so I want to keep that up. Does this resin really stink of an outdoor area that bad? I imagine within 10-15 feet of the board could be pretty dense smell but once the board cures and is in a sandable state wont alot of the fumes be blown away by then? and then I’m just working with the off gassing from the board itself and the sanding process?
I’m not glassing in my garage, but infront of it in my driveway in open air. I’d like to figure out the best way to make this work. I wonder if it would be better or worse to do the glassing in my shaping space with a fan blowing fumes out the door. But then my whole garage will get hit and likely itll work itsway upstairs?
Guess the main question in this post is how bad does this stuff smell when using it outdoors and how long does it take to dissipate in the air. If I do it around 8/9am and get most of the wet work out of the way it shouldn’t be too bad once its lammed and hot coated.
I would have considered UV if it was less smelly but the shaping area is tight and maneuvering a blank out the door it has to be tilted to go through the doorway so laminating and/or hot coat and then handling the board through the door and outside didnt seem viable.
When you mix the resin , do it outside cos it will stink , when you glass / lam the board do it outside cos it will stink , the wind will blow the stink away , but as soon as you take the board and the resin pots or brushes inside even for a few min it will stink up the place , if after you glass / lam you move the board to the garden or another outside location you will not stink up the house , do not take it into the house or garage and you will be ok , put all the wast like resin pots drop clothes into a plastic bag that you can seal and leave outside . What I am saying is dont take the stink inside . Good luck .
When I was using PE and VE resins in my garage I had neighbors a couple doors down complaining to me about the fumes. Every time I drive into the San Clemente ghetto or the Oceanside Airport park area I can always smell the sweet fumes of PE from the glassing operations.
But, if you’re committed then go forth and make sure you at least keep your gloves on. Acetone+resin is really bad for you.
Beware temp and sun. Since this is your first time I predict a disaster…I know cause the first two boards I ever made way back in the 80s were done in the driveway. Temp and sun affect cure times…anything that warms that lamination will speed things up considerably. It will probably all kick about the time you start lapping the rails. Good luck and have somebody video tape it or take pics.
Fuck it. No one is a permanent SF resident anymore and if the neighbors don’t like it they’ll be back to Nebraska or whatever soon. Or move closer to work in Silicon Valley but I digress.
If your roomies smoke cigs late at night and you don’t get complaints about the smell you’ll be fine, but then again, everyone smokes in the City.
You worry too much. By the time the resin gels the fumes will dissipate in open air.
If possible, do it in the shade. mako224 is right about Sun and temp causing problems. Direct Sun can make the resin kick in unpredictable ways, especially if you’re using color of any kind. Wind can also be an issue, as too much air flow can create fisheyes in a hotcoat or finish coat. If you’re concerned about reisn drips staining the concrete, buy a plastic tarp and put rosin paper on top of it. The paper will absorb most of the resin and the tarp will stop any bleed-through.
The Poly Police are out in force on Sways. Not only are most of the statements made in the first 3 or 4 replies Erroneous; but some of the statements are either down right lies or plain ignorant. Sammy and Mako are right. Your biggest obstical will be air temp and direct sunlight. If it is a cool or foggy day that can work against you as well. Other wise the smell dissipates pretty fast in the open air. Don’t worry about “upstairs”. Resin fumes hang low. Stronger smelling at floor level. Don’t use brown paper. Use the Red Rosin paper. Resin won’t penetrate that paper, A plastic tarp taped to the concrete with red plaster’s tape is even better. The fumes won’t explode just because there is a pilot light a or a smoker in the generall area. Poly barely smells until you catalyze and then the smell kicks in. What a bunch a puzzies. Lowel
Biggest problem i think you are going to have is keeping your board on the racks in this odd reverse gravity neighborhood you live in… Glassin at the Winchester Mystery House.
McDing, if you think poly doesn’t smell, you’ve clearly had too much of it up your nose! haha.
I can deal with the smell, but my wife hates it, so I stick to using epoxy for my own interests!
Outside the smell should dissapear quickly, try putting up a quick shade though so it doesnt kick too fast if its sunny. Also you’ll most likely have to put up with some bugs in your hotcoat - white foam and sticky resin - they love it!
pirate agenda brings up a good point, which crossed my mind but I forgot to mention Bugs! Even when I’ve done just a small ding job outdoors, I swear the bugs love the smell of poly. Flies, mosquitoes, gnats…they all want to land in wet resin.
And fog/humidity can also be an issue. If resin gets wet enough from ambient humidity it will fog and get milky spots. One good reason not to do a batch just before sundown. Dew/moisture will form on the board and you’ll get a cloudy looking layer.
My neighbors are nowhere near as close as in SF. Last fall I was glassing a board inside my shed with the doors closed and I can hear the neighbor lady outside her house saying to her husband “Come out here, It smells like there is a gas leak.” I’m in my shed thinking Oh Sheets!!!
As for using tarps or plastic on the ground: Don’t do it! You know how I know? I made that mistake once too!!! Ever try glassing a longboard fast enough to get the laps done before everything kicks while slipping and sliding on ice??? Thats what happened to me once many years ago when I made that mistake. Resin is like oil till it kicks and even a little bit of it between your shoes and plastic will result in some humor or not depending on the outcome. Then when you’re really trying to get the last bits done the resin on the plastic and your shoes starts to kick and next the plastic is sticking to your shoes. Oh yea…FUN TIMES!!! Oh to be 18 young and dumb again!!!
mako is also correct about what you use for ground cover. You don’t want slippery stuff, or anything that won’t lay flat and give good footing. Imagine trying to scuffle around doing the rails when you trip over a tarp that’s not layed flat. You spill the resin bucket or knock the board off the rack! Me? I’d rather deal with resin drips. Another foolproof means of keeping resin off the driveway is 1/8" luan plywood. Two sheets, cut and configured to match the size of the board you’re doing. Tape where the pieces butt together with duct tape. Easy to store and reusable.
…to all talking about to use epoxy resin: the problem to obtain a professionally finish outside with that weather is worst than with polyester.
I think that a possible solution could be put a Black Nylon or similar curtain to prevent Sun, wind, most of the fog and bugs; let a bit of free spaces in both sides of the curtain (to provide good escape for the fumes). It s cheap and then you can re utilize it.
Put couple of lights to see and workout the bubbles.
