All I have left to do on my latest board is install the finbox and sand the hotacoat…I’m using a 10" box that I dug out of another board. I don’t have a router, so what I did was trace around the box onto the board, leaving about 1/8" around the perimeter of the box for the resin to fill in. I then used a dremel with a cut-off wheel to cut along my lines. I lifted the glass off and then used whatever I could find to dig out the foam to the proper level so that I have about 1/16" of box to grind down when all is said and done. Now I’m at the point of putting it in, and while my lines on the board are straight and lined up perfectly with the stringer, I’m not sure how to make sure the box STAYS straight once the slot is filled with resin and I tape it or weight it down…With room on all sides, it seems like it would move around alot. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Put a fin in, or a fin-like plate. Tape it off to the
sides of the board in exactly the position/alignment you want.
Also, you may want to clamp it in, resin expands when curing, and it can lift the box out.
Also, you may want to set the box flush instead of up 1/16th. Then, grind down 1/16th into the lip, and glass it back up to level.
Good advice, thanks blakestah…I was planning on taping the entire box top off so I wouldn’t get any resin in the slot. Guess I just have to be really careful, huh?
Masking it for the filler run is fine - run masking tape from the side of the fin over the lip of the box. Cut it sharp.
After the filler run grind the lip 1/16th below the glass, and glass over the lip. I lay the glass on, then cut around the inside of the lip, then put wax paper around the box insides, then pour resin and squeegee it in VERY carefully, and work the resin after it gels, and before it sets. It’s kind of a pain on the classic FU boxes, but entirely possible to finish it with style.
And it will be MUCH stronger with glass over, than without.
Hey Tenover…
For next time, they make a 1/4" router bit for the dremel. I used it on my first two boxes… takes a while if you have a thick stringer, but it’s not that bad. The router attachment helps smooth things out, but if your alternative is gouging out foam with sharp objects - holding the dremel in your hand should be just fine.
to lock the box in place i use a tip from a while back from herb s i think.
use a hot glue gun to drops on stringer and line up the box
Ah yes! The hot glue…I completely forgot about that.
rKelly- I have the router attachment and thought I had a router bit as well, but turns out it’s MIA. Definitely a must have…
Ah yes! The hot glue…I completely forgot about that.
rKelly- I have the router attachment and thought I had a router bit as well, but turns out it’s MIA. Definitely a must have…
if you have any young male yard apes lurking about, the bit is probably in the dirt performing some special duty they’ve assigned it! ah, the fruit of our loins…what would we do without them.
I AM doing this at the right stage though, correct? after the hotcoat, but before sanding? I didn’t know you were supposed to lay glass over it either, I was just going to use sanding resin and chopped up glass in the slot…
i just do resin and chopped glass…i don’t bother laying more cloth, and i’ve never had a problem. if there’s one thing i’ve learned, it’s that different people have different methods. do what you know…unless you want to experiment with something new…in that case, dive in.
Thanks soulstice…That’s exactly what I did, colored resin and chopped glass. Seemed to work out great.
i actually just recently switched to a different fin box. it’s pretty standard in every respect, except that it’s sealed at the top. you just put it in the finished blank just before doing the lam, glass right over it, and then grind off the top once it’s all kicked. it’s easier than most hookers and there’s no worry about dripping resin inside the box. ha ha…“hookers”…“dripping resin inside the box”…no pun intended…honest.
Soulstice,
What brand of fin box is that? Sealed makes sense. If possible I’d rather avoid taping and re-taping the slot and still be able to glass over the box…
Thanks,
Eric J
the box is made by o’fish’l. it’s quite spiffy.
i actually just recently switched to a different fin box. it's pretty standard in every respect, except that it's sealed at the top. you just put it in the finished blank just before doing the lam, glass right over it, and then grind off the top once it's all kicked. it's easier than most hookers and there's no worry about dripping resin inside the box. ha ha..."hookers"..."dripping resin inside the box"...no pun intended...honest.
I prefer the new FU to the O-Fishl. but if you like the O’Fishl, be sure
to drop plenty of resin in the hole in the blank before you glass over the top. A lot of repairs come in with no resin in the hole and no adhesion to the stringer or foam. Even the old FU boxes are better than that.
The new FUs have a lip to aid in glassing over the top. Route in the blank. Resin in the hole. Lay the glass over the top. Cut closely to the lip. Glass normally, and grind the lip off at the end.
The advantage is having plastic next to the fin instead of glass - the glass can chip/break/have sharp edges. But you keep the advantages of having glass over the top of the box, and having resing adhering the box to the foam/stringer.
A lot of repairs come in with no resin in the hole and no adhesion to the stringer or foam
people not putting in the finbox properly is ignorance or stupidity on the part of the person, not the company that makes the box. i’m kinda surprised to hear that people actually did that, but then again…some people never cease to amaze me with their lack of foresight. i’ll be sure to make it very clear to anyone who i ever recommend the o’fish’l finboxes to in the future that it still needs to be seated in properly…thanks for the heads up.
use lam resin not sanding resin. and sand the outside of your fin box and wipe with acetone. Austin S.