I just shaped my first board, and I want to glass my own boards. I’m working out of a shed in my backyard. Temperatures in the shed range from 50 degrees in the mornings to maybe 85-90 on a hot day. Any recommendations as to when the ideal, lowest, and warmest temperature I should glass? Btw, I’m working with PU foam and standard sanding resin. Thanks!
Ideal humidity %?
You glass boards with laminating resin…not sanding resin. Let’s start with that before you have to start a thread about glassing problems.
If you use UV curing resin, which I would highly advise, temperature in the ranges you mention won’t be much of a factor. If you plan on using the traditional mec peroxide catylist in the resin temperature becomes critical.
That board looks so sick. Very nice man. lamanating resin to apply fibergalss to the foam. Sanding resin for hotcoats. Do a bunch of research on both types of resin before you glass your board. ideal temp is 70 F. laminate your board and hotcoat on falling temps. If the temp is rising, the blank might out gas and blow your laminate or hotcoat off the shaped blank. Def use UV cure resin too. If the temp is under 70 F you just need to add a touch more catalyst. Good luck man!! great work so far.
Also, if you use UV cure resin, definately do abunch of research on the archives about how to use the stuff properly. There are a lot of little tips about using it that will help u get great results.
Good to know. Yeah sorry mako, this is all new to me. Thanks a lot for your help guys
Unless it’s raining humidity shouldn’t be much an issue. IDEALLY dry is better but not a deal breaker.
I’d be more concerned about how you’re going to deal with the spikey looking hooktail… overlaps on a normal tail can be tricky but I’m not real sure how I’d approach that one…
I’m tempted to say just trim the glass pretty close before laminating the bottom and let the excess cloth stick straight out. From there, after it cures, you might build up some glass rope on the other side. Use the excess flap from the first lamination to ‘hold’ the rope in place around the edges. Do your deck lamination over it before it sets up. You might be able to create a kind of ‘halo’ of glass around the pointy part. It looks super vulnerable to me and it’s likely gonna be a bitch to glass any way you do it.
I wouldn’t be shy about reinforcing with the fin rope - build up around the tip and kind of spread it out on the wider section of the tail. I’d also be very careful when wiping out. That thing could spear you… !
Wow, that’s your first board? Well done. Ambitious design. Finless? My glassing advice, pay attention to John and the above posters. Go clear so you don’t f…k up a nice first effort. Mike
I understand what you mean about forming a halo, but what is glass rope? Would my local supplier have some? Also, how large should I trim the halo/ edge down for the rope to set in, while also having the ability to overlap the following sheet? 1/16, 1/8in?
As for the danger of spearing me, I have recently squared off the point. lol
Thanks alot Mike, yes this will be finless. I’m putting on aggressive resin edges on both the toeside rail and heel side exactly like Derek Hynd’s FFFF boards.
…hello man; clean (at least in that photo) shape; dark walls; ok light; good racks; seems that you are starting right.
Humidity is bad in Winter; so humidity + cold (less than 14C) is nothing good; also is not good for the gloss coat. But you are ok right now.
My advice is to do a cut lap clear lamination. Will be much easier for that tail and in general. Im observing the tail and for you; first time glassing, do the normal cut at the stringer and corners then do 2 smaller release cuts on the cutaway; in this way you can stretch pretty well the fiberglass with an small squeegee. For the deck lamination, better to go free lap due to possible problems with the taping, adhesion etc; but do the same type of relief cuts to avoid problems. -If you use resin with UV starter add MEKP too (in less quantity than with normal resin) After every lamination I put 5 layers more of fiberglass on the tail (edge) and couple of inches into the rails to prevention and really works; works better than roving rope.
Great looking board you have there, just saying. As for glassing I have only made a few and I’m still learning, I’ll let the others fill you in.
PS if youre doing epoxy hudity can effect it and you definately want a resin dam around your pointy tail.
PSS I made a rabbits foot copy as one of my first boards too.
Hi - The supply shop might have it listed as ‘fin rope.’ It’s unwoven strands of fiberglass. If you leave the bottom lamination with the edge sticking straight out, fill with strands of glass rope on the the other side, then sandwich the deck lamination directly over the rope filler, you can get away with no overlap… I.E. along the edges there won’t be an overlap, just stacked layers of cloth and rope. I like the other ideas presented here as well… like multiple layers of cloth, skip color, etc.
Bottom full drape with cloth. Cut to near edge, over hang about 1/4 inch (zipper cut with no zipping)…small relief cuts to edge, but not into edge… this will bend cloth into that shape no problem, and have solid cloth all the way around. cut corners as usual. let cure. flip board, put small thin bead of resin in stiff 1/4 pocket…let kick. grind edge. Now glass top same way…Grind away. Fin rope is adding a complexity and potential work around that might not be necessary.
I like a cold room 60+ degree with a warm catalyst batch. Or use UV resin with a little catalyst. This gives you superior work time, a hard walk out to the sun kick, kick under lams or color work… and anything that got on the floor will kick from the MEPK.