Glassing - Deck or Bottom first??

General Discussion
1

Hi,

 

I always glass the bottom first in every surfboard I make and I think almost everybody does the same, i was just wondering if there is any inconvenient in glassing the deck first, because sometime it might be useful depending on the job.

 

Thanks,

TR

 

2

if you are doing a tint/pigment on the deck and rails then do the deck first

3

I know this is just a Garage Glassers method, and not the most efficient, but it comes out cleaner.

  1. Single deck, with a tape line at the bottom of the rail.  Do your cut lap there.  It's easy if you dont squeege the cloth onto the tape, but leave it hanging as a curtain.  Since it's right at the bottom of the rail radius, no need for basting, pushing into the foam, or any of that.
  2. Single bottom ont a cut lap.  Since you are cutting against the hardened deck cloth, no damaging of the foam, and it cuts super clean. you can then sand the cut smooth without damaging the foam.  Again, no basting necessary.  Basting is just added useless weight.
  3. Second deck layer.  Again, cut the curtain right at the bottom of the rail.
More time consuming, but the seperate deck layers with the bottom sandwiched in between comes out super nice.  It's also easier to remove excass resin if you do your deck laminations seperately.
4

Here’s my technique for a no-sanding lamination

  1. Do the bottom lam with a cutlap.

  2. Do the top lam but only the area of exposed foam. Also a cutlap but this time the cut line is the same line as the first cutlap.  You should have a completely covered board with the two cloth layers coming together flush at the cutlap line.

  3. Do another top lamination but put the cutlap right at the bottom of the rail. 

  4. Hot coat that puppy and no sanding!!

 

I have a garage in an apartment so the less sanding dust on the neighbors the better.  Also I was having dust contamination issues between lam and hot-coat until I started  using this technique. When the hot-coat is ready to sand I’ll wetsand the bugger too.  Makes clean-up a little wet but wayyyyy less dust.

5

The method that you speak of does have it's advantages, but is more time consuming and requires an extra step.  In my opinion the layered rail makes for a stronger more shatter resistant rail.  The "bottom first, two layer deck at once" method was developed over the years in glass shops to speed up production.  If done right there is no need for cutlaps or basting unless you are doing a tint.

6

    Howzit McDing, A few years ago there was a thread about glassing the deck first and the consensous was that it has a tendency to make the board twist easier, somethig to do with the fact that the deck is not as flat and as the resin shrinks the blank twists. Aloha,Kokua

7

I wouldn't know about that as I always glass the bottom first.  If I were to glass a deck first there wouldn't be enough time between layups for anything to twist.  Once I start one I finish it.   I see no advantage to a deck first lay-up unless you are doing a resin tint deck.  Glassers used to do those, but not much anymore.  What I was trying to state is that the layered rail is a better rail layup.  I just don't see any sense in it as it requires an extra layup.  Unless I am doing Volan, S-glass or a tint;  I don't care to do cutlaps but prefer the freelap.  I have seen cutlaps tear in a line along the cutlap.  With a freelap the line is irregular and not a staight line pressure or stress point.   But you do what you have to do to make it look right, hence the need for a cutlap in the appropriate situation..  With practice and a few simple techniques either lap can be done cleanly and without all the hoopla that we so often hear on Sways.

8

The other reason the deck is sometimes done first is deckside airbrush/spray color. Bottom freelaps up onto the color (if bottom done first) can remain visible and/or create problems when cleaning up the lap line; i.e. hitting the color. Doing the deck first ''seals'' the color.

Mcding is right about freelaps being a little stronger, cuts are for color or volan.

9

    Howzit Mike, My last stint building boards lasted about 12 years and I would say that over 95% were free lapped glass jobs. Aloha,Kokua

10

…hello,

not a good and/or professional technique.

the STD modern glassing technique have 1 layer bottom 2 deck and 3 on the rails

this is the best way to “hold” that 0.5 - 0.8 mm of thickness and provides some rigidity in the rails (that is good to perform) and to prevent some damage regarding the way the boards are handshaped

 

-a deck lam first is not good cause you have a deck lap onto the bottom and then you have more “bump” on the bottom than if you do bottom layer first

11

Not if you cut the lap on the curve of the rail, and don’t let it go onto the flat.

12

…better the layer grabs onto the other side for several reasons; some: to prevent finger dents, structural, overall fatigue “distribution”