I think I understand. I thought you were refering to the MEK addative catalyst, but it seems you are refering to the UV catalyst that is already incorporated into UV resin. I will try the “flash” method to get the wax to rise. During this time of year I am generally working in temperatures less than 60 degrees. I would say the resin is pretty close to motor oil thickness, maybe thicker, but not like molasses. I will also try heating with a blow dryer. Thanks.
I didn’t think about it until you mentioned it, but can add a few cc’s of MEKP to the resin, let that set up a bit, then take it out in the sunlight to finish the cure. Been a while since I’ve glassed with suncure, but that’s what I used to do (also when glassing). The added bonus is that the drips that hit the floor will eventually kick, so you don’t have this gooey puddle to step in every time you go to mess with a board on the glassing stand.
…very bad idea to blow air when the resin is setting
When I was on the Central Coast of Cal. I used UV exstensively. If I glassed at night and it was kind of cool temp wise I would catalyze the resin. If it wasn’t set up in the AM I would walk it out into sunlight. If it was a lam I would set it on a rack and go do something else for awhile. I’d then come back a few minutes later and flip so the rails could go-off. Be careful about an unsecure board on a rack if it’s windy. When I hotcoated I would lightly styrene and sanding agent my resin. Lay it on, cross brush at diagonal to take off excess resin, Watching carefully to make sure I kept enough resin on the board to fill the weave. After sanding sometimes I woul put on a so-called “piss coat” Made up of sanding resin thinned 10% with acetone. Then Just sand the board lightly by hand with a fine grit. Seems like an extra step I know but it easily cleaned up exsposed weave and other little imperfections.
Oh ! Bye the way make sure you lam coat is "virgin’. Clean! Oils from you hands, grime, water or oil may come out of you air nozzel when you blow the blank off. Drain the water out of that compressor once in awhile and don’t put oil or other lubricants in the the line, fittings, spray nozzel or any other part that might drip or blow these contaminents on to your laminated blank,
i glass in an unheated area and in the winter time (here in the northeast of the us) my temps get down into the low 40’s in my work space. i have a radiator style electric heater i use to take the chill out of the air. when i glass or hot coat i will sit the buckt of resin on the heater for about 10 mins to thin the resin. makes all the difference in the world.
brasco
If I have done some light sanding on the laps of my lam coat, and it has been sitting for a week, prior to hot coat, whats the best way to clean the lam coat before hot coat application?
Sounds like heat is the safest answer, I will try it, thanx.
Sacrifice a clean white t-shirt soaked with a bit of acetone?
From the school of hard lessons learned: Blow it off first with compressed air! Then give it a wiping down if you feel like it needs it. I let a board sit for a week waiting on resin, wiped it down and managed to grind/smear nasty bits into the cloth leaving lovely, dark blotchy stains all over the board. Once that happens, they’re in there for the life of the board!
That makes sense, it may even bring some of the “tacky-ness” back to the lam coat.
Didn’t comment right away because it’s covered. Grind the laps. Blow it off with air. You shouldn’t have to do more than that. If you do see a hand print or dirt spot that won’t blow off; use a brand new white cotton rag dab it in acetone , rud/dab lightly. Be careful of what kind of gloves you are using. Some will leave handprints…
I seem to be unable to do a lam coat, and not leave a hanprint, ever! I do use gloves when glassing and when handling the shaped blank. But, at some point, you have to take the gloves off, and I have to turn the board over, in the sun, to let the lap on the other side cure. If I put on fresh gloves to do this, the rubber gloves stick to the fresh lam coat, and tear, if I don’t put on fresh gloves, my cleaned hands still leave finger prints. I will try the clean cloth and a little acetone to remove the finger prints, hopefully it will help. I think I have shaped about 13 boards in close to 7 years, and I don’t think I have ever avoided finger prints.
hey ross,
you could try using some sturdy one gallon ziploc bags to handle the board once its laminated. no prints, no torn gloves.
tommy
The microwave routine has always scared me a bit given the combustibility aspects. Ive had good luck just putting the resin in the garage sink with hot water for half an hour. Add more hot water after 15 mins. Unless you are working with a 55 gallon drum, and if its not all gunked up, bring your resin container inside the house overnight where it will stay warmer.
keep a roll of kitchen-style plastic wrap nearby. tear off and use two small pieces of that, one for each hand, to grab the rails and flip the board. Then pull off the plastic wrap & throw it away. costs basically nothing, avoids prints, nothing sticks (unless you grab the board WAY too early).
PS or wax paper if you don’t have plastic wrap handy.
Saran Wrap------------ The simple solution!. Before you set your board on the rack (either in the sun or your UV box) lay saran wrap on the rack. Lam side up, when it goes off, put a couple of pieces on the rail ech side at the point that you will grab the board to flip it. The saran wrap sticks easily to the sticky lam. Flip the board. If the saran wrap comes off the rack, just pick up one end and slide another piece back under on the rack, Saran wrap peels right off the lam and no hand prints. I use clear plastic “food handlers” gloves to flip mine. I always put a piece of saran wrap between a fresh lam and my rack. When you pick up the blank the saran wrap sticks to the blank put peels right off.
Rather than using a blow dryer or microwave, get yourself a heat lamp (like a red spotlight bulb) and screw it into any lamp socket, then set your pre-measured bucket of resin under it until it is warm enough to thin the resin to the desired viscosity. Works like a charm–used to do this with gloss resin when temps were a bit cooler than I’d like.
Thanks to eberyone for the helpful hints. Tomorow I am doing the hot coat, and oddly enough, it is forecasted to be 80+ degrees in Santa Cruz tomorow. I’ll put my resin can out in the sun, and it will probably be a mute point.
Ross