Does anyone have a picture they could post of a finished lam, either wet or dry?
I just tried my first lam and I came out horrible. I’m pretty sure I did just about everything wrong. Lap too long, air bubbles, too much resin, etc.
Some stupid questions:
should the weave be visible when finised, or completely covered in resin?
How do you avoid pulling a ton of fibers off the end of the lap?
Uggh.
Sounds like just about everyones first try. The JC video will really help to get you in the ballpark. First lam biggest mistake is almost always kicking the resin too soon to finish. Yes the weave should be very visable but thoroughly wetted and coated (clear). I asked the same question after my first lam. Now I’m into pulling as much resin out of the weave as I can to make lighter stronger lams. It has to be wet long enough to turn the cloth clear and soak into the foam a bit but not too long. There should be no visible puddles or drops of resin on the lam in a perfect world. Friggin strings are the bane of glassing and basically unavoidable. Some good tips in the archives from Kokua and Sylvia I think. Don’t touch the edges of the wet lap when it is hanging…All you will get is strings coming loose. At the widest point of the curve you can pull a few of the short strings off before you start as these come off the easiest. Use a hard bondo spreader once you tuck them under to really spread the lap edge flat. You will be miles ahead when it come to sanding the lap in prep for the deck lam. Sorry I do not have a picture. The weave should be roughly half full of resin but completely coated. Any dry spots and you will get pin air from the foam when you hot coat. This has been my experience so far.
Krokus
I have only done 8 boards but I was able to reduce the strings a lot by using a sharp scissors and cutting the cloth on the board right before I start to glass. At first I would cut the cloth, fold it, and carrying everything out to a screened tent I glass in. When unfolding the cloth onto the board a lot strings were created. Hope this helps. Frank
Thanks for the replies. I was definitely putting too much resin over the cloth. The JC video shows how to do it, but doesn’t have any close up shots of what the weave should look like. I also had trouble getting the laps saturated, but an recent post set me in the right direction for that.
Oh well, looks like I’ll have to get another blank and try again.
Darn 
Thanks again.
P
WHOA WHOA WHOA man hold up
Dont just drop it and quit like that. FINISH the board. I was in the same position, wanting to scrap the board I was working on and just starting over. Peole at Swaylocks stopped me - and I’m glad they did.
Sand and grind the laps down, cut open any open bubbles, etc. etc.
It might look like crap now - but trust me, after a hot coat and gloss and any tiny fix ups you have to make - you can still have a pretty decent looking board.
My first glass job was terrible, and looked it. But - it looked a WHOLE lot better once it was finished - minus the fins 
Still a great board though.
So just remember that even if it looks terrible now, the ugly duck will always be your favorite board. Dont give up on it so soon.
I’m with Bryan. Don’t scrap it. I am just finishing up a first board and you should have seen it after the first lamination. Everything went wrong - resin kicked too fast creating dry spots, lumps on the deck and a truly horrible lap. After etensive plastic surgery we are preparing to gloss and it looks nearly respectable. Cut out the dry spots, sand or grind off lumps maybe even re glass w/ lightweight cloth and you can salvage it without adding too much weight.
I know how you feel about the JC video not showing how much resin to leave. The first board I glassed I had a gallon of resin in it so that the top and bottom lam were not showing any weave. I finished it up and the thing ended up being around 15 to 20 lbs for a 6’0" shortboard. I surfed it a few times then gave it to a friend who had been having some hard times. As heavy as it is he still loves it.
I would say finish it up, its good practice for your next board. You don’t want to ruin another board on a later step because you did not take this board to finish. After you are done surf it some then sell it for $50 something or give it to a kid who needs a new board. Just don’t stop now.
Bryan, Alex 'drive:
By no means am I giving up on this board. IT WILL RIDE. If it sucks, it’ll end up on the ceiling in my shack as my first board, no matter how ugly.
I’m just gonna have to keep going until I get better…and better…
Thanks.
P