Okay, I’ve done searches on here and other places. I’ve even talked to some glassers. However I’m not getting any concrete info on how to make my own gloss resin out of lam resin. Can anyone lay it out for me? Being very meticulous about this, trying to avoid pitfalls and screw ups so I get a great gloss coat in the end.
All replies much appreciated in advance, thanks
I thought we made sanding resin from lamming resin…
Gloss resin is a bit different (additives and such) its definetly a different color
Right… adding the wax surfacing agent to lam resin so its sandable, and not sticky and gummy. But what do you add to come out with a good glass rez?
Kensurf is correct. Just buy some gloss resin. You’ll be much happier with the results.
I think the additives are cobalt, styrene and red dye #3…LOL!
from what ive been taught gloss resin is a much harder resin.
why and what for?.. i think it polishes better.
i think the red hue is from the cobalt?
goes off clear thats for sure.
I’ve heard the same as well. Different formulation and all that type of thing. Even though I’ not a chemist I don’t think it’s possible to make laminating resin into gloss resin.
dont waste your time…buy gloss resin. only time you can skip on real gloss resin is when your doing a wet sanded finish and not a polished finish,but i still dont recomend it because unless your a resin master goodluck on it flowing out.also if you try to polish hotcoat resin you’ll end up with a dull polish.
…like in everything to built your way to 10 dan is better to know how most
saying this
if you learn the skills to do a gloss with a lam resin and polish and rub out
when you do a gloss (apply, polish, rub out) with gloss resin and controlled rooms, is a children game
is possible to obtain a showroom gloss finish with lam resin and not so controlled room
I bet that many never worked in/with not so good conditions
there you show your skills
ill bite that hook.
true skills come into play no matter where or how you do it.
smart people do things in the right surroundings.
i work smart not hard.
i make progress not steps backwards.
gloss in a clean room …no dust.
and i would exaclty call the one room we do everything in a perfect gloss room…but i get them pretty darn close.
V
You can’t find gloss resin where you live?
I assume this is for one of your own boards and you’re not that concerned if it’s absolutely perfect? Let the pros start cringing now.
Take a quart of lam, add 20cc styrene, 20cc surfacing agent and a tad of blue tint. Mix well and run the whole batch through a filter cone while combing all the loose bristles and shit out of your brush. That should give you enough for both sides.
Wear gloves during final sanding and taping off the apron. Wipe down with a clean acetone rag followed by a strip of tape held across the board and dragged from end to end.
I use UV and a little MEKP catalyst. Brush the resin on and get ready with a couple of razor blades used as tongs to pick out any obvious bristles, zits, dog hair, pubic hair or bugs that get in it. Let settle for 15 minutes or so and expose to light. Once semi-cured, put it in direct sun for a day or two and it’ll be plenty hard enough to wet/dry (in stages from 320 to 400 to 600 grit should be OK) and buff.
Take a deep breath, move forward and remember it’s a homemade surfboard, not a $265,000 Ferrari. It’s gonna get wax smeared all over it, it’s gonna get dinged and it may get broken in half on the very first paddle out - before you even ride one wave. I’ve seen that happen.
“and i would exaclty call the one room we do everything in a perfect gloss room…”
think you meant WOULD’NT…cause that gloss room of ours is pretty freakin horrid. lol!
…I understand your point but because the answer, seems that the gloss will be not applied in a perfect gloss room conditions
and I try to confirm and encourage him that with some stuff in mind is possible to obtain a perfect finish (if its done by a skilled person) or satisfactory results if a rookie will do
"Being very meticulous about this, trying to avoid pitfalls and screw ups so I get a great gloss coat in the end. "
becuase you wrote that, it makes me think you want a very nice gloss/polish. in that case use what the pros use and try and buy some proper gloss resin. if not, then by all means do what you need to do to finish your board and go surf! if you cant get gloss, then basically just re-hotcoat your board but dont kick it as hot as a “hotcoat”(unless you live somewhere cold). i’m sure you know about the dust-free,clean board, no wind-draft things right? let us know how it goes!
Thanks for all the info. I see am still at the starting line with all this. I get my resin from Fiberlay, through a small store in town. This saves me the hassle of paying MSDS shipping charges. When I glossed a board before, I did buy gloss resin. However, this board I’m making is going on the shelf in the local surf shop for sale, so I want to get it real nice and wet gloss finish.
So back to Fiberlay, I see they have a Duracoat additive of some sort, under the polyst. rez section. It calls for a 50% mix. I’m wondering if that is what the gloss resin dreams are made of? 
Probably best to buy gloss resin.But then again even good Reichold gloss resin comes out dull when the wax rises and there is no such thing as a perfect gloss off a brush.The whole secret is in the polish.
agreed
…however, with a bad brush action and bad resin is possible that the polisher needs to start with a heavier grit due to the brush strokes and no resin leveling
and you ll finish with a not so “wet” finish, due to the sanding marks
so, if you do a “flat” perfect resin application, is very easy to obtain a perfect wet finish without marks
because you start polishing with a finer grit
"and i would exaclty call the one room we do everything in a perfect gloss room......"think you meant WOULD’NT…cause that gloss room of ours is pretty freakin horrid. lol!
yah probaly the biggest typo ive ever made.
so i have two doors that open whenever some one wants to know is so and so here.
a stair case leading over the boards. dust every where and wind flow like a wind tunnel.
but with the right preparation we can pull it off. lol
also ive done g/p boards in the back yard before i got drafted to the majors and you can tell the difference between a gloss resin board and a hot coat polished board…thats why they call it gloss resin.
if your in southern cali (la to sd) contact Surf Supply they make rounds daily and you can meet ryan at any one of his stops and they sell to anyone who has cash
other wise hit up you local boat yard and tell them what you want. they can get it for you.
Howzit DV, My glossing area had a dirt floor with grout sand on it to keep dust down and it work just fine. The trick was to run the sticky side of tape over board just before shooting the gloss.Aloha,Kokua