"hemp seems a little cheechnchongy or was that chimichangy? "
well, I asked the girl at the shop about burning board sacrifices …
SHE reckoned the cops wouldn’t come running
…but I reckon she just wanted me put away [she would not be alone !]
ben
Ben, when you’ve done the fin, and its “kicking” can you leave it overnight before putting the final coat of filler resin on??.
Hi Mark !
Well, for me, at this time of year , I normally filler coat within / after about an hour of the layup.
In winter , I suppose you could leave it longer . But , being that the lam resin stays sticky anyway , I figure that I may as well seal it with filler [‘sanding’] resin , so it sets hard / ‘dry’ enough to cut out and foil soon enough. Of course , others’ experiences may vary , this is only what I [the tinkerer ] do for mine .
It’s timely that you bought this ‘thread’ back to life , actually , Mark , as today , [and hopefully , tomorrow , too !] I got the hemp and other fins ready for foiling. I got a new fibreglass grinding disc for the grinder , and …
…stay tuned …
cheers mate !
ben
There are howling onshores forecast , again , for tomorrow . [Hopefully the rain will hold off though , unlike last night , and today !]
I have had heaps of people over the years here , ask me " HOW do you lay up a fin ? "
So, sorry for the shameless "bump" of this thread , but hopefully it might help some new people here ?
I only rediscovered this thread ten minutes ago , while searching for something ELSE [the search facility here is full of surprises sometimes , it doesn't always answer your question ! ha ]
cheers !
ben
well, perhaps we should also bump “how to not make fins”? (ha)
… or not …
[quote="$1"]
Where's the finished product?
[/quote]
not the quads I pictured at the start of this thread [long since in other's boards] but ...
...these ARE hemp inlay fins too, and quad sets ...
cheers , " Rhino " ! [ ....if you ARE still here , six years later ??? Many from those days have long since left .... or , like me , had a few name changes ! :) ]
ben
bumped , for you , ' jrandy ' , as you were asking about this subject , the other day ,
and [? hopefully ? ] seeing photos will explain it better , than me rabbiting on
.... enjoy !
cheers mate !
ben
Thanks for the bump Ben. I want to say I saw this a while ago but have not seen it again until now. All the words and all the pictures help. Sometimes I need to see it 3-4 times for it to make sense...
My current fin project is plywood for the foiled surface with fiberglass layers for strength and color.
I have discovered that if one lacks plate glass, an old partical board shelf with shelf paper and vegatable shortening will work. Resin sticks to the shelf paper but not to the shortening.
hi , 'J' !
If you fel like photographing them , I'd sure like to see some shots of the fins you're making , please ...sounds INTERESTING !
Regarding what to lay the panels up on ....
Go with glass , mate , don't complicate things unneccessarily !
A cheap option , as it DOESN'T have to be 'PLATE' glass , is ...
if you are making , say , 8x10" fin panels ... and are strapped for cash , go to a second hand shop , or a 2 dollar or 5 dollar shop [depending what country you live in ?]
or a swap meet
or garage sale
[ or , free ! ...scout amongst council's roadside rubbish throwowout days] ...often I find glass cabinet doors , or shelves , in old 3-in-one musical cabinets being thrown out , for example . Sometimes , old mirrors , too !
If you can go to some of the old clothing stores [you have 'op shops' , yes?] , sometimes THEY will have 8x10 " [sometimes , even BIGGER !] photo frames...we sometimes have them here for as cheap as 2 to 5aus dollars , each !
As long as you are careful removing your panel from the glass , and the glass isn't TOO thin , I find I generally can get quite a few months use out of each piece of glass. Hence , the masking tape around the edges of each panel , too ...makes it easier , when [GENTLY !] levering the fin panel off the glass pane. I use a paint scraper , but probably even a plastic egg flip might do it ? [less , to no , scratches]
okay ...I hope this helps ?
cheers mate ,
happy 'fin panelling' !
ben
[ or , free ! ...scout amongst council's roadside rubbish throwowout days] ...often I find glass cabinet doors , or shelves *, in old 3-in-one musical cabinets being thrown out , for example . Sometimes , old mirrors , too !
* like this one was .....
cheers !
ben
Hey Chip, I’m sure you’ve done some fins with angled tabs (i.e., bonzer sidebites for FCS). Do you have any photos or tips on doing them?
Hey mate, I’m pretty sure Ben just uses some kind of aluminium (?) or plastic that is bent, and covers with baking paper ( so it doesn’t stick ), and then lays the glass on that.
[quote="$1"]
Hey Chip, I'm sure you've done some fins with angled tabs (i.e., bonzer sidebites for FCS). Do you have any photos or tips on doing them?
[/quote]
lili !!!
you must be a mind reader mate !
it was only two days ago that I was thinking ,
" one day soon I REALLY need to have a go at making CANTED runners ! " [this , after riding Nathan's 6'er , with these ....
...my homemade , UNcanted " mini side runners " ! ]
so, the short answer is , unfortunately , no [ well, I haven't LAYED UP canted ones ...not yet , anyway !]
I would think something along the lines of what you said , though , Mark / 'Beery' ! [you may have seen the CURVED fins 'mould' , that Marty made me , eh ? ... as seen on the 'my fin tinkerings' thread... ]
I'd also think I could simply tilt the glass pane I lay the cloth up on , then lay up the tabs [flat] off the edge of the pane , if that makes sense ?
or ....
.....use semi rigid plastic [heat-proof] , that I could bend to the required shape , and lay panels up on that ! [something like the overhead projector transparency stuff might do the job ?]
With making the tabs for the mini curved fins that I made , I masking-taped a ruler to the edge of the panel, and layed up / built up the tabs layer by layer ...and as you said , used wax paper to lay it up on ...what a pain ! I'm sure that it would be MUCH EASIER , using glass or heatproof plastic I could bend , than doing the "release agent wax on , wax off " thing , that people often speak of here .
so , 'Lili' ...
maybe you and I can compare notes , when we eventually get around to laying up some CANTED runners , eh ?
...BUT...
don't forget 'PLUSONE SHAPER' / George Gall's EXCELLENT 'moulding fin bases' threads !
Do you remember / did you see those threads , first time round ?
There , he photographed how to set the bonzer runners' angles , in the fin base mould .
'Hicksy' and I DID do a couple of 'runners' sets that way , after George posted the thread .
It was YEARS ago , now . I think the photos may even be posted on one of those threads , from memory ? [ ... during my 'chipfish61' posting days]
.... good old 'plus one shaper' , eh !! ...Many thanks , George !
by the way , 'Pico' also mentioned [but I forget on WHICH thread ...maybe the 'home made fins' one ?? ] how he created the angle for homemade 'Futures' fins of his ...I'll see if I can find his comment , or else contact him , ourselves ?
cheers !
ben
Ben, glad this one got pulled up again. I have lost my garage for the forseeable future and my space is very limited. I am contemplating trying to make fins again. I won’t be able to foil them at my new place, but perhaps I can lay them up and foil them at a friends house (thereby trashing his garage with grindings.). I will add to this thread if I get it off the ground.
all the best
hi Greg !
thanks for the reply to this thread , mate !
I’m sorry to read that you lost your garage , and that space is limited , Greg !
BUT , I am STOKED that you can at least lay up fins !
As you can see , a bench space as small as a kitchen sink in a ‘flat’ [ that would translate to being a ‘small apartment’ , there , mate !] , can be used …well, in my case , at least ?
… let’s hope that your mate doesn’t mind itchy fibreglass dust , and noise. Actually , it should all be good , as long as you vacuum , air the place , ? mop down the floor ? after each time .
And , of course , please wear full protective clothing at all times , ESPECIALLY when grinding / foiling , sanding fins ! [and , maybe spray air freshener ? … I burn incense , after each ‘panel laying up session’ is over , as well as leaving all the windows and doors open for HOURS afterwards]. Obviously , removing any fibreglassy stuff in the rubbish , after each session , too, helps the smell to go away !
I eagerly await seeing your panels , thanks , mate !
cheers !
ben
…it’s been a while [I’ve lived 2000 miles east of west australia for over a YEAR now , for starters ! ]
and of course , I am still making fin panels !
two questions …
1. anyone interested in buying a panel or two ? [ I have HEAPS ] !
2. is anyone ELSE giving this [making their own panels for fins ] a go ??
if so … please feel FREE to post shots of your panels , here !
cheers !
ben
One tip regarding your final coating of poliester resin. No need to use a final coating of sanding resin. Simply place a sheet of wax paper on top of your panel and squeegie it lightly into the resin on top of your final layer. It will peel right off once the resin cures. It seals out the air so you get a full cure with no sanding additive needed.
mako makes a good point. When I was doing fin panels I always covered the layup with wax paper so the dead weight on top wouldn’t stick. It also served the purpose of an air barrier, which is the whole function of SA in poly, anyway. Instead of having wax in a solution, the wax is in the paper on top.
cheers guys
I have so much filler resin to spare , and only use 25-50mls anyway , may as well use it up eh !
I’ve had a request for a multi-coloured panel , so , when I get some more [laminating] resin , THAT will be my next project , on this thread …