So I’ve looked around and think I’ve found my problem.
I just hotcoated two boards, a bottom on one and deck on the other. They both have areas of being tacky like the wax agent didn’t rise. Then other areas are great.
It was cold when I first started, the resin bucket was chilled and a bit thick.
A. I should of warmed the resin a bit.
The wax was cold as well, there was areas of cloudy.
A. I strained it first.
Kick time
A. Not too fast, had kick of around 25 min, then 10 seconds under UV, 1 minute out of UV, finished with 10 min under UV.
And this is what I think was the killer, I probably just didn’t mix the wax with the resin enough.
A. Mix better.
So after all that, the real question is how to fix these areas? I plan on a “Speed Spray” finish.
So do I just mix up small batches and cover the tacky areas then sand like normal?
Sand the board and apply a new hotcoat? What I’ve seen not likely a good choice.
Sand the board and just speed spray it? I’ve seen the tacky will gum up the sandpaper and probably drive me nuts.
So I think the First Choice is the best Choice. Advice/Tips?
Get wax paper, the kind people use for cooking, and stick it to the tacky spots. Press the paper down well to the tacky areas to ensure full contact between the paper and any tacky areas. Then put the board with the wax paper stuck on it in a warm environment like inside your house. Leave it for a day or two and the resin should essentially suck the wax out of the paper and this will allow these tacky areas to fully cure and become sandable. This technique has worked for me in the past. Good luck!!!
Wow, I’m about to go on a trip, so I’ll try that and when I get back in a week see how it goes. I’m hoping this cool little trick works for me. Thanks.
If time is on your side, you can just wait a few days or more and it might just dry nice and hard for you. I had this issue at one point and my long WTF phase allowed it time to dry before I decided how to approach it.
Maybe you will be lucky in this case.
You can lightly apply wax paper and let it sit for a while without air between the two layers. I have done this and it worked.
Ok thanks for the advice. Quick update went to install fin boxes. After setting one up grabbed the other board to do the wax paper trick. No longer tacky, I guess like what you had happen MrMacdugal. After the fin patches cure I’m gonna flip the other and see if I’m that lucky to have both self fix. If not I’m doing the wax paper trick.
Surfer O knows the trick. Wax paper and warmth. Put it out in the sun for a bit if you can.
My guess is you brushed it too much. That’s the usual cause of tacky spots.
Ok, update. Back from the trip and thought I’d work on the boards today. They didn’t feel tacky to the touch but didn’t look like the wax had really raised either. So I tried to sand one, the deck was fine which didn’t have the tacky issue. Flipped it the bottom not so lucky. Sand paper clogged up and really didn’t sand well. So I stopped.
Now looking for advice? Should I continue to sand and just go thru a lot of sand paper? Stop there and just apply a new hotcoat, then sand as normal? And how about the other board, sand and hotcoat again? Or just apply a new hotcoat over it first?
" They didn’t feel tacky to the touch but didn’t look like the wax had really raised either. "
Did you try the wax paper method?
The wax isn’t going to rise once the resin has gelled. So even if you waited a few days it isn’t going to look any different.
Was this UV Cure resin? I got the stickies once in streaks because I didn’t wait long enough for the wax to rise. Now I walk away for 5 minutes before taking the board outside to cook.
Yes, It is Suncure. However I put some cat in it. Let it looking to giving a 15/20 min Kick time. Once it starts to gel I give it 10 secs in the uv booth. Rest 1 min, then 10 min back in the booth. Done quite a few boards like this no issues.
ok so here it is. Bad Wax, was the reason. That wasn’t the idea of the post was why but how to correct it. I tried the wax paper trick no luck, did a second Hot coat on each, with new wax.
But I’d like to share anyways, why it happened so hopefully it doesn’t happen to others. I learned a lot after talking with a resin guy when I got new Sanding Aid/Wax. As you may have noticed I stated in the beginning, it was cold when I started. That’s HUGE. So the sanding aid/wax seemed cloudy, so I strained it. MISTAKE. As the wax got cold it, it becomes solid again. By straining it I removed some (a lot) of the actual wax. Reducing my wax in the sanding aid, that’s why I had some areas that were good and others that were not. Made sense to me, like coconut oil at cooler temps its solid, put it in your hand it warms up and becomes liquid. So what I should of done was warm the sanding aid first. He suggested loosening the cap and placing the container in warm water for a few minutes. After the wax has remelted, shake it up well and its good to go.
Poly resin has an optimum temp of 24 deg celsius as told to me by my supplier, and the only time i have ever had issues like this was when it was too cold or cooler than 24. Buy a cafe thermometer like the barista’s use and warm your resin in hot water baths to 24 and then add your SA. Mix well and work as normal. If your glassing room is shit cold, then by a small fan heater.
Poly resin behaves best in the 70-75 degree range. But adjusting your catalyst +/- can compensate for temp variations. It’s one of the main differences as compared to epoxy, which has a set ratio.
As to straining SA? When that stuff sits for a long tme the wax wll separate from the styrene. Straining it serves no purpose and lessens the wax content because the wax clumps up. Better to warm it up and mix well before using. I’ve had cans of it become useless because it sat for too long. Not sure of the shelf life but it can go bad with age. When in doubt, throw it out.
I always strain my wax, but have never had this issue of not hardening when all was mixed right. Maybe I will stop straining and warm it. It never really occured to me that it was all hard like candle wax until I shake it due to being cool. It is usually at least 60 degrees in my shop, but thats enough to harden it right up I suppose.