im trying to glass my first longboard…and i cant seem to cut a notch in the cloth at the nose that works. ive done a few shortboards but obviously the nose is much different on a longboard can anybody help?
some glassing experts can glass a wide longboard nose with just one cut
I never could, and use as many as 5 cuts, but 3 is better, to span a rounded, 17" wide nose.
So what if the tint colors show the overlap at the cuts, it’s just a show of the craftsmanship and care that you can make the overlap disappear when you FEEL the board.
It’s been said that a truly expert glasser can make it with ONE cut and plenty of TLC in the prep process
speaking from purely theoretically knowledge not practical experience,
I either read this here or picked it up from the master glasser video (forget which) but either way…
You can use weave to help you make the turns in the nose. Stretch the cloth a little first, then
as you turn the laps under and start making the turn at the nose start pushing the weave back
together a little, which will effectively reduce the amount of material along the edge and the lap.
Hopefully others with actually experience will also chime in suggestions.
good luck
–4est
sorry boys, one slit along the outer edge of the nose works fine. not counting the center stringer slit. what’s the trick…to start from the center rail and work ur way out??
Here’s a copy of a post I made about a week ago when Boondocbill said his laps wouldn’t set right:
Keep in mind that when you are wrapping the rail glass, you are trying to put the same amount of material into an ever-decreasing area. This is possible because of the space between the fibers in the weave of the cloth. As you push it up under, the fibers slide over each other and weave closes up. But, as you can see, there is a limit as to how far you can go. Once the fibers are next to each other and there is no more space, the glass has nowhere to go and starts bunching up. Maybe you are just trying to make the lap too wide. Back when noseriders like the “Ugly” were popular, using a lap of only an inch and a half or so, you could actually wrap the rail all the way around the nose without even a cut at the stringer. But they were almost semi-circular and we were using 8 oz. glass which has a lot more space than the 6 or the 4. Since we used Volan glass, multiple cuts were not an option for us but if your glass is clear, they certainly would be a big help. As mentioned, squeegee direction is important too. It should be at a right angle to the tangent of the curve at that point (in other words, as resinhead said, straight in). And don’t necessarily push it all the way under on the first pass. By going just part way, you give the glass a chance to adjust a little at a time, though you do need to push it far enough so that it doesn’t fall back down.
Hope this helps,Gene
Howzit Lee, I have never made more than 1 relief cut on a longboard nose and it’s just a straight cut at the center of the stringer. The trick is in your squeegee technique. I don’t think it’s something that can be explained in a thread, it comes with watching and doing. When I work with a rookie glasser I stress learning these techniques to insure an easier and better lay up. Aloha, Kokua
I use a 2" wide plastic squeegee for more precise control at cuts. To avoid cloth overlap on the cuts, here’s what I do: Lap around one side of the cut only and flip the board. Bring the other side of cut around and down enough to just measure it against the the first side. Use small sharp pointy scissors to cut the second side along the edge of the first and squeegee it down along the cutline. I leave about 1/32 between the cut edges and use the stiffer and smaller squeegee to work the edges together. This technique lends itself more to UV lams where you have the time to play around. If you’re quick and don’t have a lot of cuts, it can be used with regular resin.
Kokua are you talking about making one cut on say 3 inch laps? If so, at least give me a quick explaination please.
well thanks…iwent ahead and tried to get it before i read anyof these i think i ended up making 3 cuts one at the stringer or maybe it was 4 …well it worked out ok. but overlapd some…
Quote:
some glassing experts can glass a wide longboard nose with just one cut
I never could, and use as many as 5 cuts, but 3 is better, to span a rounded, 17" wide nose.
So what if the tint colors show the overlap at the cuts, it’s just a show of the craftsmanship and care that you can make the overlap disappear when you FEEL the board.
It’s been said that a truly expert glasser can make it with ONE cut and plenty of TLC in the prep process
Nice…
Howzit TSaunders, A 3 inch lap is overkill, especially at the nose. But I do see those on the classics from the mainland done with pigments or tints, still isn't a problem when you know how to do it right. Aloha, Kokua