I’m shaping a 9’5” longboard it’s only my second board I’ve ever shaped and when I went to do the hot coat I saw after getting everything brushed out little pin holes forming all over and then they just got bigger and bigger and I’m not sure what happed I can’t even find a picture online that looks as bad as mine turned out so I’m wondering what might have cause this and how I should fix it
I used a cap full of additive f with green lights fast fuse epoxy resin it’s an eps foam blank
The only thing I can think of is maybe because after getting done with laminating I applied several coats of acrylic water based paint before the hot coat
Any help is greatly appreciated!
Surface contamination does this. Dust, chemicals, etc. Could be the paint. I had severe orange peel happen on a boat hull with Awlgrip paint. I ended up washing it with soap and water, wipe down with solvent (I use acetone on epoxy resin), and then coat and it works well and hasn’t happened again.
Recoverable problem. Sand down to lam and do it again.
I think you’ve nailed it with the paint being the cause. Fish eyes are always an indicator of surface contamination, maybe the paint has been contaminated with oils or silicone?
Epoxy woes, I have been there. Epoxy resin can be finicky. Surface contamination (even oils from your hands) paint, cooler temps, high humidity, too long curing time, etc etc.
As was said, sand it down & do over. I don’t handle it with bare hands, and I don’t wipe it down with anything but a damp towel. Work in warm temp with low humidity if possible. Fast set epoxy if you have it. Ultra thin cheater coat if in doubt, then apply your fill coat when it gets tacky.
Just some things that have worked for me, your mileage may vary. Not a professional. Sorry you had to go thru this, not fun.
You painted an already white blank white?? “CONTAMINATION”. That’s Epoxy for ya! The next time you feel the need to paint a blank, do it on the raw foam. After of course you have filled and sanded the blank with Spackle or micro-balloons and Epoxy. Then laminate over that, hot or fill coat and sand. I think a lot of guys here on Sways are having problems because they wipe the blank down with soap and water, alcohol, acetone etc. Blow the blank off using air(no water in your compressor). Or vacuum with a brush attachment. You can also wipe it down with a tack cloth. Just wipe lightly so that you are not wiping wax from the cloth onto the board surface. I have done Epoxy in climates as far ranging as from the Pacific Northwest to Maui in the summer. Never had the problems that pop up all the time here on Sways when it comes to Epoxy hot coats or gloss coats. Don’t wash, wipe etc. Just blow it off really good with air. Don’t use Additive F in your lamination either. It’s got Xylene and Paraffin in it. Those two chemicals will cause your hot coat to bead up. It’s fine to mix a spoonful into the hotcoat resin. Additive F makes the hotcoat sand easier, that’s its purpose. If you do a nice Epoxy laminate, you shouldn’t need to do anything other than knock the laps down. You don’t need to sand or wash a laminated board before a hotcoat. That’s ridiculous!