I am new to working with resins and had a few questions. I am building a very small scale prototype of a board about a pencils length long. I am using all the actual materials such as the wood and foam but am having trouble fiberglassing such a small piece. My question is if I can skip the fiberglass and use sever coats of resin. My goal was to maintain the look, feel and the durability of the full size board. If this is doable I was wanting to know what resin would be best for this(which would be the strongest and most durable) and what process I should take to properly apply a strong clear coating with minimal risk of yellowing or cracking in the future. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
I’ve made 12" surfboard models in the past with scrap EPS foam, 1.5 oz. glass, epoxy resin, and bamboo scrap foiled into mini fins. Just for fun,…
You can skip the fiberglass if you want but if you’re looking for true durability you need the cloth to reinforce the resin (definition of composite)
If you skip the glass just hotcoat the model and sand, maybe twice with epoxy resin. Hotcoating is expalined in detail here.
Have fun
~Brian
Awesome thank you very much for all your information. Now if I skip the fiberglass should I coat it with a layer of epoxy resin first and then the hot coat on top, im very new to the whole process so forgive my ignorance haha. I just want the end result to be as strong as possible and clear, not hazy or yellow.
A hot coat is also known as a sanding coat. It is done to even out the glass layers and create a smooth surface. It is also done because laminating resin can’t be sanded. I’d say, if you aren’t using fiberglass you should just do two coats of resin with sanding agent in it. No real need for cloth on a model. Oh, and sand between coats.
Oh ok I understand now, so when I’ve finished the second coat and it cures will this leave me a hard clear coat like in a finished surfboard? And will two coats be enough to make a pretty solid layer that will be resistant to chipping and scratching?