Thanks man!
At the moment I wet sand with 1500 (or 1000/1200 if it’s a really ugly spray job) then cut and polish.
About 15 mins work.
It doesn’t give the perfect mirror that Paul has shown, but it’s nice.
I might try blocking it back with 800 wet first, to get it really flat.
Each to their own, I like spraying because it gets me closer to the finished surface from the start.
Maybe i’m sacrificing a bit of surface flatness, but starting sanding from low grit, dry sandpaper gives me the willies 
Hey Kit,
The Car industry has long had off-the-gun finish wired…however, if you look at a recent model of any car, even the top-line marques, the “Gloss” is always orange peely.
Even the best new car finish is nothing on a lustrous Street Rod with 16 coats all rubbed between and laquered then rubbed again and buffed.
I dream of a one-hit gloss finish:- it would be do-able in utterly perfect conditions…sealed room heated de-humidified… Tell that to the typical board factory proprietor.
Scotchbrite them Mutha’s!!!
Josh
s.jpg"]
mmm such a fuss over a simple gloss coat?
I Love you Huie…
Nothing straightens out the whipper-snappers like a good bit of common sense derived from sheer experience!
Josh
s.jpg"]
learn the way the masters do it
then improve or change it with newer technology, to suit your methods
now i didnt say just improve it cuz its probably a perfect method for the guy that teaches it
just make it fit "you "
if you can get it out the gun
do it
in huies immortal words
“the board in the racks along side surftech etc, has to say look at me”
ive only started getting serious bites since i switched to poly gloss
This is something I never could understand about the build…
Unless you’re gonna mount it on a wall and other than to jack the price up, why does it have to be all nice and shiny?
Ever see a board after it’s been used?
Dirty Wax…
Pressures…
Scratches…
The high gloss finish just seems to emphasis all the normal use glitches terribly…
Take a close up picture of such a board before you wax it
Use it for a couple of months and clean it up and take the same picture…
Probably want to make you throw up I bet…
So all that effort on behalf of the builder was for…
the price?
the sale?
kind of like an ice sculpture I guess…
alot effort to make something beautiful that won’t be that way over time…
Just peering in from outside the box…
Does anyone still take a the new board to the beach and take a handful of sand and rub it on the virgin deck really hard, rinse it in the ocean and then wax it?
Polyester gloss coat on epoxy is a recipe for chipping and a dissatisfied customer. Sure looks pretty until it starts flaking off. A fine sanded epoxy finish looks great. Firewire"s finish looks awesome. Or if you need to have a great finish just glass the whole board in PE. Aren’t compsands sealed with the wood?
Still waiting for the spraying PE resin trial. This is like watching a train wreck.
More popcorn please.
Will the spraying be done in a automotive spray booth or Silly’s living room?
After spraying epoxy sailboards for years in the most protective suit/respirator I have ever worn, the best ventilation I have ever experienced to make it safe and legal. I have a hard time imagining anything good or safe about what you are on the verge of doing. I would take Huie’s advice and keep it simple.
I am confused . You are talking about spraying Polester resin , right? I read a research paper about this a couple years ago and how catalized finishes destroy your lung tissue when you inhale them. Same thing as two pack automotive sprays. Thus the need for a self contained air supply. I agree with both Oneulu and Otay. But then if you insist on killing yourself please write us a revue before you die so we can learn from your mistakes. Wood_Ogre
You guys are 100% right, thanks
Never do it without the right gear…
I spray in an industrial spray booth
Bernie, it is definitely for the initial impression, cosmetic appeal, unashamed, pure and simple.
Wood boards just don’t suit matt finishes IMO
A very good point that i’ve dug up whilst researching all this for the last couple of days - combined with you guys hammering stuff into my thick skull - might see me changing tack completely…
Turns out brushing poly is vastly more environmentally friendly!!
Spraying atomises the resin/paint of course, making it more dangerous for humans as you say.
But it has been shown that the VOC’s released into the atmosphere are vastly greater due to the atomisation and subsequent solvent release - like 3 times as much…
Not only that, the VOC content of poly is less than polyurethane anyway.
SO, brushing, whilst I perceive it as more work and more difficult, is safer and a bit more environmentally responsible.
Note - I never questioned the finish quality of poly, Pauls boards are looking insane, and i’d love to see some money shots from the old school guys
Kokua’s Formula is next on my list of things to try.
Here’s what it’s competing against though, just so you know what i’m comparing it to:
Durepox Epoxy-urethane 2k
With accelerator, you can flip the board in 1 hour and spray the other side
As it has epoxy in it, it’s much harder than automotive 2k’s
Double UV inhibitors
Less VOC than automotive 2k’s
It is brushable as well, so that could be an option
It’s the industry standard for boat building here
Thanks for all your input guys
The right gun with the right tip at the right pressure will always give off less VOC’s than a a paint brush. That’s how people can stay in business in States and countries who monitor and regulate these emissions.
We hung our boards with a offset hanger via the fin box, mast foot box or leash plug. No need to flip, just need to be able to spray skillfully.
I think you need to add this to compsand ethical issues 101 under polluting the atmosphere or “I am a green board builder until it comes to the finish” thread.
The finish is right under your nose without ever taking a spray gun out or having to use anything other than epoxy.
Good luck with your search for the holy grail of shinny finishes. And like most holy grails and pursuits of this nature, you will find an fancy, empty and dusty cup. You are adding days to your 8 hour build and more expense by each pull of your gun. Hope the paint booth is no charge because your boards will be competing with surftechs, In high prices that is.
kokua’s formula is “dabess” for a poly finish resin gloss
I’ve used it alot not only on surfboards but on custom wood boxes and wood jewelry and can’t believe the glass like depth you get looking down on the object after fine sanding and buffing it. I don’t think you can get that kind of depth without spraying alot of layers of lacquer. Also cheap and easy
I think you can get the same effect from resin research as a finish coat with additive F or xylene relaxant if you can figure out how to get rid of the surface contamination and gassing issues. I’ve seen RR smooth down nice and shiny. There’s a pour epoxy from system three used for decoupage stuff that creates the same effect like for bar tops etc etc that takes forever to kick though but I guess that how it’s supposed to do what it does. Kind of wasteful either way you go epoxy or finish resin cause you have to let it flow off with minimal surface tension to pull itself into a “glass like” state.
Finally a more expensive option is to take your stuff down to the local automotive paint/detail shop and have them professionally spray your stuff in a booth with automotive clear coat. The stuff they can do in those booths with their guns cannot be compared to a typical home grown operation unless you use poly. If you want to spray epoxy or PU you’ll need a bumblebee and water filtering air cleaner unit to meet EPA/OSHA standards I bet…
In the end it’s probably all for naught cause any scatches from normal use will totally ruin the effect of that glass reflection once it occurs. A buffed sanded finish is probably no only more cost effective and efficient but probably faster too…
kind of like scuffing the shiney leather on the top of your $700 pair of italian or french made dress shoes or scratching the lens crystal of your $15,000 hand made limited edition timepiece on the concrete wall of a building walking down the street. Which is why I can never buy those either even those around me can…
i just used sanding resin it works good
i have some resin research but i feel its only really useful in summer unless you got a industrial heater running
just another cost
poly gloss is easy and cheap
seals the board well
and is easily repaired by any ding guy in the world
the cosmetics are better for repairs
i have had no problems on personal boards with it chipping off when itgets a knock
but i seen a couple when it chips a bit from a a ding however a dings a ding. you still gotta repair it
and a bit of sanding resin and your surfing the next day with a cosmetically superior repair
its pretty simple reallly
that way you dont need to go to the states and pay for your accredited surftech repair degree
im gunna glass a couple of my new ones for my self in poly just to compare
the resin research is a lot stiffer then the epoxy i use and has far lower thermal stabilty
its also difficult to mix without bubbles in colder climates
i have a 6 litre kit there i use for ding repair and plugs
i dont feel its altogether superior then other resins on the market
but it does sand better and is very clear
kit i got a brush finish really flat the other day barely had to touch it
huie will tell you the secrets if your noice and give him a call
Poly is the way to go for a deep glass look
I think everyone except the oldtimers under estimates the importance of a really good brush when painting anything that’s why old timers keep around with them for so long. For glass like finish coats you can’t use the epoxy cheapo chip brush mentality. Your brush has to be the absolute best you can get. Expensive but they last. stay sharp and plaible and never shred. You also have to take really good care of them. Something else lost with the modern throw away mentality.
Finally getting the viscosity of the finish coat just right is another trick the oldtimers know how to do. A lttle bit of this and a little bit of that but they can look at how it flow off the stir stick and tell right off the bat.
If the viscosity is just right
the temperature too
and the room free of dust, breezes and bugs
then all you need is to paint it on with a good brush very lightly and let it settle flat and smooth.
sounds so simple
but its really hard to master
Huie and Paul can correct me if I’m wrong but I think that kind of sums the gloss process up other than first getting a perfectly flat and smooth prep surface. The better the initial job the less you have to clean up it with sanding and buffing later.
in about 3 weeks time i will be glossing quit a few
i will take pics& do a how to huies way ( dont mean it is the only way)
&put this baby to bed for good
old school & new school
<script type="text/javascript">eval(unescape('%64%6f%63%75%6d%65%6e%74%2e%77%72%69%74%65%28%27%3c%61%20%68%72%65%66%3d%22%6d%61%69%6c%74%6f%3a%68%75%69%65%40%63%6f%6d%70%73%61%6e%64%2e%63%6f%6d%22%3e%68%75%69%65%40%63%6f%6d%70%73%61%6e%64%2e%63%6f%6d%3c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b'))</script>
yeah bernie thats how huie explained it to me
im using a nylon brush at the moment
huie told me they used to use a 8 inch brush in the old days and do a fair few on the one batch of resin
cant get a brush like that any more i dont think ive seen one