Board is almost 1-1/2 years old. 6’2" big-0 fish with side bite futures and a center future. Board was a total prototype and just sitting around. Think I can get a nice 5’5" fish out of it. Best way to strip glass without pulling chunks? Also best way to remove future boxes without tearing chunks? Thanks!
Gonna get some chunking… fill with lightweight spackle, don’t tint.
Zip or sand the rail peak once on the deck, again on the bottom maybe an inch apart, then peel off. You can join the nose and tail into one cut/sand.
Crowned decks chunk more.
What you can expect is flying shards of microscopic fiberglass, embedding into your wrists, you inhale it, and it penetrates any uncovered skin.
Cotton does little, as the fiber gaps are bigger than each fiberglass shard, so you get the itch anyways.
Longsleeve lycra works well, wrists taped. Don’t worry about your hands, they won’t get pricked, for some reason.
Mask and gloves, cover any exposed skin, including neck, if you’re sensitive.
Have fun.
Howzit Lee, Using a heat gun helps release the glass from the foam after you zip the rails. Getting the itch is the fun part. Funny thing is I don't get the itch any more, think I'm immune after all these years.Aloha,Kokua
I just did this last weekend to a messed up longboard. Scored the rails with a skil saw set on a very micro cut. Used a gasket scraper to work the glass free. Took off very little foam. And of course, wore gloves and mask. Can’t help you on the future boxes.
Ha ha…
Funny thing…
I got the itch stripping a board before I started shaping.
After shaping couple hundred, and glassing/sanding 120, I could help other’s strip a glass job with no itching or redness wearing T shirt and shorts.
Does that mean there’s a certain percentage of fiberglass shards permanently imbedded in our wrists?
I recently did just that to an old retro fish. I wasn’t in any hurry so I did everything I could to entice it to delam. Set it out in the sun, let it get damp and cold. The heat gun is a good Idea if you can’t cook it in the sun. Poke a hole in it, or several so that the moisture and air get under the glass. Pretty much reverse the logic on taking good care of a surfboard. Put it in a dark board bag and leave it in the sun. You get the drift. When I pulled the glass off mine, it came off real clean. Way better than I expected. In the areas where it pulled up some foam, I mixed a thick batch of pastey Q-cell and squeegied it over the area, just like you do when you seal an epoxy blank, then sanded it smooth. I did tint mine but I made sure it was opaque. (Red bottom and rails and a white deck) It worked good for me. Could be I just got lucky too…Good luck!
Tint is transparent, sometimes slightly translucent.
OPAQUE is done with PIGMENTS
I’m soo sorry for using the wrong choice of words Lee. I think I will refrain from putting in my two cents from now on on this forum. I was only attempting to post a helpful comment…
Yeah, I’d HATE IT when someone corrects my wrong terminology, preferring instead to forge full speed ahead with my eyes closed !!!
drill a small hole just through the glass, but not into the foam. glass on a threaded hose fitting onto the deck, make it strong and air tight. Now hook you compressor to the fitting and blow 100 psi of air into the fitting, and under the glass.
The glass should pop up from the foam. if you use this with the heat gun, and score around the rail with the dremel deal, and you’ll get a pretty clean blank…and you don’t have to worry too much about glass splinters.
If that doesn’t work. sand the whole board with 36 grit till you dig deep into the weave. Now do the 1’in strip deal.
-jay
Howzit Lee, Maybe that layer of imbedded glass is like a barrier blocking more glass. But I think we just get used to the itch and it doesn’t bother us any more. I can’t remember how many peple have told me they won’t even get near fiberglass because they are scared of the dreadful itch,I just laugh at them.Aloha,Kokua
Yeah, but you could use it to your advantage in many different industries, all glassing, of course.
I could get jobs at boatyards, motorcycle supply stores, surfshops, windsurfshops, and was recently asked to help design a smoother flowing intake manifold for Porsche motors.
But surfing in the blood, I’m more into it for play and relaxing, rather than making money and getting something saved for retirement.
leslie,
Don’t go away. LeeD is grouchy and old. He gives good advice, though. Come back and throw in some more. Mike