When reading about how to shape a surfboard and how to glass it is often mensioned that the board should be taped?? I don´t understand how, where on the board and why?? Please enlighten me! Stay stoked people
glass one board start to finish with no tape and it’ll all be made clear to you…
Thank you Bubba that information was really helpful!
Search the archives for “cut laps” that should explain one reason you tape a board during glassing. Also when you hot coat you want to tape the rails to avoid drips along the rails. Use the blue masking tape it works best. Hope this helps. Frank
Howzit h20fxk, The blue tape is a long mask tape normally used in the house painting business. 3m 233 or 233plus tape is a better tape for resin uses.Aloha, Kokua
You can laminate a board by freelapping and not have to use tape.You need tape for the hotcoat on the bottom.Thats it unless you are doing art work or glossing.Kokua is right use 233 tape if possible.You can get it at auto paint supply shops and it is green. R.B.
Thanks alot guys but I still don´t understand what freelapping or cut lapping means even though i´ve looked in the archives. Please help me!! =)
Basically a “free lap” is when you cut the glass cloth 4-5’ larger than the plan shape of the board. Let it drape over the rails and get saturated with resin during the lamination process. Once the bottom is laminated you wrap the cloth around the rails and onto the deck, and just leave it. You repeat the process on the deck side when the bottom is dry. A “cut lap” is where you tape off the deck about 2-3" from the rail edge, laminate and wrap the rails simular to the free lap method. The difference is that when the resin starts to kick you trim the lap on the tape line for a uniform cut edge. Hope that this helps.
Thanks Phil. The way you described the laps finally makes sense at least along the rails I can see how the glass would lay flat as it comes around the rail and onto the other side but what about the nose and tail? It seems there would be to much cloth and would get all bunched up. How do you get the cloth on the ends to lay flat?
Howzit Joe, When you cut your fiberglass for a freelap layup just taper the cuts at the nose and tail. I like my free laps to look like they were taped off so I take great care when cutting the glass. Cutting the glass properly for free lapping can take some practice to get it right. Also the technique for squeegeeing the lap is different than when using tape so you don’t have alot of loose glass strands. Aloha, Kokua
Joe To get the glass to wrap around the nose and tail you have to make “relief” cuts at the points of the nose and at the bends of the tail. By relief cuts I mean simple little “V” notches (almost to the foam, and sometimes past the foam) where the glass bunches up at the corners. As an experiment, try wraping a paper towel around a bowl, you will find that the paper dosen’t make a smooth wrap. Then cut the paper towel where it bunches up in a “V” pattern, and you will be able to over lap where the slices were made. Hope this clears things up.
I tape all my conversations now after being sued by a old business partner.
Howzit Phil, oops forgot to mention the relief cuts, For the nose instead of cutting a vee I cut the glass straight across about 1/4" past the nose,works good.Aloha, Kokua
Got it. Thanks All Joe