Hi, I have two questions for anyone who can help me!.(Im in ireland btw). 1st board i glassed i did it in the winter. temperature was about 5 degrees maybe less, maybe more. the resin didnt spread well so i ended having to use more becuase i hadn't got the rails wet out with my first batch. i asked here and someone told me it was the temperature. So now, glassing my 2nd board at about 20 degrees, i get the same problem! twice the amount of resin and NO WET RAILS! this is a polyester resin which i get off a guy who gets it from the U.K. i dunno if its the temperature or resin. whats the best temperature to work at?
I have the same problem with resin thickening during winter months. I combat it by warming the resin up in a bucket of warm water before glassing - however, whist it makes the resin less viscous it also makes it go off quicker - so I tend to drop the percentage of catalyst to slow the mix down. I also preheat the workshop with a heater an hour before I start working. Got to be a lttel careful with this one as temperature changes can cause gassing witht the blank.
It may be that your supply is real old - it does get thicker as it ages so you may be best to look for a fresh supply.
Finally, you've got to be quick - you should be aiming to complete within about 15 min of mixing - practice is the only way with that one!
Cheers
Rich
PS I'm in Cornwall so temperature is low in winter here but I guess it's maybe worse for you in ireland.
WTF......Epoxy or Poly Resin isn't made to work in temps lower than 55 degrees. Get your room and material up to at least 73 degrees and all your problems will be solved real quick. If you can't do that....DON'T LAMINATE, YOU WILL MAKE A MESS OUT OF YOUR SURFBOARD. Put the resin in a bucket, in a bath of HOT water. Heat your room up with a space heater. Look out for open flames and open resin....Ka BOOM!