So I just wanted to post to let everyone on swaylocks know that today is an unlucky day, for me at least. Board number 8 was done being shaped 2 days ago, its a 6’2 Modern Fish for my brother. It was extra important to me, as the first 7 have been for friends and such, but I haven’t seen my younger brother in almost a year because I am away at college, so I was really trying for perfection. It is my best shaping effort thus far, really exactly how I wanted it. I airbrushed it last night, and again, my best spray so far. Everything was going well. I put the futures in today, they came out perfect. So I was ready to glass. All of my boards are shaped, airbushed, glassed, and sanded by me. This one was no different. So I cut the 4 oz to lam the bottom, mixed up some resin with a little bit of white pigment so the board would stay a nice milky white. I set off the resin and started glassing. From the beginning it went wrong. I hadn’t noticed it right away, but the temp was dropping decently fast, it was probably 55-60 degrees. Glassing with windows open. The resin wasn’t spreading, and the cloth wasn’t wetting out great. I managed to wrestle it out, and finished the lam with no air bubbles or anything, but from having to work the cloth so much I got a bunch of loose fibers on the free lap. It was like my first board!! So I grab the scissors to trim, and the resin just sets. Out of no where. In about 30 seconds it gelled and set up hard enough where I couldn’t trim the loose fibers. Waited awhile, and set up for the deck. Set up a double 4 for the deck. Same deal with the resin, but we shut the windows as it had gotten cooler. Warmed the resin in a tub of hot water for about 1 minute, just to try and get it to flow better. Set it off way less hot than the previous batch to try and take my time. As soon as we poured the resin, the batched gelled. In about 3 minutes!! I made an executive decision to pull off the top layer of the double 4 on account of the laps were bone dry. Managed to wet out the underneath layer OK, but it it messy.
So here is my question(s):
What happened?? I have glassed 7 boards so far and this has me baffled.
Poly Resin from Surf Source, Ding All brand.
White Pigment from EZ Foam, says Dura technologies. About 1 drop in 20 oz of resin.
I catalyzed the resin at 1% the first time, about 3/4% the second time.
Room temp about 65 the first batch, 70 the second.
What gives?? I feel completely retarded, but I don’t get it. The first batch it was cool enough where the resin was too thick to flow well, but then it gelled and set up in record time. The second batch it was warm enough to flow, obviously too warm, but I didn’t set it off hot enough for a 3 minute gell time?? The water used to warm the resin was just tap water, and it was only in the tub for maybe 1-2 minutes. I was worried about overdoing it, which I obviously did. Help!!
