Started laminating in my newly completed garage shaping bay Sunday afternoon. Threw down some awesome resin work on one side of a board and a nice looking tint on the other. So stoked as to how well everything was working out. Just when I started to pack up for the night, the landlord from the building next door comes over and starts bitching at me because one of the people in his building was complaining about the smell. Less than two hours in and I’m already having people threating to call the EPA and the city. Yes, I agree that maybe it was a bit much to expect to be able to glass with poly in a detached garage in an apartment, but this guy was really going for it and it bummed me right out. I live in San Clemente, Ca and I can only assume there are countless agencies that would love to shut me down for even making a surfboard, so I guess I have to switch to Epoxy to hopefully stay shaping.
But two questions to everyone:
I have completely laminated my board, but I'm still trying to cap the fin box and put another deck patch in... Does anyone think it's a bad idea to laminate & hotcoat with epoxy over the polyester layer that is already there? or should I just finish it with polyester somewhere else?
Am I protected as a "hobbiest" as long as I keep the noise down and use epoxy resin? or can I still get shut down?
I don’t know about the legalities, but you’re probably right, and they’ll come get you even if you’re a hobbyist – nasty chemicals are still nasty, doesn’t matter if a pro is using them or an amateur…finish it with poly somewhere else.
How did you do that side? It’s friggin beautiful! How do you do lines like that? How do you get colored squares like that?
Mixed a dixie cup of red, black, amber, and purple. Kicked them all off at the same time, then pinched the lip of the dixie cup and drizzled the red and black lines. Took the amber and purple and filled in the squares carefully then used my finger to wet the glass in the desired squares. Keep in mind at this point, I haven’t touched a squeegee to the board. Then I applied the tan color and tried to spread it out without running over any of the other colors too much. after the tan had fully saturated the glass, I pulled the excess resin off the deck and there it is. There are probably a bunch of posts on how to do color work that would explain much better than I can, but PM me if you have any other questions. Just remember, the first color to hit the dry glass stays. If you squeegee the colors over each other before the adjacent glass is wet, then your colors will just get really muddy.
I love it. Nice instructions. If you have not hot coated it yet do it in the middle of the night when everybody is asleep. About 1 am. Add some extra cat for the cold air. My wife is very happy that I have switched to epoxy for all my complete boards. Still doing repairs with poly. I just try to work with resin when everyone else is at work or asleep. I work odd hours…
I really really really want to do another swirl with poly…
I had a similar problem with an old roommate. I would suggest talking to the landlord now that he/she has had a chance to cool down, and doesn’t have the angry neighbor yelling at him/her. Explain that you just need another good stinky session, and will try to minimize the stink, and will work with the landlord/neighbor. Then for future boards convert to epoxy.
Are you using UV or regular MEKP/peroxy catalyzed resin? I’m guessing regular, but either way could you do it at night? Windows might be shut, neighbor might be asleep? Or get some UV catalyst and mix it in with your resin. That keeps the stink down dramatically, especially when it kicks in 15 minutes or so on a good sunny day. Good luck! Board looks KILLER!
–Ben
EDIT: Uh, answer to your first question, it could work, but would make things more…complicated. Second question, no clue.
The board looks killer - i really like the bottom design.
You could rig up a quick and dirty ventilation system to take care of the smell - box fan / charcoal filter - others on sways have posted how they did it with good results.
I have done a board with a poly bottom then finished it (deck glass and sanding coats) with epoxy - it worked out just fine - but when you sand you will see a difference between the poly and the epoxy if you hit the weave - spray coat or gloss will cover it though.
Nice work! Buy some UV. Smells a little but noting like catalyzed Poly. Do the fin fillet then walk it outside. Turn it over and do the deck patch. Hot coat with UV as well. Walk each hotcoated side outside in direct sunlight for the count of ten. Then put it inside or in the shade for awhile until it starts to look milky. The wax rises(surfacing agent) causing a milky look. Then put it back out in the sun until it goes off. The problem will be what you do for the gloss. UV’s no good for that. Best suggestion has been to do this stuff at three in the morning. Keep the stero turned down. In the morning just say “I no nothing”. Otherwise go to epoxy. It will stick to Poly.
Less than 24 hours later… My property management company has threatened to kick me out if the neighbor complains again. My property management said that she had two long messages from my neighbor and the owner of the building, both of which said there were toxic fumes coming from my garage and that I was conducting business on the premises.
Sorry to here that, although not suprised. The “surf ghetto” of SC is being squeezed out. Next come the high-rise condos. I lived in Pismo Beach for years, we referred to it as “Little San Clemente”.
wow after reading your post I feel soooo lucky. First off I own a house 2nd the nieghbors down wind are gone most of the time to Havasu and when their home they only joke with me about the smell, the lady across the street is an older gal and she thinks I’m the cats meow (we flirt a little) and I always show all my nieghbors my boards I build They actualy say nice things to me. and down wind further (beyond the back wall) is a main street with 4 lanes with an island so the fumes are defused before the next set of houses. Plus I use UV cat so the fumes are gone within 3o minutes.
Man I realy feel for you , you made yourself such a nice little shaping bay…
Had something similar happen a few months back…I usually shape and glass out of my (detached) garage in a rental house here in San Diego. Except this time two of my buddies did the same, with me. After about 3 nights of solid glassing (laminating, hotcoating, etc…) my neighbor complained, but only with “Hey…That’s NASTY…Can it stop?” I told her we had one more day of glassing, and that we would do it while she was gone at work…Done Deal. Be friends with your neighbors!
Good luck glassing at the office. Tenover and Ken are both right, that good neighbors are valuable. Might be worth investing in some damage control with the neighbors (or the landlord at least), let them know what you were up to, show them how absolutely bitchin’ your board is, explain the risk from the polyester resin at such a distance and dilution is minimal, and explain that you are completely switching how you do stuff, and to call you directly if there is a problem. It sucks that they are being snarkey, but maybe they won’t next time.
Bottom: 
