I have a diemma, and i have no doubt it can be solved here!!!
I currently have a silver foil lined UV cabinet setup, with 8 x flouro uv tubes which works quite well (for my purposes)…only problem is the cabinet which sits beside my glassing stand takes up too much room (my glassing shed isnt as wide as Id like it to be!!).
So i am looking for some suggestions on ways I can still have a UV setup, but lose the cabinet (said hesitantly because it does work quite well).
I am not adverse to changing over to a mercury vapour high bay type hanging light so I can leave the board on the glassing raks, mount the lights and flip the board to hit the laps, or if anyone has any thoughts on a system incorporating my current flouro tubes thatd be great too!!
I do have some concerns about needing to flip the board to hit the laps, as I havent a heap of room to the roof so could get tricky trying flip?? any hints on the easiet way to this would also be great!!
any suggestions or even better still, some photos of current/suggested set ups would be awesome!
Time to bite the bullet. Abandon the sun(UV)cure resin, and do it the old fashioned way. Resin, plus MEKP, and 20 minute gel time, is all you need. The twenty minute working time was normal during the longboard era. Many glassers used even shorter working time. In this era of shorter boards, 20 min. working time is more than enough. Make a commitment, to yourself, to step up your skill level. In a way, it’s high wire work, without a net. But that’s what makes it so rewarding. Best of luck to you.
20 min working time with mekp is more than enough for any board,
I have been using mekp for the past couple of years, but now im looking to go back to uv as well with the right light set up, but exactly what saltbush said space and flipping are the exact same issues for me as well.
UV cat has more benefits than just faster gel times, the laps are ready for grinding within just a few minutes, so much faster flip times for the lamination, also the resin I am using the uv cat makes for a whiter board that stays whiter for longer, plus the board can be surfed sooner rather than having to wait days (10 days I was always told, although I frequently ignored it) for it to fully cured with mekp.
I have also read that using UV cat makes for generally a stronger resin?
…hey Saltbush; man, with 8 tubes is more than enough; but may be they are not exactly the ones needed ¿? not all black lights are the same; just saying.
Anyway; put the UV lights like a normal tube…above the rack but with less distance from the board; just that. You do not even need those 8 lights…
Hello Livethemoment, you do not need to grind the lamination if you do it right; only in the tips. In fact the UV resin yellow your white board…
So you frequently ignored the cure time…well, think again about it. I can add for your knowledge that the full cure time is: at 27ºC x 24 constant x 7 days.
With UV resin is 12 hours minimum.
The lamination time with MEKP is 12-15 minutes cat time; if you put less in Winter time, the board will be weaker.
I was looking to build a UV cabinet too. Any suggestion, things that worked or didn’t work for you. I also don’t have huge space and can not mount to the roof and put it on pulleys like I orginally wanted to do. So I was thinking of doing a framed out box and sliding over the rack.
I know a few guys who have UV lights above their glassing rack. They flip on the UV when they have finished their lam. They do flip the board to cure the laps. Lowel