UV Resin- Y2K formula

General Discussion
1

I have a few observations and a few questions. I used Y2K UV formula resin from Fiberglass Hawaii for the first time today and can’t figure out why the resin kicked off. I was in a one window garage with the window completely blocked out with black plastic and tape and all vent openings covered. Light leakage from door was minimal.My main light sources were 3 light bulbs- 2 of which are the spiral shaped long lasting bulbs (could be the culprits?) and one florescent. Any ideas?

Board came out okay. Must have got a little resin on racks because board stuck and pulled rail lap up on one side. Bummer. Tried a quick fix that now looks just like a quick fix (more work).

Observations- I didn’t like handling the boards when wet (taking outside and then flipping it to set off rails).

Board is supremely white - hard to even look at in direct sunlight! Resin clean off squeegee very easily w/acetone. Throw the sqeegee in the acetone and take it out before setting up other side. No scrubbing/scrapping.

Doesn’t work with opaque graphics on rice paper-even areas as narrow as 1 inch.

Less odor than resin/catalyst mixture I’ve been using.

So far so good but will definately take a bit of getting used to…overall seems to have a lot of potential.

Oh yeh- proper glass job = not saving much resin overall.

Thanks to all of you at swaylocks- your info has been invaluable…

2

Is that a new formula? Which fiberglass hawaii did you buy it from?

3

As far as I know it is the new formula. I bought it in Santa Cruz for $34.50 a gallon. Not cheap but I had to try it…I’m sure a few boards from now I’ll love it.

4

have not used UV resin, but there are full spectrum fluorescent bulbs. If it is that kicks UV light.

If you did not like taking the board outside you might consider getting a UV fluorescent.

just a thought

–4est

5

Do the UV resins kick immediately when exposed to UV rays? Is there anyway to control the times?

6

The stuff kicks off very quickly when exposed to UV rays. So quickly that it might be best to limit exposure time to direct sunlight when kicking off laminate coat. This is one of my concerns because I really disliked handling the board before and during the time its setting off (moving in and then out of direct sunlight).I read in the Archives about the possibility of causing pinholes by letting the laminating coat kick to fast.I knew exactly what to expect with the old MEK/resin mixture. This is a bit different. The board looks okay and I expect better results as I get used to the procedure. I’ll report back when I hotcoat. Too windy yesterday afternoon.

7

you can buy the UV catalyst by itself and mix your own - if you use less, it takes longer to cure. If you dont want it to harden in 5 minutes in the direct sun, put it in the shade and it kicks slower.

8

I’ve been using aluminum foil to flash some reflected light under the rails. If doing cutlaps, you don’t want a full cure. For those, I focus some reflected light under each rail where I need to grab it to flip it over and lightly flash the rest. Take it in, trim the laps, then back out for a full cure.