Anybody dealing with voids when making their own fins. I made a single fin from a panel of 36 layers 6 oz. and epoxy. The panel cured between two layers of plexiglass under a weight. Any suggestions on improving my technique?
You have more patience than I, laying up an epoxy fin panel.
The foil on the leading edge looks good, the mid trailing edge looks thick to me.
Perhaps better clean up after shaping to remove white dust and add a fill coat of epoxy to fill the pinholes before going to clear.
How did you wet out and consolidate the layers?
Ha! I try to have patience. I will work on the mid trailing edge some more. Good advice on adding a fill coat- I haven’t done that yet!
I wet out the layers 4 at a time until done. Thanks for the help 
Use a “bubble buster” roller. It will help insure a resin rich saturation. But I got to say; Polyester Resin is the best bet for fin panels.
Sounds good- I have only used epoxy in the past, so I will look into that! Thank you!
Bubble buster rollers have a learned technique. Which is mostly to not press too hard. Just slight to medium pressure. If you can find a piece of plate glass 1/4” or thicker; do your layup on that with a light under it. If you look around at garage/yard sales, sometimes you can find an old glass coffee table or the glass doors off an old stereo cabinet. You can set it on a wood frame with light underneath. It’s usually is better to place the light so that it shines indirectly. Every few layers shine the light directly to give a better view of bubbles and dry spots. You can use a mold release or plastic film taped to the glass for release.
Sounds great- I have two pieces of plexiglass so I could build a little frame with a light underneath- thanks again!
I would not do fin panels with epoxy. Key thing to remember is to put resin down and then put cloth onto wetted surface and work it in adding more resin as necessary. Do not put down dry cloth first and work resin downward…….its not that you can’t…..its that you’ll get better results, fewer dry spots and less pin air by having resin wick into the cloth from below.
I will definitely use that technique in the future! Why would you not do panels with epoxy?
Thanks!!
What mako said. Put it down on a wetted surface. I recently did the bottom of a 20’ ocean going dory with mat and 10oz cloth over. I had help from a few dory fishermen and the owner. The boat was on its side. We wet the bottom out with 7” cotton mini rollers. Wetting the surface first is the way do to a lay up if you are concerned about saturation and don’t want a bunch of dry spots. If we hadn’t wet down the surface on this boat we never would have got that 20 ft. long 50” mat and 10oz cloth to stick.
Epoxy can work, but it is just hellish inconsistent when pigmented or tinted. It just doesn’t take color the way Poly does.
Got it! Thanks!!
Got it! I have only worked with epoxy- maybe I will try poly- thanks again!