Iam going to make a 9’6" noserider and would like to know the difference between a glass job using 6x2 oz top 6oz bottom and 7.5 volan each side. Does volan dry clear? Must it be Glossed? Does it require a deck patch? Pros and cons?
Iam going to make a 9’6" noserider and would like to know the > difference between a glass job using 6x2 oz top 6oz bottom and 7.5 volan > each side. Does volan dry clear? Must it be Glossed? Does it require a > deck patch? Pros and cons? Jim, Just to give you another point of reference, I used 6+10 oz on deck and 10 oz. on bottom for my 9’6". So don’t worry about going too heavy. You probably won’t notice much difference between the 6 oz and 7.5 oz. on bottom. Volan is made to give a board a tough, heavier armor. It does dry clear, but has a bluish-green tint, like a coke bottle. As for gloss, I still have never seen a glossless-volan job. Previously, I too asked whether it had to be glossed and the answer I got was “It looks ugly if it’s not.” Apparently, Volan shows sanding marks, rubs, and bump patterns more than regular cloth. A deck patch is not necessary, but can help protect a little from knee dings. But then again, even with a heavy deck patch over heavy glass, if you don’t have strong foam underneath (more dense) you will see pressure dings on anything over time. I didn’t put a patch on my 9’6" and can see tiny/slight knee dents from constant knee paddling…after only about 6 months of use (I used Superblue foam). But if you don’t knee paddle that much, you don’t have to worry about it. In retrospect, I still probably wouldn’t shell out the $50 for a deck patch, and would use heavier foam instead. All in all, I’m a HUGE fan of Volan. On any board over, say, 8 feet, I won’t use anything lighter. But that’s just my taste/opinion. Hope this helps…deeb…
Jim, Just to give you another point of reference, I used 6+10 oz on deck > and 10 oz. on bottom for my 9’6". So don’t worry about going too > heavy. You probably won’t notice much difference between the 6 oz and 7.5 > oz. on bottom. Volan is made to give a board a tough, heavier armor. It > does dry clear, but has a bluish-green tint, like a coke bottle. As for > gloss, I still have never seen a glossless-volan job. Previously, I too > asked whether it had to be glossed and the answer I got was “It looks > ugly if it’s not.” Apparently, Volan shows sanding marks, rubs, and > bump patterns more than regular cloth. A deck patch is not necessary, but > can help protect a little from knee dings. But then again, even with a > heavy deck patch over heavy glass, if you don’t have strong foam > underneath (more dense) you will see pressure dings on anything over time. > I didn’t put a patch on my 9’6" and can see tiny/slight knee dents > from constant knee paddling…after only about 6 months of use (I used > Superblue foam). But if you don’t knee paddle that much, you don’t have to > worry about it. In retrospect, I still probably wouldn’t shell out the $50 > for a deck patch, and would use heavier foam instead.>>> All in all, I’m a HUGE fan of Volan. On any board over, say, 8 feet, I > won’t use anything lighter. But that’s just my taste/opinion. Hope this > helps…deeb… WHOA, Hold up, A knee patch is only $10. and superblue is ‘way’ to light of foam for strength underneath Volan(pressure ding city). Gloss is not nessessary on Volan it’s just a prettier package. Glass with slightly thicker hotcoat and sander can bring down to 440 grit satin finish then dolphin skin teflon coat, this is $45. cheaper, easier to maintain(dingwise,scratchwise), lighter, more flex. No oversanding is the key, leave some hotcoat on so there aren’t any glass weave showing. Bottom stress cracks are also almost always on glossed boards(gloss cracks,hoatcoat and Lam resin seem to flex somewhat), and are a unsightly pain in the a-s to repair. Just my opinion after 29 years of dingrepair and glassing.
Thanks for all the good advise. I have a question, what is dolphin skin teflon coating? How is it applied? Where do you get it? Is it good on all sand finishes? Does it yellow in the sun?
Thanks for all the good advise. I have a question, what is dolphin skin > teflon coating? How is it applied? Where do you get it? Is it good on all > sand finishes? Does it yellow in the sun?..you can get it @ www.surfsource.com…Herb.
it is a coating that is applied similiar to waxing a car(except easier) and on a 440 sanded hotcoat it really makes it presentable. Acrylic floor wax was the norm before this stuff, this is better/easier.
Many of the long boards I’ve seen lately that are “old school” type design and manufature process are clear with extra wide cutlaps and no pins. Are the craftsmen who do these lams doing a freehand/rail drag to get the perfect looking cutlaps? No masking? I have to lay a light pencil line down, tape-off to the line and mask with paper then cut the lap to the tape. This forces me to use pins to cover up my cheating ways. The art of the lamination, sanding and finishing is as critical as shaping to me. Spent a week off last week surfing and looking at boards all over San Diego County. DT’s Hawaiian Pro Designs, Jim Phillips, Christenson and a few others were real standouts for quality. What an incredible number of perfectly good boards I saw that had been ruined at the sanding stage. Tom>>> it is a coating that is applied similiar to waxing a car(except easier) > and on a 440 sanded hotcoat it really makes it presentable. Acrylic floor > wax was the norm before this stuff, this is better/easier.
Many of the long boards I’ve seen lately that are “old school” > type design and manufature process are clear with extra wide cutlaps and > no pins. Are the craftsmen who do these lams doing a freehand/rail drag to > get the perfect looking cutlaps? No masking? I have to lay a light pencil > line down, tape-off to the line and mask with paper then cut the lap to > the tape. This forces me to use pins to cover up my cheating ways. The art > of the lamination, sanding and finishing is as critical as shaping to me.>>> Spent a week off last week surfing and looking at boards all over San > Diego County. DT’s Hawaiian Pro Designs, Jim Phillips, Christenson and a > few others were real standouts for quality. What an incredible number of > perfectly good boards I saw that had been ruined at the sanding stage.>>> Tom Laps with Volan are taped off using a slight scratch mark not a pencil, and then gently lifted along tape line while cutting instead of cutting through into foam, then there is no need for pinline or gloss, most of those nice SD Volan tints are glassed at Moonlight and it ain’t cheap hense the $700-$800. longboard.
thank you SurfHungry- So I keep using my scribe cheater tool replacing the pencil with a point and can lightly scratch the foam on the bottom lam/top lap or scratch the glass on a top lam/bottom lap. I’m going for nice clean laps clear or tinted without pins. Gloss I can live with. Have you ever seen anyone simply tape a wide tape line around the lap rail and then use a scribe to razor cut the masking tape to allow skipping a step? (razor cut in the foam can be a problem?) TS>>> Laps with Volan are taped off using a slight scratch mark not a pencil, > and then gently lifted along tape line while cutting instead of cutting > through into foam, then there is no need for pinline or gloss, most of > those nice SD Volan tints are glassed at Moonlight and it ain’t cheap > hense the $700-$800. longboard.
Speaking of clean laps, how can laps be trimed and cleaned up if using uv curing. The stuff sets so fast I can’t clean up the laps like I would like before the resin is to hard to work with.
thank you SurfHungry->>> So I keep using my scribe cheater tool replacing the pencil with a point > and can lightly scratch the foam on the bottom lam/top lap or scratch the > glass on a top lam/bottom lap. I’m going for nice clean laps clear or > tinted without pins. Gloss I can live with. Have you ever seen anyone > simply tape a wide tape line around the lap rail and then use a scribe to > razor cut the masking tape to allow skipping a step? (razor cut in the > foam can be a problem?)>>> TS I can only comment on what the procedure of a certain high volume glass factory currently does with efficientcy as a primery concern. Volan laps are taped off with 3/4" tape(scotch 233) 2-3" wide overlaps, laminated, next day cut and presanded(cut edge)carefully. Then other side taped, laminated, cut, again with the tape pulled up to allow sideways cutting at tape edge instead of butchering the foam by sawing at 7.5 oz cured LAM/Volan with razorblade. We’re talking 20 longboards at a time from Big name Shapers. Quality has to be constant and predictable, in other words no f-ups on a $800. Joel Tudor board, so they have figured out the best system I would have to assume and.
Jim, Place your lammed board in the sun. When the resin starts to kick but is still not fully hardened, take it back inside. The reaction will stop and you will have plenty of time to cut the laps. Put it back outside after your done to fully harden.