What exactly is the difference between "Glossing" resin and regular lam resin with wax and a bit of styrene added? I know the Glossing resin in pink. What else is different about it? I have even used it before. Never once saw it used at Beatty's shop. I don't use it now and my polishes are my weak point, so perhaps I need to use it, but first, I need to know what the difference is. Maybe it's all just psychological. Maybe because it's "Pink"..it goes on smoother and sands out better. Seems like something I should already know, but I don't. I was pretty much under the assumption that it just cost more and was a waste of money, but now I am re-thinking the issue. Can anyone enlighten me?
Different formulation so it cures harder (more brittle) I believe. Not sure if this applies to epoxy gloss.
Polyester gloss resin is formulated to be less viscous and have a slower gel time than laminating resin, thus allowing it to flow out to a smooth surface when applied by brush. It has Cobalt in it to make it dry harder (more brittle) so it make an excellent surface to finish sand and polish. Like sanding resin it also has surfacing agent in it so it doesn’t dry gummy.
I didn’t know either. Been polishun’ sanding resin. Works? Ah, maybe.
Gonna try gloss this weekend.
Thanx Leslie!
What is glossing resin…
We have Leslie on the West Coast and Rachel on the East Coast…Two gals building great surfboards…
Two glassers having problems and asking questions on Swaylock’s…I wish I had the answers…
I buy my Poly resin premixed from Mitch’s in Solona Beach ,Ca.
I often question why I’m using gloss resin…Lot’s of problems…I’ve tried different things…I can use sanding resin as a gloss and get good results…I’ve researched it…I’m working on it…
Nothing beats a super clean gloss job!
I’ll work on it …
Ray
so what about epoxy gloss? Is there something you need to add to regulalr epoxy resin or is it a totally different type of resin? I’ve only done epoxy lam jobs so far, but after 400 grit I usually quit sanding/polishing coz I wanted to take the board out! So what’s the best thing to do If you want a gloss finish on an epoxy board?
I’ve done epoxy-gloss for the first time just a week ago.
went out beautiful…
I warm the resin in the microwave till it gets more runny,
then mixed with hardener and 1-2% of DNA, wanted to add additive F but I just ran out of the stuff so continued w\o it.
let the mixed batch sit for few min’s to let the bubles raise ( I don’t think it really helped cause there were still ton of 'em )
brush onto the board and left the room.
then used a random orbital sander with 240 grit to take off the high spots,zits etc’,
went to #320, #400 then
switched to wet sandind by hand using a rubber backpad.
#600, #1200, #2000, made only two light passes over the board with each grit and when I finished with the 2000
it looked good enough so I decided not to use rubbing compund and went directly to the wax.
rinse the board with fresh water , let dry for few min’s
then take a moist towel and spread the wax over the board,
let it sit for a few min’s and take a sander/polisher
with a buffing pad/ wool , go over the board in long strokes
and then the magic happens.
the gloss looks awesome.
that’s how I did it, probably the pro’s have what to say about it but I’m satisfied.
lee.
I suppose maybe I should clarify just a bit on what I am unhappy with about my polishes. After I complete the board, and have a mirror like polish that feels smooth as silk, to the regular person, it looks fantastik. But I look "Through" the polish and thats is where I can see finish sanding marks. I use my Festool Random Orbit sander to do all of my sanding, and no matter what I do, I end up seeing the little pattern scratches. It almost looks like it isn't even on the gloss coat..but underneath, which makes no sense at all. When I finish sand with a regular rotary sander, I can still see scratches, they are just a different pattern and actually don't show up as bad. Thing is, I don't want to go back to my big heavy Milwaukee sander. With the Festool, I can sand with no mask, hardly any dust, and it weight nothing compared to the Milwaukee. I think I will just pick up a 5 gal tub of gloss resin and check it out. I will report back with any differences I notice.
I always use regular Poly resin to gloss my epoxies, so I have no experience with an all epoxy gloss. I have a few boards in the shop I may try it on. With fifteen to twenty boards to gloss and polish, hand rubbing other than the rails just doesn’t seem feasible.
I’m with you on the Festool. I love making less mess! But, what grits of paper are you using before you do the gloss? are you washing the board between grit changes?
if you are seeing the scratches though the polished top coat, somehow I doubt that switching resins will fix it. But it might be worth doing anyway; real gloss resin is nice and flows out evenly, makes less work in the long run.
good luck and keep us posted!
I like to mix glossing resin with sanding resin, like one to one, then add a little xtra styrene. Seems to brush out as well, but sands better and snaps a shine real fast, all the while keeping that nice hard gloss coat feel and scratch resistance.
Hi Keith! It doesn't seem to matter weather I sand to 600 or to 1200. I made just a hair difference by not skipping any grits ie: 320, 400, 500 etc. And no..I don't rinse the board between sanding grits.
I think I will take one of my short board orders and sand it the “Old” way with my Milwaukee…then gloss…then sand with my Festool. Then polish…and see what I get. It’s funny, I only see these scratches on the flats. Where the rail curves…it’s perfect. It is mind boggling frustrating.
For what it’s worth, I don’t use anything other than Fiberglass Hawaii lam resin, with home-made surfacing agent when I’ll need to sand. I sand my hot coats with the Milwaukee (no variable speed, just 2800 rpm) using 60 grit, and knock down the rails only a little. I use the soft pad with the 60 to do the rails… then because frequently I’ll be pinstriping, I hand wet sand with 220. Rinse off, let dry, pinline and finish coat. I thin my finish coats with a good deal of styrene.
Wet sanding is all by hand, from 220 if needed, then 400, 600 then polish using FH #2 and the Milwaukee. Wet sanding past 600 seems needless. ALSO REMEMBER that the fastest board isn’t the polished one … use the search function, this has come up before. Gloss is useful only to the salesperson.
I really need a variable speed, maybe Harbor Freight…
60 grit? On rails??
…why do you think we use a polisher angular machine to do the job?
no one of the others tiny tools beat an angular pol/sand e tool
WHY?
because the heavyness…that is one of the tricks in the proper technique…and with a supersoft pad, you work with that weight and the finer grits…
with the tiny tools you need to put pressure…
its all in the technique not only what type of grits
------BUT----- those tiny marks that you see in 50% of the cases is due to the lam resin and not the work (change for a gloss resin and you ll see the difference)
the other 50 % is for the not so good technique. One simple way to improve that, is with a coarser heavy compound, then the sureluster or med/comp and then with a finer comp
I know a lot about this, cause in most countries there are no gloss resin (and sometimes a not so good place to work, without a proper weather, etc)…so we (boardbuilders and glassers round the globe) do and trial everything to obtain a show finish
and of course always in the rounded areas you ve got perfect finish
for that reason the rails are only sanded with 500 and 600
cause the buffing bonnets will eliminate all the sanding marks in a rounded surface