Bummer
I always run my pump and bag while I'm preparing stuff just to check there are no leaks.
K
hey swied
sorry that your project did not work out
but… i would just sand the bubbles down, fill the holes with black pigmented epoxy, and make it a Panther board.
i was thinking to fill up, sand smooth, draw lines around the black dots, to accentuate them,
then, add more black dots…
and… when things look real [panther] mean,
gloss coat and ride that bihax
it is all in the ride - not the looks!
only a shaper knows the feeling… of a fuck up, just let the surfer take over swied!
of course, the sadness will be there for a few weeks, but, dont throw it man!! finish it. i always finish my dramas, and am stupified they ride so well.
so, just go for it, one day!
good luck
wouter
Ah yes, the heartbreak of figured veneer, I know it well.
My first veneer board wound up like that, although not as bad as yours. It should be salvagable though.
Get yourself a sanding pad and make everything flat. All those high spots will sand through, leaving big ugly white spots where you can see the foam. Cut a bunch of patches of your original wood, trying to keep the grain oriented in the right direction, paint some epoxy on the holes, tape the patches into place, then throw the whole thing back into the bag. Once they’re stuck in place, just blend/feather the edges of the patches in. I did it out of desperation, but I wound up amazed at how unobtrusive they wound up being. Might be worth trying to save the board.
WOW sorry about that...fricking disaster.
For what it's worth now? I'd scrap the taco shell vac bag. 1) too much 2 sided tape, 2) too many opportunities to have a leaking seam. Go get a roll of the cheap poly tube type bag. Then get the bag end clips, they look like a sliced PVC pipe. Just roll up the end and put the clamp on it....complete no brainer.
If you have a leak in the bag, then you just put a little 3M clear duct tape on it. If you could have drawn about 18 mmhg then you would have been golden. it's amazing what a little hole in the nose or tail or the bag will cause.
Also it looked like you used a lot of epoxy on the skin build (or is that just my the picture?) The picture looks like it sucked through the skin and pooled up on the deck.
Also, what ID is the suction line is that 1/4 or 3/8. it looks like 1/4? You want the largest air capacity flow as possible, I'd go to Harbor freight and get the cheep 3/8 ID air line (about $5.00 for 25 feet) it's also threaded so you dont have to use zip ties.
Just trying to eliminate more variables.
Sorry that happened sweid.My advice,take the advice of one or several of the above posts and finish the board…but when you do make sure you have some of your favorite tunes playing and smile while your working on the board.You should see some of the ugly boards I made,and they ride so much better than the pretty ones!
Bad luck with that. THE most important thing doing any vacuum process is the vacuum. One little leak can cause disaster. Sorry you had to find that out.
Next time just keep chasing the hissing. I'm not a fan of double sided tape. Just use masking tape and make sure you get all the folds and holes. Once it starts to really suck you will know, and touching up the little leaks gets easier.
Thanks everyone for your encouragement. I’ll try sanding down the deck, and see how it goes. I really would like to surf this board.
Where do you get poly tube bags cheap? The poly bags on veneersupplies.com are friggin expensive.
Nice tip. I’ll try that.
Yes. It was a big mess. I’ll definitely be more careful next time when applying the epoxy. I ended up getting it all over my arms when I was trying to reposition the board inside the bag. The baby wipes worked great at cleaning my skin.
I got my plastic bag roll at Fiberglass supply in Washington. I think I paid something like $1.00 per foot? I bought the cheepest stuff they had. I get 5 or 6 uses per bag, then I start adding duct tape.
I lke the baby wipe tip....thanks.
Hello Swied ,
It really sucks that you had these problems. That's a nice shape. It takes a lot of guts to post a screw up but many people will learn from your post....If you give up on the project I'm sure someone on Swaylock's would be interested in that blank including me......
I'm a Stingray...aka...bottom feeder....
I waited until Surf4fins did a few compsands...then Resinhead did a few WMD's...now I have two guys to help me do skins....I've done one bamboo skin with surf4fins and we pulled it off. I've got another board ready to skin...The bags and the clamps came from a web site that sells stuff for the composite industry...contact Surf4fins he can get you the web page...we're hacks....Just some backyard guys drinking beer... the last one came out nice with no leaks in the bag....I checked out Resinhead's 8 footer...he's got it down.....
Hope it all works out....
I've seen your work...you have the skills....
Ray
You can get bags from ACP composites: http://www.acp-composites.com/home.php?cat=4752
Someone here on sways advised me to get the 36" nylon tubing from fiberglass supply, 1.89 a yard and this stuff is tough,4 boards with 1 bag so far and no holes,sealant tape is fine to use if you already have it.You really can’t go wrong with this stuff.If I haven’t used my pump in a while I like to do a dry run before mixing any resin,it feels silly to bag some scrap foam,but reduces stress during the actual process,lets you chill out and concentrate.I’m still a beginner by far,I bag both sides at the same time,I lay both skins on tables with the glass on them,I pour the resin out on both skins and squeegee it out fast and alow no pooling,on my bottom skin I like to have my tape in place that wraps around to the deck skin and holds everything together.This keeps me from having to try to lift a resined up skin and stick tape every where that I need it,instead I lay the blank on the glassed bottom skin,throw the topskin on,line it all up and wrap the tape to the deck to hold everything in place,and throw it in the bag.
http://www.fiberglasssupply.com/Product_Catalog/Vacuum_Bagging/vacuum_bagging.html
I use the flat bagging film which is 60" wide… I fold it in half and seal the edges with mastic putty, then clear “tuck” (packeging tape)…leaving only one end open…
This makes a nice 30" wide bag…
As resinhead mentioned; Increase the tubing size it helps reduce the strain on the pump, and speeds up the pull on the bag…
The biggest improvement I’ve made to my system is a larger/more powerful pump that is capable of pulling a bag down to 28" in less than a minute…
I “plumbed” this baby up in 1/2" stainless tubing for the above mentioned reasons ( it has 1/2" tappings, the bigger the better)…
I can have minor leaks in the “entry” end of the bag and I don’t worry about it, as it only knocks me down to a 24" to 26" pull,… which is more than enough to hard skin a blank…
After about 3 hours on this big pump, I switch to a smaller, quieter pump to finish the “pull”
If you can, try to buy an oil-less, centrifical vac. pump capable of 28"@ 4cfm minimum , they rock !.. 6cfm, is better yet, ,as leaks are not a problem to get excited about… Not ever…
Cheers Kiterider…")
I've tried both nylon tube with tube clips and flat bagging film stuck together with mastic. Both are about the same. The nylon tube is a little easier to fold away.
I've done lots with cheap PE tube material. We used to by rolls and pull a couple boards and throw it away. The 4 mil suff I think .... the thinnest, cheapest stuff. Those end clamps work nice with the thin stuff too.
Swied,
I had exactly the same issues with my first - pump couldn’t move enough air to overcome the leaks - pump too small and tubing too narrow. The double sided tape just let the bag wrinkle up and form gaps almost as fast as I fixed them.
You can overcome the deficiencies of double sided tape by using a paint sealer (I use “No more gaps”). Lay a bead down outside the tape and the vac will suck it into any gaps. The sealant is quite thick so it doesn’t pull into the bag and get all over the board. I know people who just use the sealer and no tape but I haven’t tried that one for myself.
Best stuff for removing epoxy I’ve found is straight white vinegar.
I just use GoJo and water for skin ... scrap glass for tools.
Bamboo Deck vacuumed on with a fridge compressor reclaimed from a cooler on the side of the road - no valves no guages , just a fan to keep it cool. I connected a hose to the outflow port and bent it up in a loop to keep the oil from squirting out. Bag port is the top of a squeeze bottle with a dirty old sock as a breather. Bag sealed with double sided foam tape. The inevitable small leaks around port / seal regulated the pressure/flow somewhat. KISS. Not that I would really recomend this method to anyone but I did a couple test runs (made a kiteboard with some scrap materials) and it did the trick!
Finished Pics - Board came out nice. 2# EPS stringerless with braided carbon rails. 2oz under bamboo 4oz over. 6-7oz single layer of innegrity cloth on the bottom - it is some sort of hybrid fabric that has propeties similar to Kevlar - check it out there are some video of the cloth in action at www.innegrity.com
The bamboo deck is strong but there was some slight brusing under foot after the first session so it will develop some footwells
then…
how do you make sure you dont flatten the vee if you do both sides at once of the 1.5# EPS Fish ?
i can see how concaved board are ok, but vee, how to deal with skins and the Vee in a stringerless 1.5# ?
maybe:
- shape bottom and bottom half of rails
- vac skin onto bottom - with rocker bed of deck as the flat support
- finish shape deck and upper part of rails
- vac deck in the bottom rocker bed, with as little pressure as you can use? Support Vee? [problems!] Free-bag?
Thanks