My first surfboard repair - (WIP)

[IanCaio]

I started sanding, and I have good and bad news. The good news is that it's being easy to sand it and it doesn't seems like there are any bubbles where I though there were. The bad news is that there some spots that didn't sticked to the fin the right way (because I dragged the cloth trying to get bubbles out). I'm thinking of what to do, want the fin job to be good after all. I tryied to sand those loose spots, and I will try to sand them more later.

Can I glass the second layer over this one or will it delaminate because of those spots? Was thinking about giving it 2 more layers, but are 3 layers of 6oz too much?

[oldmansurfer]

I would be inclined to remove those like edges but if the resin gets under them when aplied they will be far less visible and should provide a solid patch. I would want to try cutting those white edges off but don't know if that would work. Most likely I think the resin will soak under them and everthing will be fine but not sure

[IanCaio]

I could only sand them until they were tiny, but still small white edges. I just applied the second cloth, it's drying now. This time the job was not that messy, it was easier than last time. Hope the result is also better.

Depending on how it goes I will think if a third layer is worth it.
Gonna wait longer to cut the edges, rather sand them out than screwing the glassing.

[oldmansurfer]

Touch it every 5 minutes after the resin in the cup goes off and when it isn't tacky... doesn't stick to your bare finger at all then it's time to cut it.

[IanCaio]

I waited longer than last time, about half an hour. Guess I could wait longer but I managed to cut the edges way better than before.

I'm waiting for it to cure so I can sand the glass until it's even. Still thinking about giving it a 3rd layer, at least material wouldn't be an issue, and since I'm not sure I can consider thr first layer a proper one, it would give the fin more resistance.

Once it's done, I'll start the last part of the resin work: the gloss coat. After that some painting (I felt after this whole job I could give the board a new face ), and it will be done and ready to hit the water!

[waikikikichan]

the rope needed to be longer and much more thicker amount like 3 times more. Did you dunk it in the resin and wring it out before you laid it down ? Also how far over is the semi-circle of cloth over onto the flat area of the board ?

[IanCaio]

I thought it didn't need to be so big because of the fin box. Maybe if it was bigger I wouldn't have so much trouble with glassing on the transition between the bottom and the fin, big angles probably don't help.
I think a longer rope would give me too much extra rope to sand out though, wouldn't it?

My mistake of not sunking the fin rope at the resin first, made the job much harder to place it right and glass it in place. Screwing up and learning, at least I managed to put it in place.

The semicircle (which is more of an rectangle-like shape on my cloth) is about 2, 2.5 inches I guess.

[oldmansurfer]

The finbox is a concern as I would guess the interface between resin and box is weak so provides a weakened area that may fail. If it fails or delaminates at the fin box then take it out the next time. The great thing about doing all this is you become more and more familiar with the process and next time will be easier.

[waikikikichan]

That is opposite of what you're thinking. The thick transition helps the cloth adhere better. The tight angle make bubbles and pockets. Also a thicker base is stronger. Longer rope won't matter for sanding because you snip off the excess anyways.

[IanCaio]

Oldmansurfer,
I think the fin box actually helped make the fin stronger, because it is partially inserted, so more surface is in contact with the resin. I might be wrong though!
For sure I'm not gonna make the same mistakes next time, but we gotta start somewhere, right?

Waikikikichan,
I expressed myself badly. What I meant is exactly what you said, tight angles makes it harder to cloth the fin. You're right, I think I really should have made a thicker fin rope..
But I hope I could compensate it with the third cloth layer (probably gonna be dry tomorrow). I made a small timelapse of me working to test a cellphone app
But I think we can only upload images here right?

[oldmansurfer]

It's just a guess IanCaio since I have never done that before. You will see what the result will be and we will all learn from it.

[IanCaio]

Sure!
I hope the fixes are good though, after all the trouble I had to get them done.

I started sanding the last fiberglass layer, and I'm starting to feel the trouble of not having a eletric sander. Would make the job much easier, and I wouldn't have bubbles on my finger because of sandpaper heating on my hands. There's still a lot to sand, and even out. But at least the fiberglass work is done.

I'm now thinking of the gloss coat, do you guys think it is too hard? There are several spider web cracks on the board and I would feel safer with a coat of resin over them. I guess the hardest part would be protect the fin cups so resin don't get in it.

After the gloss coat I would paint the board black and white with some spray I have here, and then use selant spray to protect it. Has anyone had experience with black boards? It wouldn't be that harder to find dings on it, would it?

[oldmansurfer]

I have no advice about painting the board because I have never done that. A sanding block would help or a piece of wood to wrap the sandpaper around which gives you a flat surface would help to make a flatter outcome. the only black board I know of a friend of mine made himself with black pigment in the resin. He made it super strong with 2 overlapping layers of heavy glass on both top and bottom so 4 layers on the rails. You could throw it on the rocks and it wouldn't ding

[dtc]

Also wear some cheap work or gardening gloves!

[drowningbitbybit]

After the gloss coat I would paint the board black and white with some spray I have here, and then use selant spray to protect it. Has anyone had experience with black boards?

Two problems with black... the board will get hot in the sunshine and will melt the wax, and white wax on a black board can look ugly. Not to say don't do it, just take that into account.

Once you've sprayed the board, you'll need a lacquer layer (is that what you meant by sealant spray?) to protect the paintjob and to make it shiny. When you're spraying on your lacquer, make sure you wait several days between each coat - preferably a coat per weekend. The lacquer will feel dry after a couple of hours, and you'll be tempted to give it a second coat, but as soon as the new coat's solvent hits the old coat, it'll be wet again
It takes several days to dry and seal properly and (unlike the paint) you can't tell by touch.

[IanCaio]

Thanks guys,
I will paint the board black and white, so I will make sure the deck is mostly white so the wax doesn't melt. How many layers of lacquer would be good? About 3?

I noticed today the left fin was a little loose, felt like it was getting close to break. So I glassed the remaining two fins. I hope the day they break I am ready to buy a new board. Unfortunatly, the fiberglass has a little loose spot on the tip of the right fin, like on the first layer of the center fin (that I posted here before). I will sand it tomorrow, and then evaluate if I can only gloss coat it with no third layer of fiberglass. The fins haven't breaked before I glassed them, so there is no necessity for much strengt other than suficient to keep the loose fin whole.
I suspect that the resin doesn't stick good on carbon fiber fins, the loose cloth happened more than once.

I'm also getting really tired of the sanding . If I find a sander here for a reasonable price, I will cosider buying one. It will make the job quicker and give a better result.

[drowningbitbybit]

How many layers of lacquer would be good? About 3?

3 thin coats gives a much better result than 1 or 2 thicker coats. Patience is key

Also, I really really recommend practising with the lacquer spray before you start - the technique is a little different to the spray painting step, and it's quite easy to screw up... which would be a shame on the very last step!

[IanCaio]

Cool, I will take a good look on how to use it.

I found varnish spray. Would it be equivalent to the lacquer spray? Not sure if I will find the last one here, not even sure how it's named in portuguese .

I will take my time on sanding the 3 fins, maybe put some resin trying to stick the loose spots back in (will take a picture when I'm back home). If it doesn't work I will try to sand it out to keep it from delaminating and sand coat it. It doesn't need as much resistance as the middle fin, and I think my fiberglass cloth is not enough for giving a third layer to both left and right fin.

Then it will be time for the gloss coat. Need to find a way to cover the old couch I'm using. It's bad enough to have it full of fiberglass dust, my roomates would bug me a lot if I fill it up with resin .

By the way, the electric sander will have to wait for now.. Too expensive for my budget

[billie_morini]

Ian wrote: "I noticed today the left fin was a little loose, felt like it was getting close to break. So I glassed the remaining two fins."
Billie responds: "Look at you, Ian. A month or two ago, you never laid fiberglass. Now you tackle it at moment's notice with no fear!"

Yes, an electric or pneumatic sander or grinder are ideal. Many times I use an electric orbital sander. This is not the ideal tool for sanding surfboards, but it is lightweight and I just seem to grab it from the shelf out of habit. However, you can't do everything with power tools and must resort to hand tools. Even though I have two different grinders, I reach for sandpaper more often because the grit and suspension liquid goes flying all over the place when using a grinder. Plus, the grit suspension liquid smells bad to me and it is difficult for me to get the right amount of grit suspension liquid. Too much and it flies everywhere. Too little and the grinder pad sticks to the work surface or burns through it.

When sanding by hand, you can use sanding blocks. This protects your hands and ensures more even contact between sandpaper and work surface. The free ones are literally small blocks of wood. You wrap the sand paper around the block and hold the paper onto the block while holding the block when sanding. I often use the rubber ones used regularly in automotive body work. The sandpaper is pinned or clipped to the block. Here is an example:
http://buyaes.com/autobody/abrasives/sa ... ber-1.html

For contoured surfaces or where the rubber block is too large, I use a soft pad and wrap my choice of sandpaper around it. I cannot find a link to this, but look at this link. Look for the photos showing sand paper wrapped around the white foam block. This shows you what I do with a commercially-purchased foam at auto body repair shops, as well as an inexpensive way to make your own. You'll also see a variety of hand sanding products sold by an auto body supply manufacturer on this web page.
http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/sh ... Foam/page2

Here is another approach for contoured surfaces. It's a foam block impregnated with grit. Some people call them sanding sponges. They come thin to thick and in any grit you want. Many of them can be used in wet sanding. See wet sanding notes below.
http://www.abrasiveresource.com/Standar ... aQodSEgA3A

If you end up sanding an entire board by hand, then consider using something like this.
http://www.eastwood.com/adjustable-flex ... c-kit.html
http://dura-block.com/sanding-blocks/

When sanding with the finest paper, like 600, 1200, or 1500, it is better to sand wet (not dry). Not everyone working on surfboards uses paper this fine. I do and, if you paint, you definitely will because these grits are essential to producing a quality paint job. Wet sandpaper has a waterproof backing. You literally use water when sanding with these papers. The water floats the ground material away from the working surface and lubricates the sandpaper. You can add a drop of dish washing soap to the water to increase these two properties. Wet the paper by momentarily placing it in the soapy water container. Then place a small quantity of water on the work surface using your hand. You'll soon discover the correct quantity of water & moisture required. If grit builds up in your work area, you are not using quite enough water to flush the grit away.

CAUTION: When sanding dry surfaces, do NOT breath the dust! The chemicals in resin are bad for your health.

[IanCaio]

Thanks Billie!
Maybe those blocks will help with the sanding. I've improved on hand sanding though, it's more about patience, knowing the right pressure (not too much, not too little), and more patience. Having a chair to sit down helps, because it is a job that takes time .

I will take a look around for those soft pads and blocks, they might make a big difference on the post glosscoat sanding.

About the glassing, I would say I'm less afraid of the process, but I still need some practice. I'm still not getting the results I want everytime. This last two glassings were not the best ones, troubles with bubbles, and I managed to "unglue" a little tip of the fiberglass again while cutting the edges. Guess it's better to wait for it to cure without cutting it and then sand the excess. More time consuming, but less risk of screwing up the job. Can't expect all to be perfect the first time, right?
I think the overall result is being good despite it all!

Oh, and don't worry, I always use a disposable mask while sanding. Also, I'm kind of getting used to the itching skin, but I can see people getting insane about it .