futures fin box screw up...

once again i screwed up.   really bummed and stressed about it as i was gonna give this to a friend.  I prepped everything to lam.  taped my deck off for cutlap.  tested some pigment on scraps.  mixed my cabosil with fiberglass HI slow hardener and epoxy 2:1, got it nice and thick.  the resin kicked extremely fast and HOT. by the time i went to do the second box, the resin hardened on my 1" chip brush i used on the first finbox… so i had to mix another batch of cabosil/epoxy for the next box and didnt have brushes.  tried to use a finger to spread it around in my route.  once i pushed the box in it wouldnt sit right, so i try to push it down into the route harder-   my tape gets pushed in-  i really didnt want any resin in my fin slot so i pulled the box out…  anyway, I squeegee all the overflow off the board so everything stays flat.  I pull out the box as its coated in uncured epoxy cabosil,  and decide to stop f*king it up any more.

so as of now, i got one fin box set, my cloth rolled back ready to lam, and now resin is curing in the slot i pulled the box out of. lord help me.  i cleaned up my resin coated box with vinegar, then acetone…im thinking it was starting to get a bit too hot in my tent i shape/glass in when i mixed the resin-didnt even notice but , when i looked up at my thermometer it was reading 90 degrees.  or my ratio was somehow off.  on the first batch that got too hot- i mixed the resin, harderer, and cabosil all at once.  the second batch didnt kick as quickly maybe since i mixed in the cabosil before adding any hardener so mixing too much to get the cabosil blended may have been an issue as well.  any thoughts for the next course of action?? im thinking i should re-route once the resin has cured in that old route, then try again.    or just hand it off to someone else who actually knows what theyre doing.  

 

ok i just routed the cured resin out of the route and im a bit less pessimistic about it now…gonna see what i can do once the tent cools down in the evening.  its 100F+ right now. the board was supposed to be yellow- was gonna lam with pigment but after some test panels, it seems i need ALOT of pigment to get a completely opaque lam.  theres also flattened out clear resin arount the fin boxes now so the foam around the boxes may not absorb my pigmented resin.  i may just try to lam it with pigment to see what happens.  trial and error seems to be the best way to learn things.  not expecting a perfect glassjob in my backyard proshade tent, with epoxy nonetheless, but i know there are some epoxy gurus here who do very nice work.   any suggestions appreciated.

mahalo, sean

Especially if you’re a beginner, glasssing with epoxy and pigment is suboptimal  glassing in 90-100 degree weather is suboptimal, and glassing when temperatures are rising (not falling) is suboptimal …while you’re waiting for good conditions read in the archives on mixing things (color, thickeners) into epoxy, they have various impact on kick times, sandability, etc.  good luck, you can do it!

…first time that I hear an almost instant curing with epoxy resin. Are you sure that the ratio is right?

Yes; now that part cannot have the same color as the rest of the board so try to make it opaque but is difficult if you do not use heavy cloth or several layers.

Anyway; seems that you are in Hawaii; not bad at all man.

 

thanks guys.  I’ve actually handed the board off to a skilled glasser.  It was supposed to be for a friend and i want it to look nicer than i could do with my current level of experience.  reverb- usually it is not bad.   this time i feel it was a combination of poor preparation, and of course poor technique.  once i had my lap taped off, boxes wiped down, and cloth cut, it was already 90F and rising.  my proshade tent is made of some thin white material that really traps heat in.  ive thrown a reflective tarp over it and that has cooled it down about 5 degrees. i’ve glassed in the morning before so im thinking my ratio really was off, OR I mixed it too long in the cup, or both.  i added hardener, mixed it a bit, then added cabosil.  took a lil while to get it blended well.  the second batch of cabosil/epoxy didnt go off as quick as the first maybe since i thickened the resin before adding hardener.   i sometimes get ‘tunnel vision’ when i’ve got the respirator on and my heads dripping sweat, trying not to get sweat in the resin.  my brain turns off haha…either way, im pretty confident for the next futures install -   prepare properly. work in the evening as the tent is cooling down, thicken resin or add color before adding hardener so it doesnt stay in the cup longer than it needs to, and pay attention to my ratios…gearbox install went fine on the last one, sanding that one and surfing it soon.  then maybe make a stepup for the Maui winter.  I was never really an amazing builder when i was working construction.  having done only 4 boards now, i enjoy shaping a lot, but glassing is definitely a lot to wrap my simple brain around.   im determined to find a stress-free system that works for me though.  as im sure many backyarders have.   surfing my own boards has really taught me alot about my equipment choice and my own surfing in general.   also feel like i surf better after riding my own shitty boards lol.  the last tint i did came out pretty well minus the bleeding under my cutlap tape.  again poor preparation.   just did some abstract-ish color pours to make it look a bit more intentional, but overall im proud of it and had fun glassing this one.  also the worst thing about hawaii…centipedes…woke up at 2am screaming the other night, and now my ankle is swollen.  it looks like gout.