YourRecommendedEpoxy/Products4BoardNwhy

[bandito]

Thanks, wondering about what Products (like so call Great , but also Second best n such) to build and also repair Watersport gears like different type of Boards, fins, and for Foiling , Mast and wings.

-Epoxies pros and cons (i understand it should somehow Flex compare to Super Rigid and cracking?).which products you tested so far?

-Type of fiber glasses/carbons and differences(is it Really worth paying double price example in between regular weave/ and more complicate patterns or glass vs carbon $ wise...
- same with type of materials for fins, foams, mast, and other parts
- also where to procure the materials , deals.
- thanks for your "2 cents"

Your recommendations/explanations are Appreciated as is your time and good will to answer this post, Thanks, and good health (mental/physical)to everyone in these hardship times in Canada n rest of the world .

btw, if someone read this and doesn't care/believe about covid safety protocols , it is greatly appreciate you Diplomatically put a Mask, for others Ease and much much less violent confrontations and also showing Care for others when attending indoor environments like schools,work,stores, n more. Why not , put that silly mask on if you think it is so, and make Others much much less Disturb, upset, possibly even sick/die , thanks! complicate times in the Western world.

[shmish]

Hi,
For epoxies I have used the Fiber-Tek Aquaset epoxy and two different System Three epoxies. The Aqua-Set I bought because it was less expensive and available locally. The System Three I bought purposefully, and it is available at Fiber-Tek as well. Industrial Plastics and Paints also carries S3 I think.
https://fibertek.ca/product-category/fi ... xy-resins/
https://richmondindustrial.ca/

System Three Silvertip is definitely a higher quality epoxy. It is totally clear and you can get different hardeners for it. The Aqua-set has a brown tinge to it and it takes a long time to set. This can be good or bad, depending on what you're doing. I think for repairs it is bad. I'd rather have something that sets in 20 minutes.

I know some people that have bought and used Raka. It is supposed to be a good epoxy at a cheaper price (at least it was a few years ago): http://www.raka.com/

My experience is mostly with wooden boat building and using fiberglass/epoxy in this regard. I can't say for sure if one epoxy is better than another for glassing board repairs. The strength comes from the fiberglass, the epoxy should not crack. When wetting out the glass, you want to use as little epoxy as possible. You then "squeegee" the excess epoxy off the cloth. After it hardens, the cloth should be covered but not filled in. You then put a filler coat on it. Once this is done, the cloth should be totally invisible. In my latest repair, I didn't squeegee enough and in one area, the fiberglass is "floating." There is some epoxy between the glass and the board. It's not important for the area I have it in, but this is something to be aware of.

There are a bewildering amount of different types of fiberglass you can get. I used to have some good charts for this. A lot depends on whether you care if the cloth finishes clear with the epoxy. With boat building we generally want cloth that disappears once it is wet out with epoxy. Strength comes from the material and weave used in the cloth. The stronger the weave, the less clear it will finish. I managed to get a bunch of 3 oz cloth that will finish clear and is very strong - twice as strong as a loose weave 6 oz "boat cloth". It's a bit harder to work with. I think for most board repairs you are better off using the strongest cloth you can which will conform to whatever shape you're dealing with. Carbon would be the best and strongest cloth to use *I think.* Others probably have more info on this. Carbon won't conform to shapes as well as a loose weave fiberglass but I don't think this would matter for anywhere except a hard rail or nose.

For the best strength to weight ratio, people use vacuum bagging. I've never done this. When I repaired a mast with carbon cloth, I tightly wrapped the repair with plastic wrap and this had a similar effect to vacuum bag. I don't know why people like me would use a vacuum bag with board repairs, it might have something to do with carbon/epoxy composites. I think for board repairs with glass and epoxy that vacuum bagging is overkill. If you're a pro and have the setup for it, I guess the vacuum bag will also lead to the best finish (no excess epoxy, no high spots, etc). I used carbon for a fin repair, where I just put layers on top of layers and then shaped it later. It's possible that a non-directional fiberglass might have been just as good. https://photos.app.goo.gl/9rSrsk6CB4kUGL7i7

This is a good website to read about different cloths, and buy a roll of cloth: https://www.thayercraft.com/

I think lots of people use materials other than cloth and glass for repairs.

[grantmac]

For repairs just use 4oz S-glass and add layers as needed. I've done carbon and its simply not worth the hassle unless you're trying to out a board back together which has broken in half.

For mixing small batches of epoxy the absolute best thing you can use is a scale. Trying to do it via volume will just not be that accurate.

I've used Resin Research epoxy and other than it not having as much shelf life as I'd like it's been an excellent product.