Fix a Very Broken Surf Board

Step 11 Glass the Joint

Mix your epoxy. Time/temperature/humidity affect curing time. Every type is a little different. The stuff I have now is too slow unless it's really hot out. So I let it sit in the cup for 10-15 minutes until it feels just faintly warm. That way I'm sure it will cure pretty fast. While that's happening I'm cutting the fiberglass cloth that will go over the joint. I've got some 8oz cloth and some 4oz cloth to go over that.
The 4 oz cloth sucks everything flat and will let me sand without cutting the weave of the heavy cloth underneath. SCANDAL!! many surfboards are made weak by sanding the cloth. Possibly this board broke for that reason. Actually this board looks like it got stomped by a gorilla while propped on sawhorses.

I pieced this layout from odd scraps because it's a deck and is supposed to be rough. My biggest piece of 4 oz went on top. Exposed edges of cloth stand up and make ridges when soaked with resin. So put your small pieces under your bigger pieces so you only get one ragged edge.

Wrap the glass around the rails (edges) of the board. Tape the glass to the underside to hold it tight and make sure it doesn't fall down.

SKILL TRICK:
To wrap a tight bend without the cloth lifting, cut the cloth at a 45 DEGREE ANGLE TO THE WEAVE.
Then the fibers cross the bend at gentle angles and the cloth will lay onto a much tighter bend. Try it and see. I wish I'd known about this a long time ago.

Comments

[boingx]

Interesting how different skills often come together. In sewing, binding tape (cloth used to edge material) is made by cutting the material at 45 degrees so that it will lie flat when attached on a curve.