Woody in the V-bag

A broken furnace and replacement got in the way of this project. But now the 4 layers are in the bag. Hope there is enough epoxy- I went and did it without a test.
Down hard onto form.
The little wonder.
Massive concave and constant rocker.

Wood Board 1

Starting a new board using Abachi veneers 1,5mm thick in the core.
2 longitudinal layers and 2 45degree layers in the middle. I plan on putting a final top and bottom layer of Western Red Cedar as a cosmetic finish. Then a thin glassfiber laminate.

I´m starting by using a board form i already have. Massive concave and a moderate and constant rocker. Its a Ocean Rodeo knock-off and i have a Mako 150x34 that is my favorite board.

Previously i made a shorter and narrow version to see if it would be better in high winds- but the OR Mako is till better and more forgiving in high winds and chop.

This time i´ll be making a wider version to see if it will have better lowend and still work in the high end. The Mako Wide 150x40 has had so many positive reviews, so its worth a try.

Mostly i enjoy the building process, its not an economical exercise.

This fist pic shows how i have the first layer which will be the bottom. I have "fit" the edge of the veneer.



You can see that there is a gap at the ends due to the curvature of the board. This is why it necessary to fit the edges.Its very simple to sand the edge to fit.
The 45 degree layers are easy to fit.
The 2nd 45 degree layer
The last layer

Next step is to glue it all together by vacuum bagging it all to the form with a one-sided V-bag.

The Final Board

Final Paint

Paint is International Perfection 2 component polyurethane. Mix it according to instructions, pour it on.Roll it out with a foam roller- i use diagonal and longitudinal directions to even out the paint. About 8 teaspoons paint and 4 teaspoons hardener cover one side. Oh- don´t forget to mask the edge of the board and paint one side at a time. Use the red "waterline" tape you can buy at the store you buy the paint.
Finish off by lightly brushing the surface- see all the little air bubbles? the brush breaks them and allow the paint to smooth out. Don´t over do it- do fast and 2 times over.

Finishing the board

At this stage i have sanded the raw laminate lightly and then painted a surfacing primer onto each side with a foam roller.

I use SP Systems Hi-Build 302. Supplier is DIAB in Halmstad. I buy a 5-6 liter can- it costs a lot, forgot how much, but it covers about 10 boards.

It´s nasty stuff. Dangerous solvents.

But it gives a good finish if you put in the work. On this board i only coated and sanded once- too lazy on this experiment. Sanding is with 80 grit, then down to 180 grit.

If you want a good finish, you will need to re-coat at this stage and sand it all again ending with 220 grit. Its a hell of a job and a workout. I don´t use a machine because the dust is insane- if you have a dedicated dust shop, a machine will make quicker work.

Board out of the bag

This is the board straight out of the bag with the materials stripped off.

When laminating the board- as each side was done, cut the excess glass off and leave a bit as seen here
The vacuum is very effective- The glass is pressed into very tight contours.

Just use a sharp knife to cut off the excess. The epoxy is not too hard 24 hrs later (17C i cellar) but after a week it is really hard.

If possible it is best to "bake" the board in the V-bag after 24 hrs have passed. Depending on the epoxy, but a 50c temp for 12hrs will increase the chemical cross linking and make the board 20-30% stiffer and stronger and will stand higher temperatures- such as being in a hot car or in the sun in hot climates.

Several ways to do this- make an oven from Frigolit and use a car-heater, use infrared heat and blankets. Most methods have fire risks for the home builder.....

Preparation and Vacuum bagging

This section is missing some photos. Time is short and the laminating process must go fast before epoxy hardens.

1. Cut out all the materials needed
- Vacuum bag material
- wicking material
- perforated plastic film
- Tear fabric
- Glass fiber
2. Roll up everything but the vacuum bag material in separate rolls and set aside carefully and so you know whats-what. Think all the steps through first.

3. Set up your V-bag on a table or rocker table it you have one. I used a wide material folded over- Put the sealing tape on one side of the bag and leave the protective tape on the top side. This will be removed at the last step befre sealing bag. Put your vacuum fitting on the bag in a good position

4. Set up you laminating area and start by using a plastic "squeege" (skrapa) to put epoxy on the bottom of the blank- Then put each layer of glass on and apply epoxy with squeege, apply to center of board and work outward. Scrape of any excess before applying next layer. I mix about 2-3dl of epoxy at a time to keep the working time as long as possible.

5. Once all the layers are on, put down tear fabric, then perforated plastic film and turn the blank over to laminate the top side as above.

6. Put the wicking material on the vacuum bag and lift the board over, bottom down onto the wicking material. Put the top layer of wicking material over the board.

7. Close the bag by pulling protective tape off sealing tape and carefully sealing down bag. Avoid getting wrinkles- they can leak.

8. Attach the vacuum hose and turn on the pump. smooth out the V-bag as it gets tighter.
Use spacers and clamps to put in the rocker.

Here the bag is tight and the epoxy is "wicking" thru the perforated film into the wicking material- it is absorbing all the excess epoxy.
The Vacuum pump- no bigger than 1kg coffee. Amazing little device