Cold weather ding repair

Well, if you're using a sun cure product, you are SOL! Unless you get a UV equivalent lamp . . .

 

I've been doing some ding repairs in my garage this winter and, whenever possible, have generally targeted those days where temps are approaching 50F. A couple of questions: Where on your board is the ding? How big is it?

 

With any of the sun cure products, Solarez comes to mind, the cold shouldn't be a problem. Just need sunlight. Unless It's a heck of ding; you didn't run over your board with your truck did you??

 

Put a sticker on it until this un-relentless friggin snow stops coming - in Spring dig it out and repair it proper.
Do not use ducktape!! Use a vinyl sticker. Maybe Hello Kitty? lol.

 

Goofy Footer has a good idea, especially if your repair environment is persistently cold (sub-50F). If you really are itching do fix it now, I'd suggest that you might cut it out only as much as necessary, then fill it with UV cure resin. They're selling this kit now that has a UV pen (i.e no sunlight necessary, kinda like teeth bleaching kits - Jersey Boyeez know all about those): http://www.trioceansurf.co.uk/surf-shop/accessories/dura-rez-deluxe-ding-repair-kit-with-uv-pen/

After you fill it and sand it, you can laminate your cloth patch with low odor epoxy resin and let it cure inside your house. I've been working with the the stuff they sell on FOAM-ez: http://www.foamez.com/ez-epoxy-6oz-kit-p-645.html

There's hardly any noticeable smell compared to standard Poly resin.

 

Is your board epoxy or poly. Low fumes on most epoxies but not the same for poly. Also both resins need warmth to activate. I'm sure a heated shed is fine just wear mask and maybe keep door open while laminating. Then close door and crank heater upon exiting the premise. That's what I do.

Epoxy will laminate and repair epoxy and polyester boards but poly only fixes poly and will not key into epoxy. I'm sure you know this.

 

Aluminum foil tape. Get a roll at any decent hardware supply store. It's waterproof when applied flush with the board's edges. Far more effective than most stickers and way easier to remove.

 

The uv resins still need to be warm to kick in any reasonable amount of time. I fixed some dings on one of my boards last month on a mostly sunny 50deg day and still needed to put it in my greenhouse after over an hour and still soft and tacky.

Get a greenhouse?

 

I tried to repair a board last week. Unfortunately the ding repair did not work because I had to strip everything off of the board and sand it back down. I would definitely advise you wait for warmer weather or do as everybody else said, just put a sticker on it.

I was trying to repair my board in my garage with a space heater but that did not keep it warm enough.

Good luck and I hope you fix your board soon

 

Out of curiosity were you using UV poly with or without MEKP and surfacing wax? I know that when I haven't used surfacing wax or don't cover the ding with plastic wrap or wax paper, oxygen in the air will prevent the outside surface from curing.

I've had no issues laminating with UV poly in cold temps (resin is kept warm beforehand), but I'm less inclined to use it on dings (especially with q-cell) unless I add a little MEKP to make sure it gets hard where the sun don't shine. But then you need heat to finish the cure.

Sack, if you don't have the supplies to work with poly use a low VOC epoxy and go get some free cardboard at a bike shop. If you have a space heater you can build a box around the ding (and heater) and heat that area up to 80 - 100 degrees in a few minutes, and keep it at a constant temp until it's cured. Even with low VOC epoxy I won't use it in the house/basement and the box means I don't need to heat the whole garage.

 

It's going to be near 60 this Friday

Most resin says on it that it will not cure above 40 and you will need more catalyst to set it off. Double what you would in 70 degrees.

I would put a sticker on it until warmer weather or fix it in your basement

Or just move to Belmar NJ

 

That sounds like bad UV resin, at least I've never had that problem with UV cure resin. On a sunny, or even partly cloudy 50 degree day or even a few degrees colder the UV Cure resin I've used (Ding-all laminating resin) will be set up hard and sandable within 45 minutes or less.

I have found some of those UV Cure products that squeeze out of a tube with the fiberglass filler a bit less predictable.

 

This time I was using UV epoxy and some plastic overlay--it was still blushing. Never had this problem in the summer, that's why I tossed it in the greenhouse--it's always summer in there.

 

I used Phixdoctor this last time around. I've had it close to a year, so maybe it's turning.

 

You guys ever use marine grade resins? Sometimes that's all I've got access to but I've refrained from it this far.

Can't say enough about the usefulness of aluminum tape. Plus, it's a convo topic since few other are doing it.

 

I typically do my repairs in the garage, with the door shut when it's cold out. I deal with the fumes in an eclosed space by wearing a respirator rated for organic fumes ($25.00 at home depot). To help ensure the resin will cure, I keep it in the house right up until I am ready to glass. That way it stays around 70 degrees and doesn't need a ton of catalyst. Lastly, I place a space heater in the garage close to where I am doing my work so that it keeps the surrounding air reasonably warm. Seems to work well for me, and my glass jobs are usually fully cured after a few hours...

 

Two words: West Systems.... although I've only used it on boats, but I think the general 505 would work pretty well but it may be softer after it cures. I think the biggest problem with marine resins is they discolor easily and don't usually cure to that crystal clear you want on a surfboard, plus they tend to blush more iirc.

I'm about to go get me some Green Room resin to glass some of these hand boards I've shaped out of foam. They're reportedly some of the best in the business and they're Wilmington boys.