How many rays for UV cure?

[damo666]

Hello,

We are ready to glass my sons board. The east coast weather forecast is looking like crap, with rain and grey skies for the next week or so.

Do I need direct sunshine to get the sun cure to set properly? Will it work with cloudy skies and the rays filtered through clouds?

Cheers
Damo

[gabsouy]

uv cure needs little direct sun to cure. 1% uv hardner is the ratio,should cure in under 10 mins[gel within 3-4] any areas that are thicker than 2-3 mill such as rovings for glass in fins e.t.c add 1% of m e k to the mix. swaylocks have heaps of info on suncure seems to be more commonly used in the u.s.a........even with 70% cloud cover you still get a quick reaction. mate this stuff is unreal ,no 15 min rush glass jobs,ive taken 30 mins before to lam a board [each side] this stuff is a pleasure to work with and way less fumes. if you do mix up to much store it in a dark container in a dark place and it will keep for a couple of months at least.stir it well after adding u.v. hardner and let sit for 10 mins before using, good luck.

[damo666]

Fantastic, we will wait for a partially clear day and have a crack - thanks for the response.

[ric_vidal]

What gabsouy says damo, it is great stuff and a few different varieties out there. Only ever used the powdered variety - soltek

If you want to be a tightarse, collect the stuff that drips off the rails. To do this you would need to have a collection frame or be doing over a table top or such covered with plastic to just squeegee off.

Be careful handling the board, even silicon gloves will leave marks because they are powdered. I ended up using freezer bags. Hand on top other hand on bottom (board, not yours) and just flip the board watching nose, tail, etc, don't bash anything. Expose both sides rapidly initially to get both going as if you do just one side I have been told it can creep away at the rails as it cures, never had a problem, but I was told by the agent himself.

Also, and I may have said this before, UV can have an impact on spray colour.

If you wait long enough there is going to be a shitload of UV tanning beds available.