UV resin, anyone use this??

[Beerfan]

Im after some info on this stuff. Like, if i wanted to use it with uv lights, is there a certain type i need to get, and also, how many do i need, and do i just put them up over my stands???.

Any info would be greatly appreciated. It sounds like the goods to me, it would be easier to fix any "kinks" etc before whacking on some lights, or putting in the sun.

Cheers

[Guest]

g'day beerfan, i used UV Catalyst on my last board, it cured a lot faster and you can work heaps longer than usual which was really good, just making sure everything was perfect. I was told only to use it with lam resin which is what i did
I cure the board with 1 mercury vapour light hung around 3ft from the board, although i would like to get another on and hang one over the nose and one over the tail.
All in all i was fairly happy with the result.
Hope this was a help

[BenNickson]

Above is me, forgot i wasnt logged on

[Beerfan]

Sweet mate thanks. What the hell is a mercury vapour light?!!, and what sort of fitting do i need to screw it into??, will it just go into a standard flouro fitting??. I dont have any lights in my shed yet, so i'll put in wahtever type of fitting that fits a uv light.

Being a noob, it would be sooooo handy to have heaps more time to get it all right before the resin hardens.

[BenNickson]

A Mercury vapour light isn't a standard UV light, if you call a local lighting centre they'll talk you through it. I think a street light uses mercury vapour lamps. But you can obviously get them more compact, i think i paid around $120 for the lamp and the fitting, but it was a while ago so i cant quite remember.
All i know is it worked a treat for the curing, and the extra time to properly wet everything down is always helpful

[platty]

I'm using the UV cure on about 90% of the work I do now. I use the Soltek UV catalyst. From Incontrol Agencies at Narrabeen. 02 9970 6500.

http://www.soltekonline.com.au/home.html

They will supply batches to add to 4kg or 20 kg pails. It is not like MEKP where you add it to the resin as needed. You add the entire amount to the resin, keep it in a light proof container and use it as you need it.

I use the big UV light in the sky. But it not so good when it is raining. It will work on over cast days but it takes longer to react.

Ben mentioned he was told to use it with lam resin only. I use it on filler coats regularly. What you need to do is expose it to the UV to initate the gell, then remove from the direct light to allow the wax to rise. Then expose it again. Or you can leave it in a shady area and allow it to cure slower.

The resin can be activated with regular MEKP also with out any problems. The only thing I don't use it for is gloss coats. I use the UV resin but I don't expose it ot UV light. It seems to produce alot more porosity and it does not polish to as higher gloss as resin catalysed with MEKP.

You can't us it with Q-cell or anything which the light can not penetrate. the surface will gell, but the rest will not. Hope this helps. platty.

http://www.davidplattsurfboardrestorations.com.au

[Beerfan]

Thanks platty. Love your site too mate.

[ric_vidal]

Told you, burp, Beerfan that UV was the go... $20 or $40 for a pail is good insurance for something you have put your heart and soul into. Glassing is all about timing and I like plenty.

I’m with Platty, use it for just about everything except finboxes and systems, plugs. What you don’t use you can store, for a little while anyway as I find it gets thick.

[Beerfan]

Yeah ric, it must be good having extra time to glass, that's all i keep thinking about. I'm gunna tape up before i glass too, so i get neat laps. Im headin up to brookie soon, to pick up a 7 5 minimal blank, and a 6 6 kneeboard blank. Cant friggin wait!!!!!

[ric_vidal]

I'm gunna tape up before i glass too, so i get neat laps.

Why bother bf, free laps are easier and done properly are fairly invisible especially if you are using 4oz. Taping up means an accurate tape up and clean cut/remove or you’ll be disappointed.

It also means cutting into the foam and this is why they used to, and still do, pinlines to cover the marks.

I’m the same as Platty in that I also just use the sun to activate the UV, it doesn’t need much. So I do my boards in the garage, door closed, windows blacked out, probably looks like a hydroponics lab with the board on the frame of an old architect’s drawing table with the timber top removed. Just drag it out when I am ready.

[Beerfan]

What about normal lights??, dont wanna sound like an idiot, but can i use normal lights for light when i shut my shed up??. I ask coz i usually have the shed roller door halfway open, should i completely shut it if i use the uv stuff??. And will heat from normal lights "kick" the uv resin off prematurely??.

Ric, o.k, free laps it is!!

[ric_vidal]

What about normal lights??

Normal lights are fine BF, just ANY source of UV will start the process so that means, the sun, fluorescent tubes used in suntanning studios (normal fluorescent tubes don’t emit UV), the ones that Ben use - mercury vapour light, they are the big suckers you see in most industrial complexes and buzz when they are first switched on and black light UV, the ones that are literally the ultraviolet colour that makes all white things really white you could have a dance party in the shed if you used them all those chemical fumes and your homebrewsky it could be crazy, charge money next board for free.

Also watch for direct light leaks in the shed hitting the board. It is good stuff BF, well worth the money, also meant to be stronger and stiffer.

I also used a 500W halogen lamp to have a look for bubbles on the underside of my board I did over the weekend before I set it off. They are fine to use also, meaning they won’t initiate the curing so are safe to use.

The one thing I was told from the distributor was to exposure one side briefly (30 sec) then turn it over to start the other side. I always make sure I have new gloves on before I do this to keep it clean. This minimises the risk of the glass wanting to pull away from the unexposed surface. Frankly I have never had a problem, but it doesn’t like too much paint as it gets pretty hot, but then neither does normal resin, ask Munch!

[Beerfan]

If i was just doing one side at a time, i could just do one side ,then expose and fully cure, then turn over, and do the other side??. Doing both sides at the same time would be a bit too tricky for me at this stage.

P.S ric, the brewing has just about stopped since i started surfing!, im gunna spend next week brewing like in irishman, to stock up for summer!

[ric_vidal]

If i was just doing one side at a time

You only can do one side at a time, when I was referring to turning it over I meant so the underside of the rails (laps) was exposed. Otherwise they would stay uncured.

[crack]

Sand your laps before you filler the bottom mate

[sixfootstix]

OK i'm probs a bit late to join this little chat but lets see.

Firstly, i've heard there are issues with the uv glass going yellow real quick.....??

Secondly, The Mercury Vapour lamps. Could these be the same lamps i used to (many years ago) to grow my hydroponic....tomatoes!!!??

[Beerfan]

Mate my board that i glassed nearly a year ago (?) with looks fine, no problems at all.

Cant tell you about the lights, i used he big one in the sky with no hassles at all. Except that it only stays on for 12 ours or so than turns off for another 12.

BTW, on my latest board, i found the uv catalyst had gone hard for some reason, so i had to use MEKP. I just "shot" the resin really low, like 1.2% and i had enough time to kick over a bucket of uncatalysed resin, re pour some more and keep going, and it ended up pretty good. It isnt that hard, but the uv catalyst means you can just cruise and take your time. I didn't make anymore mistakes using MEKP than uv resin. In fact i did such agood job, i completely forgot to add the surfacing agent when hotcoating the bottom FU$^&* HELL. Oh well, time to get the sander out!

[ric_vidal]

606 I’m with Beerfan, no problems with yellowing that I’ve encountered. Only potential risk is under tissues that are opaque or lots of black.

Yes you can use Mercury Vapours, although the tomatoes may suffer.