Epoxy Repair

[tautologies]

Aloha all,

I was wondering how you deal with dings. So far I've just used quick fix for most dings. The quickfix says it is good for both epoxy and polyester boards. I am figuring I should use something more substantial on bigger gashes. SO far I have only really messed up kiteboards, but it is inevitable that something will happen.

How big / small is it before you do something or send it to the repair shop?
So, what do you guys use? Techniques? Materials? Do you paint it? mix the paint with the epoxy? Sanding? Glossing?

Anyhow...

[DavidJohn]

If its only small I sometimes use tape and sometimes I use nail pollish just to seal it untill a real repair is done.

DJ

[tautologies]

If its only small I sometimes use tape and sometimes I use nail pollish just to seal it untill a real repair is done.

DJ

Wouldn't nail polish kill the paint / finish?

[tbsurf]

I have found that Marine-Tex, sold at West Marine, is by far the best.  It doesn't work for fast repairs - it takes about 24 hours to cure.  The basic steps are: clean the damaged area w/ acetone; sand the area; use masking tape to isolate the area; clean again w/ acetone; thoroughly mix the product (add in pigment here - also available at West Marine); apply; give it a while to set up (how long depends on temperature - test w/ your mixing stick and surface); cover repair w/ plastic wrap and shape it to conform to board (saves lots of sanding time later); when pretty tacky, remove plastic wrap and tape; wait 24 hours; touch up sanding as needed. 

That's all you have to do, unless you are missing a slice of board.  Then, you need to get a piece of foam to add in a separate step, let cure, then follow the above.  Make sure you use the correct type foam - very important.  Fortunately, I haven't had to do any large repairs on either sailboards or SUPs (i.e. epoxy resin jobs).  Eva probably has info on her website: http://www.boardlady.com/index.htm  Just be patient and have some fun w/ it, Terry

[beaglebuddy]

There is a guy who does repairs here on the North shore of Kauai for what I think is ridiculously cheap if anyone is interested. He fixed a huge bash where my knee nearly went thru the board for $40
I fixed a ding on the bottom with some "marine" two part epoxy from Home Depot, mixed the two parts together, filled the hole and ran a scraper over it to make it flush and even, no need for tape, holding fine for a while now

[PeconicPuffin]

I have found that Marine-Tex, sold at West Marine, is by far the best.  It doesn't work for fast repairs - it takes about 24 hours to cure. 

What I don't like about MarineTex is that if you don't get the proportions of epoxy and hardener right, the results stink.    West System sells small repair kit packets with the epoxy and hardener premeasured...I've had great results with it (along with a container of filler material). 

Properly mixed MarineTex works well, though.

[tautologies]

I have found that Marine-Tex, sold at West Marine, is by far the best.  It doesn't work for fast repairs - it takes about 24 hours to cure. 

What I don't like about MarineTex is that if you don't get the proportions of epoxy and hardener right, the results stink.    West System sells small repair kit packets with the epoxy and hardener premeasured...I've had great results with it (along with a container of filler material). 

Properly mixed MarineTex works well, though.

That makes sense.

I went to the hardware store, and there was a lot different epoxies.

Good tip earlier about using plastic.


I'm just looking for a process.

So far, I have:

Clean area,
Remove loose particles, sand and clean.
Let dry properly.

For epoxy mix the components + paint and paste, push / pack into ding, use plastic wrap to smooth surface

Let dry and sand

So in addition to the MarineTex are there other epoxies that are good? Any other tips?

thx
Alex

[juandoe]

west system makes single dose packets that are premeasured.  Also available at West Marine.  Add filler to thicken it up if desired.

[maui wave warrior]

I have had really good sucess using automotive bondo. Its lightweight and works great especially as a filler which is easy to sand and finish. I then use an automotive paint with clear coat for the finish.

[tautologies]

A buddy told me that using the wrong repair can completely kill your board. A friend of his used a polyester repair on his epoxy that led to it eating the inside of his board. Weird, but I would like to avoid that
:-)

..thats why I ask what you guys are using.

[surf monkey]

I agree you have to be care full on what you use you could melt your foam using the wrong stuff like the automotive fillers on a epoxy/styren type board. I did a bunch of repairs on boats and boards you can use epoxy on the polyester but not poly on epoxy.

To me it depends on the constructon of the board and how well you want it to look on how you fix it. The main thing is the resin and filler is compatable with the board and it water tight. The best way is to get some powder type filler from your surf shop it's cheap and mix as needed with your resin. On epoxy boards I would learn how to use the two part epoxy. The only trick with the epoxy follow the instructions it's not like the resin we grew up with if you were in a hurry you added more catalyst for a hot batch that smoked and cracked. Epoxy won't kick if you mix it wrong and a guey mess. I have found buying stuff from west marine is also a little more spendly.

I make sure it's dry, tape off around the area, sand or grind for prep, then use filler, sand it out then retape your area, then use glass as it starts to kick trim tape off with a blade, lightly sand it out try not to sand off the glass, retape add a finish coat then wet sand 400/1000 then buff it out or paint on painted boards.

If the board gets a lot of water in it you never really get it all out I like to add a vent plug if the it hasn't got one.

If you can aford it take it to a pro.

just my 2 cents

thanks Bob

[diesel]

That premeasured stuff in the packets from West Marine is what i would recommend.  you can't make a mistake with the mixture.  If the board is cracked through the glass then you should probably repair with cloth and not just fill it.  The info from surf monkey is pretty good. 
If you just fill and it is a bigger ding then it might leak at the edges.  With the cloth, you cover the hole so there is no seam.  Only thing is that it is trickier to make it look nice because it can be a bump.  You kind of have to sand down the cloth at the edges of the ding so that when you put the new cloth on and sand it, you don't sand all the new cloth off trying to make it flat.  hard to explain. 
There is a lot of good info on the web you can look up.  Unless the board is going to take on water, I would not do anything for the cosmetic dings because you end up making it look worse.  If you can find a filler that is the same color as your board then maybe you can fill some cosmetic blemishes but if it is not the same color then forget it.  It will look worse.  Good luck with that.

[surf monkey]

If I am using a quick filler type resin and I don't want to sand. Sounds funny I use the wide clear packing tape over the patch it sealsit, lets you see if there is enough resin and lets you work out bubbles with your fingers. leave the tape on untill the resin drys then like the plastic it peals right off leaving a smooth patch.

[tautologies]

Surf Monkey and Diesel,

I really appreciate the advice. It is good to get it in writing. I friggin' hate doing repairs, but it is way faster to do it your self. Last board (it was a big repair) took three weeks, but came back with awesome quality.

Anyways, I'll definitely try it.

Thx
alex