There was a time when surfboards were made of wood and the surf spot line ups were empty.
From those days forward surfboards builders went in search of lighter materials to improve the performance.
The answers came in the form of polyester resin that originally hardened in the sun but later was modified to need a catalyst in order to control the process of hardening better. Today not too much has changed in the mainstream of surfing although new resins and core foams have entered the scene, many people agree there is no reasonably priced alternative which means it looks like good ol polyester resin will be around awhile longer.
When it comes to fixing your surfboard the basic elements remain the same too. Strangely enough resins were originally Sun powered and in the past few years it made a comeback in the repair world. I prefer it for the simplicity factor and that it eliminates that nasty catalyst necessary to harden conventional resin.
Here is what you need to fix your board:
Resin - Sun activated type when possible
100 grit Sandpaper,
http://photo564.7daw.net/63742/Anna+Wintour%2C+Hipster++Anna+Shops+the+Brooklyn+F le.html, just enough to rough up the area and remove any loose particles fiberglass cloth to cover dings bigger than half inch or 1.25 centimeters.
If the ding is deep some foam filler is good to keep the repair light.
Then
Working in the shade:
Clean, dry and lightly rough up with sand paper the surrounding repair area.
Apply a filler if needed and allow to harden before applying the final coat.
If fiberglass cloth is needed apply a light precoat of resin,
http://www.dasouth.com/archived/foru...863#msg1354863, then the fiberglass.
Then thoroughly apply resin to saturate the cloth filling the ding to original volume.
Some things to consider
If you are using sun activated resin it's best to work in the shade and then move the repair to the sun for hardening.
A helpful trick of the trade is included in many repair kits - clear plastic! When the final layer of resin is in place the plastic is layed over it firmly to smooth the resin during the hardening process! Smoothy sheets can save you from extra sanding since they often result in a perfect finish!
I recently came across a repair kit that has all the goods needed to get results like I mentioned above. It's called Phix Doctor, but what I liked most about it was that it uses earth friendly packaging resulting in 80% less CO2 emissions than conventional repair kits.
This means Surfboard repairs have gotten easier thanks to sun powered resin and earth friendlier too,
http://lifedoessuck.com/forum/index....5920#msg535920!
About The Author
Tony lives near Melbourne Beach, Florida where he makes PhixDoctor fiberglass repair kits. He travels and is currently in the process of starting a small organic blueberry farm. He loves to surf,
http://4student.ro/forum/index.php?t...0664#msg250664, garden,
http://likeit1011.hjhorses.com/122550/Gareth+Pugh+to+Make+a+Barbie+%26amp%3B%238211%3B+F ashionista++Fashi.html, hang out with his teenaged kids and attends organic certification classes online.
Surfboard Ding Repair gets Easier,and Environmenta
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