Hey Goldie, that fiberglass work is stressful ain't it. Don't you just love wearing that suit when it's 95 degrees plus outside. I have about 10 hours of fiberglass experience under my belt now (all within the last couple of weeks) and I'm starting to get the hang of it. I wish I had had the hang of it before I glassed in my stringers but it is what it is. I too had issues with bubbles and my 1708. I think the main cause in may case was not having the surface smooth enough. Do you have a bubble buster, It doesn't make it perfect but it can make a lot of bubbles turn into a few.
Corjen, I didn't think to check HF for the rollers, I've been paying $5 for two at lowes.
:welcome: Hey Merc, thanks for the tip, before its all said and done we're gonna be glassing celebrities
hoto: out here stomping with the big dogs!!!
My problem was $$$, originally, i wanted to order extra fiberglass materials so i could practice before jumping on the boat. Unfortunately, Fiberglass Mats are high as a Giraffe's *** so i only got what was needed
I have a bubble roller and a corner roller and honestly i haven't really used either one. I think we just have to ride out this learning curve, here are some tips for laying up 1708 that may help out newbies coming behind us...
UPDATED 06/16/14
These tips are not in order, just random thoughts to help out noobs...
- Wet out the chopped strand side before placing it, by dipping in disposable roasting pan or rolling out on card board
- Don't mix big batches that force you to rush causing mistakes, there's nothing wrong mixing up a pint and tabbing a few pieces at a time
- Have everything ready and in the boat before you drop in that hardener
- Prep your surfaces so that they are smooth and seemless, any gaps, dips and or raised areas are prone to trap air, imagine laying a blanket over a basket ball or over a hole in the ground, that area around the basketball and in the hole is air, air is fiber glasses worst enemy, well, maybe second, first would probably be mixing in the incorrect amount of hardener (mekp)
- Don't be embarrassed to mix it light, the more time you have the better
- As much as you can roll from the inside out, don't just roll back and forth, roll with intent (to push air out from the middle to the edge)
- When tabbing, the most crucial area to keep air free is the part of the tab that lays on the boat
- Fillet transitions should swoop or curve, no angles
- Dip for fingers in resin, hold the right side of air area with right hand to keep it stationary, then use the left hand fingers to smooth out the air pockets from right to left, sometimes you can finger smooth with one hand, sometimes you cant, usually on flat areas you can but complex corners and areas as such you will most likely need two hands
- When you wet out the chopped strand side, let it set for a minute or two, then be advised that once its wetted out be careful how you handle it as it will stretch out
- Brush over fillets before they harden with some catalyzed resin, the resin smooths out the surface of the fillets, leaving no 'craggies' or snags that cause air bubbles when you tab over the fillets. It's much easier and quicker than sanding/grinding before tabbing.
- Take care not to over roll it. Once it's down, flat, and clear, you're done. No more rolling needed. Move on.
- For tight spaces use a little 4" or even a 2" wallpaper roller works well in tight spaces
thanks to Tp for the dipping idea
thanks to George for the carboard idea
thanks to Woodonglass for the over rolling warning and smaller rollers tip
thanks to JASinIL2006 for the catalized resin over fillets tip
I will try to update and refine this list as i go, all you gurus out there can help me tweak it (add or subtract from it) I think it would really help out new noobs coming in
