How cold can it be outside to work with fiberglass resin?

How to add fiberglass to a longboard?

• i cut an old skim board into a longboard. its only 5 plies thick so i was going to add fiberglass to both sides to add some stregth but had a couple questions. first i've heard epoxy is much better then fiberglass resin but thats not in my budget, so will the resin work fine? or will it damage the wood, or not stick or anything like this? and second (and not as important) if i put a strip of cardboard around the outside edge of the board, under the fiber glass to give the board some concave, would a couple of layers of fiberglass hold the strips in place? or is this just a bad idea? any help is appreciated thanks in advance

• Answer:

  First of all, thanks for your question. I do have alot of experience with fiberglass and wood work. Fiberglass and wood stick very well together, WHEN PREPPED PROPERLY. Mainly, prep the wood with sandpaper between 80 - 36 grit, preferably with a palm sander, but by hand will work if you are thorough enough. What you are looking for is to scratch 100% of the surface, don't leave anything shiny. If there is paint, get it down to the wood to ensure a good bond. Keep i mind, fiberglass is not meant to flex, so you have to decide what your purpose is, if you want a really stiff board, go ahead with the fiberglass, if you want some give, I wouldn't go that rout. Anyway, after roughing up wood on bottom, (I would only do the bottom, otherwise you are gonna make it hard for yourself to make the top flat for the grip tape), follow instructions on fiberglass can. Get Polyester fiberglass resin, it can also be called laminating resin. Make sure you follow hardening instructions. After hardened take a 2" wide bristle brush, (I would get one made for fiberglass), and brush a layer of resin on the board. Then lay down a layer of 1.5 oz fiberglass mat, finish this layer by brushing or rolling it so there is no white fibers showing, it needs to be soaked 100% through, there is no strength in air. Two layers like that should be strong enough for you. After it hardens you can re drill your holes and grind/cut the outside surface. Remember to tape off anything you don't want resin to get on, (other side of holes, top surface, etc.) Follow all instructions for resin, make sure you have good ventilation. Hope that helps! -Chad Owner, Emergency Fiberglass Repair LLC http://www.emergencyfiberglass.com/