warhawk 0 Posted January 8, 2008 Share Posted January 8, 2008 After a semi-massive day at Washigatake, I came away with a gouge in the top-sheet of my board. Normally I wouldn't worry about these as they are usually par for the course, but this one is bigger than I like. I have a section about 2 cm long and 5mm wide where the topsheet and the fiberglass layer underneath has been gouged out. Is this cause for worry? Will it crack or soak up water or anything? Can I patch it with some epoxy? Cheers Link to post Share on other sites
Kraut_in_HongKong 0 Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 Can you post some pictures? I have some glass epoxy experience with my Hobie Cat, but not really with ski or boards. I believe a board is some sort of compound material that contains lots of epoxy as binder and glass or polyester fabric for strength. Maybe some wood lamination too. Due to the heavy epoxy part it should not draw any water. If you fix the crack with epoxy there is a chance that it will not bind with the old material and still crack open due to the stress when riding. But I think it's worth a try if you can find no professional repair. Maybe a ski rental shop can give you a 2nd opinion since they should encounter those problems more often. What I would most likely do: 1. really dry out the cracks with a hair dryer for some time 2. Get a syringe with a long tip 3. Get liquid epoxy and hardener (maybe some 2 component epoxy glue can do too) 4. Mix it well in the syringe, but not too long 5. inject it into the cracks as deep as possible and lastly: 6. keep looking for a good new board since any repair will be only superficial and probably temporary. Link to post Share on other sites
warhawk 0 Posted January 10, 2008 Author Share Posted January 10, 2008 Thanks, KIH. I'll get a pic up sometime. But at second glance, it doesn't look too bad, it even seems smaller than before! I might patch it anyway though, just in case. I don't have any epoxy on me atm, but I do have some silicone, wonder how that'll do? Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 What you need is an epoxy resin that actually melts the material that it touches, We have them in the UK but not sure if they got them here. And also not sure if it works with boards. I have used it before for joining resin based plastics, they never came apart again, but like I said never tried it on a board. Link to post Share on other sites
Kumapix 0 Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 just put a sticker over it, or if it's bad take it to a shop. when u come up to Hakuba take it to Rapie's - they'll know how to fix it Link to post Share on other sites
warhawk 0 Posted January 11, 2008 Author Share Posted January 11, 2008 heres a pic. sorry about the quality. w/ guitar pick for size ref. the yellow stuff is the epoxy i guess and the whitish stuff underneath I'm assuming to be the wood. see how the corner is lifting? If I dont fix it before then, Kuma, I will go there, cheers. Link to post Share on other sites
Kraut_in_HongKong 0 Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 Originally Posted By: snowdude What you need is an epoxy resin that actually melts the material that it touches Are you sure that exists? To my knowledge cured epoxy resin is stable and very hard to de-solve. I don't say it's not possible but you may need a primer if you really want to chemically bind it together. I wouldn't bother too much and just inject some liquid epoxy with a syringe deep in the cracks. If you can't find liquid then use those fine car repair putty. It's like margarine, so you may need a wider syringe needle. Epoxy is always 2 components, so you need to mix it with hardener. Now, you LESS hardener then required, otherwise it's hard within one Minute and you syringe is gone. Silicone is too soft and does not do anything. It's also not really bonding. Maybe just ok to prevent water creping in. If the damage ain't that bad, just have a good time with the board and buy a cheap discount board when the season is over. Link to post Share on other sites
SamuiKitsune 0 Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 Can you just file it smooth? Link to post Share on other sites
Ezorisu 0 Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 Looks like that damage is on the topsheet at the edge? Shouldn't be a big structural issue. The middle part of the sandwich (the black part) is giving most of the support there. Cut away the lifted part and fill the void up with epoxy and let it harden. The sooner the better. Definitely do what KIH said and hit it with a blow dryer or heat gun (set on low) to ensure dryness so the epoxy will bond and you won't trap any moisture inside. If you use "hardware store" variety epoxy, look for a slower-cure one - the fast-cure ones aren't as strong. You can build up a "dam" along the edge with some tape so the epoxy doesn't flow away before it hardens. After it has hardened for a day, take a file and smoothen it out. If you can find some matching paint, cover it up - clear epoxies don't have UV stabilizers, so they will eventually turn yellow and get brittle if left exposed to sunlight. I've gotten a few of these nicks before, and my boards are still OK (but battle-scarred). Oh, and by the way, don't put silicone on it! You can never get all of that stuff off, so the epoxy won't bond. Link to post Share on other sites
warhawk 0 Posted January 11, 2008 Author Share Posted January 11, 2008 Thanks for the responses folks. I'll give the epoxy a shot and see how it goes! Oh yeah, what is epoxy in japanese? Never had to ask before! Link to post Share on other sites
Kumapix 0 Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 I don't think I would even bother fixing that... Link to post Share on other sites
warhawk 0 Posted January 11, 2008 Author Share Posted January 11, 2008 It is only a lil one, I know. But I might have a go anyways, just to see how clean I can fix it up. From that pic u can't really tell but the peeling section is longer. I will lift soon. Link to post Share on other sites
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