Glassing is a big problem of putting the magic board under your feet. It turns out that trading tools may vary, and there is no specific right or wrong way to get the job done. Each laminator (the person laying glass fiber and resin) has a different technique and may require certain tools, but in most cases, everyone uses or should use something similar to do all the work correctly. Of course, whether you use a Poly board or an Epoxy Board, it will change what they will use.
Another thing to consider is that compared to the forming process, glass sheet vitrification involves more steps and usually more hands. In order to ensure high-quality work, you will have a laminator, sander, thermal coating machine, fin and polisher...sometimes more, sometimes one person will do some of the work. But each individual step requires certain tools to get the job done.
This is a list of the basic tools needed to get the job done. Note that some of these tools can span various applications.
If you walk into a professional glass shop anywhere in the world, you will most likely find these tools and more tools—some of which are specially made by the people who do this work to help them do better.
Good cleaning of the squeegee is the key to tight lamination. After laying glass fiber, the board is filled with resin. The idea is to process all the resin into the fibers of the cloth and squeeze out all the excess unnecessary resin. If you leave too much resin on the board, your surface will be brittle and easy to crack. Without enough resin and glass fibers will not be fully saturated, and over time this may cause adhesion problems or water penetration. Having a good squeegee and knowing the correct pressure applied when laminating is the key to tight lamination. Since polyester resin and epoxy resin have different consistency, the scraper used is usually slightly different. With polyurethane, you will usually find that the softer squeegee has some flexibility. For epoxy, many laminators use stiffer spreaders similar to bondo spreaders. It is the difference in viscosity and curing time that allows the resin to penetrate into the fiber, which determines the two tools.
Good sandpaper and other abrasives are also very important. There are many applications in the glass processing process that require sandpaper. After you laminate the top or bottom of the board, you will leave so-called "circles". That is where the cloth is wrapped on the railing and finished on the other side of the board. Before you continue to laminate the other side, you need to "grind" to a position that is almost flush with the board, thereby eliminating the chance of high ridges for the next layer under the glass work. Gently crossing this circle to bring it close to the foam and knock it off any excess resin or hardened fiber from the cut fiberglass cloth is a key step before you continue to laminate the other side of the board. The cleaner the process is completed, the better the next step will be.
Sandpaper is also used to abrade laminates before laying thermal coating or filling with resin. Here, you can fill the circuit board with resin to fill the porous texture of the cured glass fiber laminate and ensure that the glass works waterproof.
Once again, you need sandpaper after the thermal coating because you need to sand off the excess resin left on the board. The principle of lamination is the same. You just want to fill any small gaps and then remove the rest of the resin. Too much resin means fragile thermal coating operations, which may crack or fall off over time. This is a very tricky job because there is a very thin thread that is too much sanded and hits the fabric of the fabric and leaves too many marks. Thermal coaters must also follow the exact shape of the board, so having clean sandpaper is crucial for them.
If you need a glossy coating (another layer of special resin to make you look shiny), you need more sandpaper and sanding to ensure a cleaner and smoother surface. Glossy coating will bring out many flaws, so the correct completion of the work is the key to obtain a beautiful board.
Chip Brushes are essentially paint brushes. They are used for thermal coatings and gloss coatings. You will usually find cheaper disposable chip brushes used in the thermal coating process and use with delicate hands, knowing the proper pressure required to fill the resin into the porous texture left in the glass fiber weave after lamination. Then use lighter pressure to make the resin as smooth as possible. A good glass shop will take the time to do a double thermal coating, which means letting your resin cure, sending the board to the sander, and then applying another thermal coating again with their chip brush.
For Gloss coating, many polishers will use high-quality brushes, the bristles are softer and not easy to fall off. The gloss coating needs to be impeccable, so they don't want to waste time and effort picking out loose bristles that might fall off from cheaper chip brushes.
Lay a super smooth glossy coating on the balsa gun. Photo courtesy of Hawaii Fiberglass.
Tape is another underrated tool used in glass processing. There are many styles of tape with different uses. Some are much more expensive than you think, but they are more resistant to the heat generated by the catalyst that cures the resin.
Adhesive tape can be used in the lamination process to cut laps and other procedures (the laminator performs clean cutting along the lap line, usually in color lamination, the color of one side of the circuit board is different from the other side of the circuit board). It will definitely be used during thermal coating application as a way to drip excess resin from the other side of the circuit board, so when you turn the circuit board over and thermally coat the other side, you can reduce the preparation for sanding Work. The same application applies to glossy coatings.
Tape is also used for spray gun spraying and is usually sprayed directly on the foam before lamination to help artists create patterns or spray key areas without painting on other parts of the board. On the other hand, after lamination and thermal coating, it can be used to create needlework and add beauty to the circuit board.
It is even used for lamination, thermal coating and painting on the glass shelf to hold the board in place so it will not slip off the shelf while you are handling it.
Believe it or not, tape is one of the biggest expenses a glass shop can afford.
You might think that scissors are very standard, but you will be surprised at the price of a good pair of scissors. More importantly, why these guys need a good pair of scissors. Glass shops can pay up to $50 or $60 for their scissors, but in the long run, they will save money. They are used to cut glass fibers into rough shapes that you need to wind on the board before lamination. Fiberglass cloth is very hard on scissors because it is actually the fiberglass you cut, not cotton or other textile materials. You need a pair of hard and sharp scissors to cut the glass fiber cleanly and to help prevent the fabric from fraying. The more you wear, the more work needs to be done to prepare the other side of the board. A pair of bad or dull, your cloth will wear out a lot. When you wrap the resin-soaked circle on the circuit board, the rope left by the frayed cloth will harden and solidify, leaving a mess of hemp, which you must clean before laminating the other side of the circuit board. The clean cut can almost eliminate most of the remaining strings, making your preparation easier. This can save a lot of time for laminators that do many boards per week.
Barrels are fairly simple items used in the glass processing process, but they can easily increase the cost in the production workshop and are a must-have for all glass workshops, no matter how big or small. Before you pour the resin on the board to soak the cloth, you need something to fix the resin and mix the catalyst or hardener. These will be used for lamination, thermal coating, and gloss coating applications. Fortunately, the barrel can be reused many times before it has to be replaced. This is a glass panel that everyone must own, from the veneer in the backyard to the production workshop.
Sanding machine/polishing machine, sanding/polishing pad
A good sander/polishing machine is also essential for the glass processing process. Of course, these tasks can be done manually, but for backyard hobby builders, the time it takes to complete these tasks by hand is not even worth it. A good machine can be used for both applications, changing from sand pads to polishing pads. For the glass production workshop, it is very worthwhile to spend money on a reliable machine, because these machines are used a lot. You will often find that the casing of the old machine has been pulled apart to replace the damaged or worn parts of the machine we are running. The machine and the mat used (whether it is a polishing pad or a polishing pad) must be well balanced so that you can ensure uniform and clean work. If it is even slightly unbalanced, you will leave scratches and swirls on the entire board, which looks terrible.
Rubber gloves and gas mask
Just like the tools required for shaping, protective items are the first thing you need. A good pair of rubber gloves is the key, because you are using annoying chemicals that will enter your bloodstream over time or repeated exposure over time. From catalysts or hardeners to chemicals used to clean tools (such as acetone), everything can be harmful to your health. A good pair of gloves is well worth the money, even for part-time backyard hobby builders.
The same applies to suitable good breathing masks and special filters to protect you from harmful VOCs (volatile organic compounds), which are "shed off" before the resin is completely cured and released to in the air. These volatile organic compounds and other chemicals can make people very sick and can even cause long-term effects that you can never get rid of. They should be worn at every stage of glass processing, including grinding and polishing. And you must be very careful when using epoxy... Just because you can't smell it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
This way you have the basic tools needed for the glass plate. Similarly, there are many other tools that can be used, and many more are created by the people who do the work to make their work easier. But there is not necessarily a correct way to accomplish this job. Everyone who makes a living has different skills that can help them get the job done correctly.
Editor's note: To learn more about your surfboard and find similar articles, please visit Surfers Corner on Boardcave.com.
Only the best. we promise.
Join our community of contributors.