Hello,
Newbie here...
I recently found a small hole on the nose of my board. I sucked on it, and no air was coming out so i figured it was still airtight. However I went to buy some repair epoxy to cover it up just in case. After letting it sit over 24 hours though, a "air hole" has appeared in my epoxy. Covered it again, and another 24 hours passed, and another hole! Does this mean air must be getting released from inside right? Which also means I should not use the board, as it is not water tight?

Any help would be appreciated .

Yes, it is not airtight. My advice.

- sucking on the hole is not useful. Rather, put some soapy water on the hole and expose the board to the sun. If no bubble in 2mn time, it is airtight.

- dry the hole by inserting a wick of a tissue fanning out

- when repairing, cover immediately the repair by tape (I use clear PVC tape) to block the air path while the resin cure.

- I tend to repair in 2 passes: first pass with quick curing to airtight the dent (fast epoxy, solarez, ...) Then you can take your time for a proper repair without the fear of bubbles.

Thanks for the reply.

Should I just sand this repair way down to make room for the next one? I don't want to have a huge clump of epoxy...

Take out the vent plug if there is one fitted as well before you repair.... then it wont pressurise behind the repair as it cures.

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Emeboy said..
Take out the vent plug if there is one fitted as well before you repair.... then it wont pressurise behind the repair as it cures.

Yep agree.
However if there is no plug remember air expands when it heats and contracts when it is cooling so ideally it is better to do the repair as the temperature is dropping as it will actually draw the resin in rather than blow a hole through it trying to escape.

Sellys Knead it. Have many temporary repairs with the stuff that have become permanent.

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brandonfox said..
Thanks for the reply.

Should I just sand this repair way down to make room for the next one? I don't want to have a huge clump of epoxy...

Yup, of course.
That's the good thing about composite repairs: it is easy to sand off the mistakes and re-try.

If you see other small holes appearing in the future:
- drill a bigger hole in it for easier repairing
- dry with a a tissue wick
- fill with solarez or epoxy+microspheres, with no excess (wipe the extra). the less you put, the less you have to sand
- tape tight over it (this way you do not have to mess with the vent)

If thats a ding under there id get an egg flip and and flip it off and start again !!! Using sand paper first !!!

Knead it and solarez are more temporary repairs compared to what you have started. Stick with the epoxy, but just make sure the temperature is stable or dropping (as tightlines has said). Your problem is due to a warming board expanding.

Fill that bubble with knead it and go surf :-)

I did sand it before I made the first repair. Both times, I did this in the morning, and left it to cure in my garage as the day went on... temps definitely rose big time! I will sand it down again, and this time repair it in the evening after the sun has set to see if that works. There is not vent plug on this board.

Thanks for the help!

Fixed a car radiator with kneadit once worked awesome.Pretty sure theres more pressure in a radiator than a board.

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tightlines said..
ideally it is better to do the repair as the temperature is dropping as it will actually draw the resin in rather than blow a hole through it trying to escape.

Well, it may then just suck in a hole instead of blowing out one...
I too was trying to repair when temps were constant, but since I discovered the trick of just taping tight over the repair, I dont have to worry anymore.
But for this there not be excess resin, otherwise it will be pushed along under the tape, preventing it to stick.

PS: pastes like knead-it are very sensitive to the fat layer of the skin, that will prevent it to stick well. Always knead with gloves for best results, never touch it with the bare fingers.