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I was watching one of Mark and Paul's video tutorials.
Just wondering if you need to rough up the surface to get the epoxy to adhere to the board better? Or open up the crack to get more of the epoxy in?
Is it just overkill to rough up the surface?

Yes, it is always best to roughen and clean. I'd never do a proper repair without sanding and a wash with a solvent
However that is just showing how a repair at the beach, travelling, camping etc can be done just a little better with the plastic.
The board was scratched and matte finish, and was clean (ish)

No need to open it up for a liquid that can run into the hole and its only to seal it..... not a structural repair at all.

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Mark _australia said..
Yes, it is always best to roughen and clean. I'd never do a proper repair without sanding and a wash with a solvent
However that is just showing how a repair at the beach, travelling, camping etc can be done just a little better with the plastic.
The board was scratched and matte finish, and was clean (ish)

No need to open it up for a liquid that can run into the hole and its only to seal it..... not a structural repair at all.

Thanks Mark. I like the plastic technique and I'm going to try it out next time.
I put a gouge on one of my boards last year opening a car automatic sliding door on it. The world moved in slow motion as I tried to save the board. I did not have any sandpaper and so I just put the UV stuff into it.
But I always doubted that I had done it correctly. Nice to know it was okay.

I have done exactly that, but minor problem I ran into was the plastic stuck to the epoxy!, so be careful with what type of plastic you use, think it was a sandwich bag plastic that stuck. The thicker plastic used for 20 lb rice bags peels off. Now Saranwrap does not stick, but it is too thin and leaves wrinkles on the surface of the epoxy,

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Sandman1221 said..
I have done exactly that, but minor problem I ran into was the plastic stuck to the epoxy!, so be careful with what type of plastic you use, think it was a sandwich bag plastic that stuck. The thicker plastic used for 20 lb rice bags peels off. Now Saranwrap does not stick, but it is too thin and leaves wrinkles on the surface of the epoxy,

I have run into problems with glad wrap/Saranwrap before usually when the epoxy gets around the other side of the wrap (being a bit of a cheapskate). I usually don't get too many of these ding problems though. usually go out with spectacular style and have larger areas to repair.
Also, just something to add. I got a nick on the board from a stone but it's not open. It's popular here to apply aluminium tape. It is easy to apply and very hard to get off. So if anyone is in a bind you could also try this.

That aluminium tape is an absolute nightmare when you come to repair the board properly.
It leaves a horrible sticky goo that can't be sanded. If the damage goes through to the EPS you have to be very careful using solvents to remove the goo.
You usually have to cut out a much larger area to repair the board properly.
I wouldn't recommend using this stuff at all. Your repair guy will be cursing you !!!

I put a rip in a panel of a sail a few years back, really wanted to get out and the only thing I had was duct tape. As an ex sail maker all I could think was how much the sailmaker who gets to repair it properly later was going to curse me, nothing like trying to sow through the sticky mess left by duct tape

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Mr Hooper said..
That aluminium tape is an absolute nightmare when you come to repair the board properly.
It leaves a horrible sticky goo that can't be sanded. If the damage goes through to the EPS you have to be very careful using solvents to remove the goo.
You usually have to cut out a much larger area to repair the board properly.
I wouldn't recommend using this stuff at all. Your repair guy will be cursing you !!!

Very good point.
It's also a devil to get off.
Up until 3 weeks ago, for my repairs, I used silver-tape, two-part epoxy or sometimes a little bit of aqua kneed it (that sausage two-part epoxy that you kneed), not together on the same job.
I don't use enough epoxy to warrant containers or a scale (I used syringes to measure) and last time I needed some epoxy part of it looked like it was going to jelly, before mixing.
It was only about 3 weeks ago that I a mate recommended that UV-cure stuff.
Mr Hooper from your other posts it sounds like you have been around a bit.
If you have a ding, it's cracked on the outside and there is no access to the core what do you do?
Also how good is this UV cure stuff? I was told that the stuff I got also contains fibreglass which is cut up very minutely (can't remember the name).
Does it last as long as the two-part epoxy and will it also not turn yellow as fast?
Thank you very much.

Hi Henners,
Solarez is a very temporary option for very minor dings at best. It is a good product but it still needs to be used correctly.
If in doubt fix your damage properly, don't just smear some goo on it and hope for the best. You will ruin your board.

Cheers, Hoops

Hi Hoops, re UV products like solarez its my go to at the moment for fixing dings and rail cracks etc on my and my kids surfboards, can you elaborate on why you consider it a temp fix? If the area is prepped and a bit of fibre added where required I assumed it was OK? Keep in mind most of our surfboards are lucky to last 2 maybe 3 years before being retired.....mainly looking to keep water out and a smooth finish asethic not really important. Thanks.

On surfboards with urethane blanks you can get away with it for small dings. Still not the best repair method though.
On boards with EPS blanks it's pretty much a nightmare waiting to happen. I've seen many EPS boards destroyed because people have smeared some goo on the damage and thought it would be ok.
If in doubt fix it properly ! You'll save yourself a whole lot of grief.

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Mr Hooper said..
If in doubt fix it properly ! You'll save yourself a whole lot of grief.

Agreed. I have used Solarez for quick repairs on the beach, but have seen it peel off later more than once. Now, even a quick, "temporary" repair while traveling involves sandpaper, 2-part epoxy, and a fiberglass patch. Some of these "temporary" repairs have held up fine for several years.