vacuum lamination disaster

This is a set of instructions on what to watch out for.

Or My trials and Tribulations.

Well the board came out of the vacuum bag and the camber, flex and potential looked good BUT the bottom had some bumps and the top some air bubbles. The top is repairable but the UHMWPE on the bottom is not repairable so this board is going to the dump. I will destructive test it to see what it is like though the board strength seems no problem. Supporting both ends I tried jumping on it to see if I could break it but it just sprung back.

Another serious problem was the fact that the vacuum did not pull out enough excess epoxy. This could have been due to the vacuum breaking down part way through but I think it is just that to get really good glass/epoxy mixes a press is really what is called for.

I am already working on making a press for the next board even though I am heartbroken over this disaster. I have learned a lot and will post again when I have more to show.

This is what the board looked like after the flash was trimmed off. I liked the design and the overall look.

Here it is ready for the bagging process. Unfortunately the vacuum pump broke down (not enough oil) and the felt strips did not allow enough air to pass down the whole length of the board so only the one end got a good vacuum initially.

This picture shows my friend Claude and the bagged board with added clamps after the vacuum died. I did get the vacuum running again but the epoxy had set too far for the vacuum to make much difference.

Half the flash removed on the bandsaw

Copper wire was used to keep the base and core aligned

A picture of the edge, which came out very well. Cap construction.

The aluminum tail insert. This worked well too but need thinner aluminum next time as this required quite a bit of sanding to get it level with the PE.

This is what the tail looked like with the flash still on. The tape held the aluminum quite well during the laminating process. You can just see the copper wire used to hold the base and core together. Next board I will make that as a projection on each end as the wire was fiddly to insert with rubber gloves on.

Thats it. I am building a press and hopefully a better board.