When I bought my Simon Anderson Nimitz(pre loved) I noticed it had a small Delam about 40mm across on the bottom .It looks like a small bubble ,and when pushed you can flatten it to the material underneath.It does not appear to take on water and hasn't become larger.There is a slight scuff across it ,and perhaps it is the result of a bit of a bump.The question is what is the best way to fix it?I could get it professionally repaired at a premium cost,I could have a go myself(I have done some glassing ,and work with West system epoxy) or I could do nothing and keep an eye on it.One alternative I thought of was to drill a small hole in the"bubble"&force epoxy or even cyanacrolate into the void, clamp, and fill the hole after everything sets.The thought of hacking a big chunk out of the board, filling with epoxy and micro balloons and finishing has me a little panIcked ,probably be ok if it wasn't my pride and joy and belonged to someone else.Advice welcomed ...Cheers

dtm said...

the easiest way is with a small hole then inject some resin in there and let it work its way around the put a weight on top to flatten out delam.... or cut out a do a full repair....or sit back do nothing drink a beer and keep an eye on it!
dont heat your board up as could get worse
cheers

i've seen dale inject too, but he drills two holes. one on either side. then the resin comes out the other hole, go to that and inject into that hole and watch the other when the resin comes out of that one. that way you know there is resin all over the delam area. then clamp down etc

Iv'e done the two hole method with polyester resin and it's a pain in the ass..You have to bleed it till theres no bubbles left then seal one hole to stop resin flow then wipe crap off with sticky fingers then keep it on the right angle till it sets.Aaarrrgghh...But what I have found with epoxy is that the viscosity(thickness)is thicker.So what I would do is.1) Prep your job or prepair for what is about to comence you will need a wax comb(squeege) and masking tape.1st sand through the bubble with medium grade paper(120-180)grit.Thenopen up any cracks or splits,holes or other defects with a stanly knife blade.Chop a small amount of fibreglass into a fluffy mulch with some snips and leave aside. Then set up some masking tape ready to completely cover the hole.Then mix your epoxy and add your fibreglass(remember the fibreglass is only there for re-enforcement so you dont need too much).Then apply your goo to your job poke out as many bubbles as you can AND THEN wrap masking tape over the top of the lot get your wax comb and use it as a straight edge and squeege all the excess resin out and wipe up the mess.When the resin is dry peel of the tape and you should have a perfectly moulded repair ready for sanding and polishing.

About 25 years ago I was fixing dings for a living then started working as a laminator for a fibreglass moulding company,even did the reinforced plastics course at strathfield tafe college.I have used the 2 hole method on several occasions and it works fine but the resin does tend to want to run out again and when the job drys you still have the bump were the bubble was.I was just offering an alternative method that I have found works well with epoxy.