First Coat of Glass

The shaping is complete and I put the first coat of glass on. It's amazing how much the grain pops out once you get the glass on. The pictures are of the first coat. I'll post some of the hot coat tonight. Two things that I did that were recommended by Brad at Grain Surfboards:

Before glassing, I filled in some valleys on the rail of the board. There were a few places where sanding pulled away parts of the bead and cove strip and/or I failed to get a good clamp on. I taped around these areas and filled them in with epoxy. This was a good way to get experience mixing and applying the epoxy in a small enough area that it wouldn't mess with the whole board. After an hour or two I then began the rest of the board. Brad suggested to let it harded and then sand it, but I waited just long enough for it to stay in the crack when I put it back to horizontal so that it would bond to the next coat of glass. It seemed to work.

Second, I had a few dings on the top of the board. Rather than sanding these smooth, I put epoxy on them first then laid the glass over top, just like you do with the grain surfboard graphic (or your own depending on what you do). This ensure there is enough epoxy to fill the ding and bond with the fiberglass. Otherwise, enough epoxy may not drip through the glass and you are left with either a dent or a white spot. It should be noted that this method does allow you to see the ding. It shows a different wood color/grain when you follow this method. However, I feel it gives the board some character. Just like an antique piece of furniture, the many dings, dents and patches I have on the board add to the character and make it evident that this was a real project, something I created in my garage and not something pressed out by a machine in China. I'm thrilled with the results.