A
Austin
Using finishing resin on wood fins can leave you a extremely nice finish and add strength to the fins. I use the following technique to complete the work: Cut your cloth so it will completely cover the fin area and body tube section. Leave some excess cloth, about an inch or so, hanging over the edges of the fin. Place the cloth in the fin area and press it down; static electricity will usually hold it to the wood surface. Do not tack the cloth down as it will need room to move during the glassing process. Next, you will need to make a tool. Buy a cheap paint roller, they run a buck or two, and shorten it so a roll of toilet paper will fit over it. I removed one end cap, then used a dremel and cutting wheel to shorten mine, and re-assembled it. you could also buy one of the more expensive trim/pattern rollers, but they run about $6-10. Mix some good quality finishing resin. I have used HobbyPoxy for years and it works well. pour the resin over the cloth and use a plastic epoxy squeegee to spatula the resin over the cloth and into the wood surface. The squeegee is cheap, about $1.50 at any auto store. Once the entire area is wet, use the toilet paper roll and push the resin through the cloth and sop up excess resin. Make sure you roll in the direction so the TP will not unroll itself. Peel off the wet TP sheets and keep going over the whole area. You can continue to tear off the old TP that is soaked and continue working. When finished, the cloth should almost feel dry to the touch with a satin sheen. It will take about 2 1/2 hours before it even starts to kick, so let is sit for a while. When complete, you get a glassed fin that is just that, smooth as glass! Do not apply a second coat of resin for weave fill as it just adds weight. You can used Primer to fill the weave.
