Solarez repair

Ah, the salt deposits could be an indication that the cracks are not waterproof (they could also just be places sticking water droplets in place and let them dry there), so I would check first by making a small basin with tape around it, soapy water + sun.

The Solarez FAQ may offer some useful hints: www.solarez.com/solarez-uv-resin-faq/

Extracts:

I'M HAVING TROUBLE GETTING MY SOLAREZ EPOXY TO STICK TO THE SURFACE OF THE BOARD
It is super important to surface prep the ding area AND to 1/2" outside the perimeter of the ding area so that the resin can have a better mechanical bond. Sand the perimeter of the ding with 60 grit sandpaper until it begins to get "furry" - this is the fiberglass beginning to show. Use masking tape to mask off the perimeter of the ding beyond the 1/2" region that you have sanded. Here is something that you may not normally notice: if your board has only one ding in it and you are repairing it on a hot day, that little hole can vent a lot of pressure as the board heats up, so "pre-heat" your board for a few minutes because if you put a thin layer of wet resin on the board and it is a dark colored board on a sunny day, the air inside the board can expand and blow your resin filling right out. Use a piece of clear plastic wrap over the wet resin and stretch it tight so that it conforms to the contour of your board and any excess resin spilled over onto the masking tape. Cure it in the sun, a few seconds at a time, waiting a minute or so in between blasts so as not to accumulate heat. When the resin is WELL CURED, peel off the plastic in a most obtuse angle so as not to lift the resin upward.

CAN I IMPROVE ON SOLAREZ' "SHELF-LIFE"?
UV-Cure resins are packaged and are ready to rapidly polymerize in seconds at any time by UV light exposure. They can cure slowly by heat or by contact with oxidizers or metals but they are kept in liquid state by "inhibitors" in the formula that rely on oxygen to make them effective. In order to prolong the shelf-life of Solarez resins, you can do so by storing them in a container with lots of "head space" that is, air space above the liquid level. In fact, if you were to suffocate the resin by filling up to the lid and then closing the lid, your resin might not even last a week at room temperature, less yet at elevated temperatures. A good amount of head space is about 10% the height of the container but if you fill your container to half-full and keep it at room temperature and open the lid from month-to-month and stir the resin slightly, you can make the product last just about indefinitely. The cans we use are epoxy-phenolic internally coated but if you use a bare metal can, this too will reduce shelf-life, as will keeping the resin in elevated temperatures like over 85?F. It is not necessary to refrigerate the resin but temperatures not lower than 40?F are good. Tubed products like our putties are different because they are thick and it's difficult to get oxygen to them. Still we say up to 3 years shelf-life on our polyester ding repair putties are normal. The one product that just seems to be difficult to keep for more than a year is our vinyl ester epoxy putty "Solarez EXTREME". it has a shelf life of a year and could be extended a bit by lower temperatures but 2 years is about max. The vinyl ester epoxy liquid resins can have their shelf-life greatly enhanced by allowing good head space and stirring monthly and keeping at room temperature.

HOW DO I INCREASE THE SHELF-LIFE OF SOLAREZ??
Storing tubed products (putties) at lower temperatures will certainly help. Refrigeration is not necessary but certainly will prolong the life of the product. Liquid Solarez' (eg pints, quarts) shelf-life can easily be increased by opening the lid monthly and allowing fresh air to circulate in the dead-space of the can. If the level of the liquid is high (little dead-space) the shelf-life will decrease. The reason is that the resin's inhibitors need atmospheric oxygen to function. They "suffocate" over time if not given air. Storing in a bare steel can will dramatically shorten shelf-life too because metals act as a catalyst to curing. We generally sell Solarez in [inert] plastic containers or epoxy/phenolic-lined metal containers.

WHAT IS THE SHELF-LIFE OF SOLAREZ??
When stored at room temperature (72?F), Solarez Epoxy has a shelf-life of about 5 years; Solarez Polyester, about 2 years, Solarez Microlite, about 1-1/2 years and Solarez Extreme, about 1 year. All products' shelf-life decrease with increasing storage temperature and conversely with decreased storage temperature. Storing tubes in a closed car, where temperature may reach over 180?F may kill a tube in one day.

DOES HEAT OR COLD AFFECT THE SOLAREZ? REACTION?
No. And this is a tremendous advantage over conventional M.E.K.P. catalyzed resins which barely even work at temperatures below 60?F and are dangerous over 85?F. On the other hand, SOLAREZ? works just as fast in scorching heat or freezing cold.

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Kisutch said..
if it fails soap bubbles test I need more than Solarez? Cheers

No, Solarez contains glass fibers, so is quite strong.

You will however need to sand a bit more the crack to open it so that you can add a thick enough layer of solarez to provide strength.

A tapered scarf:



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