Greenlight Surfboard Supply - Surfboard Glassing Tips

A Summary of the

Bamboo Stretch-Glassing Technique

Comprehensive Instructional Videos Now Available

Click here for more info

The stretch-glassing technique uses double sided tape to hold the bamboo fiberglass securely in place while you spread and saturate with epoxy resin.

Finalizing your lamination with our special laminating roller ensures a superior bond in the composite resulting in a strong and durable surfboard

(both items are available at our online store)

Stretch Bamboo Fabric around rails and secure to sticky surface of tape

Saturate the bamboo fabric around the rails with epoxy up to the tape with a brush.

Flip the board on racks

and saturate the bamboo fabric

Let epoxy harden.

Score fabric at tape line, bend to break free, then peel off tape and excess fabric.

Use the Greenlight stretch glassing technique for deck lamination

Hotcoat with Epoxy Resin

Sand bottom

(Deck sanding optional)

10.

Go surf your own eco-friendly surfboard

Example of stretch glassing a 24" wide longboard with 20" wide bamboo fabric.

Stretch glassing bamboo fabric saves material while maintaining a good lap distance from rail for strength.

Bamboo laminating fabric is unbleached and exhibits a natural light tan color.

The finished glass job is still very transparent allowing logo laminations, painted graphics, and resin tints to show through beautifully.

Go to the Greenlight Surf Supply Online Store

Glassing

Tips

Greenlight's Bamboo Fiberglass

Stretches Approximately 25%

from Cut Size

Allowing You to Use Less Material

Lay Greenlight's

double sided tape around outline on deck

Use Greenlight's laminating roller for high strength lamination bond

Patent Pending

The bamboo fabric is similar to 6 oz fiberglass but because it stretches and less fabric is required to glass a blank,

the overall weight is about 4.5 oz.

We recommend using standard glassing schedules with the bamboo fiberglass and Resin Research epoxy.

Greenlight Surfboard Supply is a company based on experimentation and innovation,

and we encourage you to try new methods of making surfboards.

We have tried many traditional (and even developed a few new) glassing methods with the natural

bamboo fiberglass and have concluded that the stretch glassing process with our double sided tape

yields the best results. A variety of tapes were tested and we have sourced the most effective

tape to use with the bamboo fabric. It will hold the fabric in a strong tension and peel off the

blank without scarring it. Using our laminating roller ensures superior adhesion in the composite.

Questions?

Read the

Bamboo Glassing FAQ

Customer Testimonials

"Dear Greenlight,

First thanks for your service...

I have glassed 3 boards now with your bamboo cloth and love them all. Working with bamboo is really nice and it provides an excellent finished product."

~ Nick Rotindo, FL

"I have to say that working with the bamboo fabric has been relatively easy even

for a novice glasser.

Keep up the good work....:)"

~Michael Anaya

San Diego, CA

Bamboo Laminating Fabric FAQ

How strong is Bamboo Fiberglass compared to conventional fiberglass?

Why should I use Bamboo Fiberglass?

What is the weight of the Bamboo Fiberglass?

What’s up with the Stretch Glassing Technique?

Do I have to use the Stretch Glassing Technique with Bamboo?

I want to make an eco-friendly board - Is bamboo fiberglass better to use than hemp fabric?

Can I use Polyester resin with Bamboo Fiberglass?

Can I use Bamboo on any type of blank?

Does bamboo fiberglass wet out clear?

Why do you sell the bamboo fiberglass by the foot?

If you stretch the bamboo fabric over bottom concaves will it stay down on the foam?

The temp here tops out at 40 degrees Far. where I'm shaping. Hows that on the epoxy? Or do I need a heated room?

Can I use a UV curing Resin with Bamboo?

Do you recommend the resin roller as opposed to the rubber squeegees used on Poly resins?

Can I heat the epoxy to make it less viscous?

Do I need to seal the board with spakle before glassing?

What kind of paint can I use on the foam?

When do I install ProBox Fin Systems?

I read somewhere its better to paint your board after you finish sanding the hot coat because you can fix it if you make a mistake...does it really makes a difference if i do it on the sealing spakle or hot coat?

What paint to recommend....i read that using Acrylic water based paints or Latex house paints work well? Is spray paint the best option or hand painting...i could do either. How about paint pens?

How about the print out art using the special provided paper...should that go in the same layer as the rest of the artwork thats painted?

On the video I think rocker was just eyeballed, I want to measure it out, would I lay the board on a flat surface and measure from the surface up? Then mark it, draw lines, and sand down the bottom of the board?

I did the first lamination last night and I ran home at lunch to take a look at it. Everything looked great. There were a couple of places on the edge were the bamboo fabric pulled away from the tape so I mixed up a bit of epoxy, taped those spots tight and gave them a good saturating so I should be able to do the deck patch after work. Any way I could have prevented this?

Is the fabric supposed to be rough after the first coat? And should I sand the whole surface before doing the next coat? I'm assuming the hotcoat will need to be sanded smooth to get glossy.

How strong is Bamboo Fiberglass compared to fiberglass?

The bamboo fiberglass exhibits the same strength characteristics as typical 4 oz. E-glass with Polyester resin.

The boards we as well as our customers have built and surfed using the bamboo fiberglass have shown similar strength and durability to the ones glassed with fiberglass.

Again, it is an ongoing process to provide "numbers" data, but the best way is to see for yourself and give it a try.

We appreciate the questions and are interested in the feedback of our customers.

Why should I use Bamboo Fiberglass?

Other than the bio-degradable, sustainable, and pollution free manufacturing factors, our bamboo fabric is knit as opposed to woven. So it exhibits elasticity and strength in all directions. Woven fiberglass, carbon fiber, etc. only stretch (a tiny bit) along the bias (45 degrees) to the weave, and you can pull weaves apart easily. Our bamboo fabric is loop-knitted together with fibers approximately .005 inch diameter in a dense pattern that, when stretched, opens up to allow resin through the voids for a highly fiber-dense composite.

What is the weight of the Bamboo Fiberglass?

Our natural bamboo fabric is 6 oz. in hand. When glassed onto a board, it is stretched approx. 125% of it's original area, thus decreasing the amount and fabric used and therefore the working weight is decreased down to around 4.5 oz. We suggest using normal glassing schedules as with fiberglass. As a natural material, bamboo absorbs a bit more resin the conventional fiberglass.

What’s up with the Stretch Glassing Technique?

Our comprehensive Glassing Surfboards with Bamboo instructional Vids fully illustrate how to get the most out of a bamboo lamination. Stretching and holding it in place with double sided tape while spreading epoxy is key - it opens up the bamboo fiber knit for a great matrix bond. Also using a laminating roller after the lam is saturated really increases adhesion to the foam.

Being a natural fiber, the bamboo fiberglass does absorb epoxy but that adds to the strength of the lamination. In the videos you'll see we recommend pushing the epoxy into the fabric then gently scraping the excess to saturate another area. Works well, uses less resin. We spent a good year developing how to work with bamboo fiberglass and developed a few techniques along the way, but Stretch Glassing proves to be the most effective.

Do I have to use the Greenlight Stretch Glassing Technique with Bamboo Fiberglass?

Greenlight Surfboard Supply is a company based on experimentation and innovation, and we encourage you to try new methods of making surfboards.

We have tried many traditional (and even developed a few new) glassing methods with the natural bamboo fiberglass and have concluded that the stretch glassing process with our double sided tape yields the best results. We have tested a variety of tapes and have sourced the most effective tape to use with the bamboo fiberglass. It will hold the fabric in a strong tension and peel off the blank without scarring it.

I want to make an eco-friendly board.

Is bamboo fiberglass better to use than hemp fabric?

When we started this eco-board “adventure”, we tried glassing boards with hemp cloth, even burlap, and it was such a hassle. You can't sand hemp and it doesn't want to wrap around the rails, you need to cut “V”-notches along the rails to wrap. The boards didn't turn out as we hoped they would. So we worked with this bamboo fiberglass, developed it a bit and it is awesome! So easy to work with, laminates clear with a light tan tint, sands really well with any grit sandpaper, looks beautiful, and allows you to make a textured deck so you don’t need wax! Of course you can sand the deck smooth if you want to “stick” with using wax :)

Can I use Polyester resin with Bamboo Fiberglass?

Yes. It can be used with polyester as well as epoxy resins (we advocate epoxy because of its increased strength and low VOC content).

Note EPS blanks can only be used with Epoxy Resins. Polyester resins will melt EPS foam!

Can I use Bamboo on any type of blank?

Yes, Bamboo fiberglass works well on all types of blanks - wood boards too!

Does bamboo fiberglass wet out clear?

Bamboo fiberglass is unbleached and exhibits a very light natural tan color, decreasing the hue of colors under it by about 1 or 2 shades on the color wheel. It's negligible.

The finished glass job is still very transparent allowing logo laminations, painted graphics, and resin tints to show through beautifully.

Why do you sell Bamboo Fiberglass by the foot?

At Greenlight, we make everything about surfboard building easy - even down to ordering. Do you measure your surfboards by the yard??

If you stretch the bamboo fabric over bottom concaves will it stay down on the foam?

Yes, the weight of epoxy will pull the fabric into concaves and using the laminating roller also sticks the bamboo down with more force. If you have deep concaves or channels, you can fill a few ziplock bags with sand or water and place them on the bamboo after saturating with resin. The plastic bag will hold the bamboo down while the resin cures and will not stick to epoxy.

The temp here tops out at 40 degrees F where I'm shaping. Hows that on the epoxy? Or do I need a heated room?

Epoxy will cure in any temperature. The only affect temp has is how quick it will cure. 70's is the normal temperature to glass in for controlled cure ~ (about 4-5 hours) Hotter temps cures fast, cold of course cures slower. In the winter, our shop is about 50 degrees and have no problem with the epoxy. We glass one layer in the afternoon so it's cured the next morning, then glass the next.

You can also microwave the resin before mixing to lower the viscosity (helps to spread) and quicken the cure a bit. Also, order the FAST hardener since it's cold there. Resin Research 2000 makes a stiff board while 2020 makes a slightly more flexible board. You probably want the 2000 for a cruiser like you're building.

We recommend using Epoxy resin with the bamboo since epoxy is 5x stronger than Poly and waaay more eco-friendly. We do have some customers using poly though with success.

Can I use a UV curing Resin with Bamboo?

The bamboo is naturally UV resistant so we don't recommend using UV curing resins.

Do you recommend the resin roller as opposed to the rubber squeegees used on Poly resins?

We use a plastic resin spreader (not squeegee) to glass with bamboo. It provides force to push the resin into the bamboo and foam. Our glassing vids show you how to do it correctly.

Can I heat the epoxy to make it less viscous?

You can reduce the viscosity of the resin by heating it. A lower viscosity will help the epoxy “wet out” the bamboo faster but will also slightly reduce the amount of working time (epoxy cures faster a higher temperatures)

Note: Heat Only the RESIN (part A) component of the epoxy before mixing.

NEVER HEAT THE HARDENER (part B) COMPONENT.

Microwave the Resin Component Only for 3 seconds per ounce, then add the hardener. Add 30 drops of Add F and mix slowly for at least 1 minute. You may heat up the Additive F in a glass of hot water if it is cold and solid. This will remelt the wax ingredient.

Do I need to seal the board with spakle before glassing?

Sealing the blank prior to laminating will reduce the amount of resin absorbed by the foam. You can use epoxy with bamboo dust to thicken the resin and spread a thin layer with a squeegee, but that adds weight and expense. The preferred method of sealing is to use DAP Fast N' Final Lightweight Spakle.

What kind of paint can I use on the foam?

For a bright white surface to paint on, you can seal the blank with DAP Fast N’ Final Lightweight Spackle. Use Kryon H2O waterbased latex spraypaint. Spraypaints containting Styrene will melt your blank! Please read the paint lable to make sure.

When do I install ProBox Fin Systems?

After the hotcoat. Visit http://www.proboxfinsystems.com/pages/installation.html for install instructions.

Paint directly on the spackled foam. The glass layers will protect the art from sand through.

What paint to recommend....i read that using Acrylic water based paints or Latex house paints work well? Is spray paint the best option or hand painting...i could do either. How about paint pens?

Paint the board with paint that doesn't contain styrene. It will melt the foam. I use Kryon H2O latex spray paint and acrylic paints.Laytex house paints work too as well as paint pens.

How about the print out art using the special provided paper...should that go in the same layer as the rest of the artwork thats painted?

Logo laminations go directly on the sealed foam as well, or right over the artwork before glassing.

You can lay the board on the floor to measure rocker or put a long stick on the board with bottom up and measure down as you are shaping.

Use some more masking tape to ensure the fabric doesn't pull away when upside down.

Also, make sure the epoxy has cured hard before scoring and snapping off. It will bend and tear if not fully hard

Is the fabric supposed to be rough after the first coat? And should I sand the whole surface before doing the next coat? I'm assuming the hotcoat will need to be sanded smooth to get glossy.

The lamination coat is bumpy from the tiny bamboo fibers gathering epoxy. Give it a light sanding with 80 grit to knock the bumps down, your hotcoat will fill in any uneven surfaces. Then you'll sand the hotcoat flat and sand it up to shine. You can go up to 1200 grit wetsanding if you want a real shiny board.

Finished Bamboo Laminated Board