Rapid UV Ding Repair
Contents
Which kit should I buy?
Soltek offers two types of Ding Repair kit to suit your every need:
- Soltek Rapid UV Ding Repair single kits come with a tube of polyester UV resin (in a colour of your choice), two grades of sandpaper, plastic overlay film and applicator. These kits are suitable for repairing surface dings, dents and scratches. You can combine colours to match your board colour exactly.
- Soltek Complete UV Repair Kit comes with two tubes of polyester UV resin (Clear and White), two grades of sandpaper, plastic overlay film, glassfibre cloth and applicators. This kit is suitable for travel and repairing both surface dings, dents, scratches and deep (foam penetrating) damage.
Repairing your board with Soltek Rapid UV Ding Repair
Getting the best repair results with Soltek Ding Repair is easy. To show you how simple it is and the amazing finish, we have included two examples which explain the steps involved in repairing your board damage or ding.
Example 1: Repairing surface spot dings using Soltek Rapid UV Ding Repair
Step 1: Surface ding on red rail needs to be repaired to prevent further damage to the board from water.
Step 2: Prepare application area by removing grit, wax residue and foreign substances. Sand the application area using the coarse (rough) sandpaper.
Be careful when sanding to restrict to the ding area only.
Step 3: For best results, use ‘Soltek Rapid UV Red Ding Repair’ resin to repair the damaged area.
If the red color is too dark you can lighten* by adding some ‘Soltek Rapid UV Clear Ding Repair’ resin.
If you do not have any red resin you can use ‘Soltek Rapid UV Clear Ding Repair’ to repair the damaged area
Step 4: Squeeze resin out of the tube onto the previously sanded damage area.
Be careful not to squeeze too much resin onto the area. It is better to use less resin since you can always add more after curing (step 7).
Remember to apply the resin away from the sun or any other source of UV light until ready to cure (Step 7)
Step 5: Use the wooden applicator to spread the resin and push into the damaged area.
Tip: Cure the wet resin on the end of the applicator before storing back in the kit box for next time.
Step 6: Place the plastic overlay film over the spread resin. Pull tight.
It is important you use the plastic overlay since it will produce a smooth, professional finish.
Step 7: Cure the resin through the plastic overlay film until the resin is hard. Pull the plastic overlay off when cured.
Tip: Tap the resin with your fingernail or wooden applicator to see if the resin is cured.
Tip: You should always use the sun to cure your ding when available. It is the most powerful source of UV light and is the quickest way of effecting cure.
If you used the plastic film overlay during curing you should get a smooth finish which does not require further sanding. If sanding is required, use the fine sandpaper very very lightly.
Example 2: Repairing deep dings with Soltek Complete UV Repair Kit
Complete UV Repair Kit is needed when both the foam and skin is damaged.
A chunk of foam has fallen out as a result of the damage. The resulting hollow will need to be filled and then a new skin will need to be applied using some new glass fibre cloth
Step 1: Prepare application area by removing grit, wax residue and foreign substances. Sand the application area using the coarse (rough) sandpaper.
Careful when sanding to restrict to the ding area only.
Ensure any sanding reside is removed from the hollow before filling in the next step. This can be done by blowing or tipping the board up, to allow any residue to fall out.
Step 2: Using the ‘Soltek Rapid UV White Ding Repair’ resin supplied in the kit, fill the hollow until level with outer board skin.
CAUTION: If the hollow is deeper than 3mm, then you will need to layer the filling application. In such cases, fill the hollow with around 3mm of White resin and cure (as per Step 3). Once cured fill the hollow again with around 3mm of White resin and cure. Repeat until the hollow has been filled to outer board skin level
Step 3: Cure the White resin until the resin is hard.
Tip: Tap the resin with your fingernail or wooden applicator to see if the resin is cured.
Tip: You should always use the sun to cure your ding when available. It is the most powerful source of UV light and is the quickest way of effecting cure.
Step 4: Cut a piece of fibreglass to cover the filled foam hollow. Allow sufficient glass to overlap with the surrounding undamaged board skin to form a good bond.
Step 5: Squeeze the ‘Soltek Rapid UV Clear Ding Repair’ resin (supplied in the kit) out of the tube and onto the fibreglass patch
If the repair area is colored you use a matching Soltek repair color (blue, red, yellow) or mix and match your own*
Remember to apply the resin away from the sun or any other source of UV light until ready to cure (Step 9)
Step 6: Use the applicator to spread the resin
Step 7: Use the applicator to both push the resin down into the patch and spread around the surrounding area (to form a good bond).
Tip: When the resin is well spread, the patch should look like glass (i.e. transparent). This step is commonly called ‘wetting out’ and if your patch doesn’t look transparent at this stage then add more resin before going on to the next step.
Tip: Cure the wet resin on the end of the applicator before storing back in the kit box for next time. Use one applicator for the White resin and the other for the Clear resin.
Step 8: Place the plastic overlay film over the spread resin and wetted out fibreglass patch. Pull tight.
It is important you use the plastic overlay since it will produce a smooth, professional finish.
Step 9: Cure the resin through the plastic overlay film until the resin is hard.
Tip: Tap the resin with your fingernail or wooden applicator to see if the resin is cured.
Tip: You should always use the sun to cure your ding when available. It is the most powerful source of UV light and is the quickest way of effecting cure.
Step 10: Peel off plastic overlay.
Step 11: Lightly sand using the fine grit sandpaper only if required.
If you used the plastic film overlay during curing you should get a smooth finish which does not require further sanding. If sanding is required, use the fine sandpaper very very lightly.
Why should I buy Soltek Rapid UV Ding Repair?
There is a big difference between Soltek Rapid UV Ding Repair and its competitors. Soltek Rapid UV Ding Repair is by far the strongest and clearest ding repair system on the market. Most competitors use a fiber-fill formulation for their UV curing ding repair system. In fact if you look at them closely you can see lots of little short fibres distributed through what looks like a cloudy resin. The resin is cloudy because it contains fillers - cheap additives designed to bulk out the resin and make it thicker. The problem with additives is that they weaken the resin. An even greater problem however, is that when combined with short fibres, the entire system develops millions of small delamination and cracking points which weaken the resin even more.
Added to this, the resin never dries absolutely clear. It simply can't because the additives give it a cloudy look. So when you use these systems to fix the dings on your board they stick out like a sore thumb! The additives also initiate a hardening reaction within the tube. This means that all the resin in your tube will go hard even if you haven't used it. To top it all off, the resin will go a browny/yellow over time making the repair look even more unattractive.
We designed Soltek Rapid UV Ding Repair to overcome all these problems. Instead of taking the easy way out and using fillers to bulk out our resin, we have chemically formulated it to not only give a good consistency for repair, but to be 2 to 3 times stronger than any other competitor product. We don't have to include fibres because we have chemically engineered the strength into the resin. The resin system is consistent meaning that it doesn't have delamination and cracking points. Most importantly though, when it cures it gives you the best finish on the market. Our Clear is the clearest!
As a surfer, you need to know that when repairing your board it is very important to use the strongest resin possible. Damage or a ding to your board creates a weak area and heightens the probability of further damage around the general vicinity. Soltek Rapid UV Ding Repair is so strong, stronger than the base resin on the board in fact, that it provides strength to the damaged or dinged area, lessening the chance of further damage promotion.
If you want peace of mind, and the best possible repair job—get Soltek Rapid UV Ding Repair today. What's more, buy a colour or make your own to match your board—it's all possible with the Ding Repair range.
