I crashed my foil into a rock and you can see the result in the video and the photo i attached. The crack is firm and there's no movement when i try to squeeze it with my fingers. I would like to get some advice on what should i do:
1. Try to save some bucks and fix it myself, maybe by applying some epoxy (i have no experience)
2. It is too complicated and i should send it to a professional (i got an offer for 85$)
I had to fix a CRX wing with a leading edge crack. I used 'west system' epoxy and a micro swab to drip it inside and fill the void. Just enough epoxy to fill the gap, no sanding required.
I would do the same as SWO. The only thing I would add is get the wing nice and warm first and then do the repair in a cool room. This way as the cavity within the wing cools it will suck resin into the crack. If you do it the other way round it will probably blow bubbles at you.
These users thanked the author Herman for the post (total 3):
Its just superficial damage and you can fix it with epoxy thickened up with some microballons or similar filler.
If there were any movement when squeezed, then you should pry it open a bit, get some epoxy in there and clamp it tightly back into shape before applying any filler.
I just did a similar repair for a friend who had is gear fall out of a bicycle trailer. That one was bad enough that there was some movement.
I chose to use clamps instead of a vacuum bag; good thing too because as i was dry testing the clamps i realized that a few large grains of sand/ tiny bits of gravel had worked their way up into the crack.
$85 to fix it ain't cheap, but i'd say its reasonable if the guy does a nice professional quality repair.
Also, Herman's advice is very good advice.
These users thanked the author Trent hink for the post:
If you're not an expert now, you could be by the time you're finished repairing it. It's something you need to do in stages.
Clean all the broken chunks and paint off it. Sand/file it to get down to solid material. Probe any gaps or holes with a pin and see if they go all the way inside.
If the top and bottom have split then you need to glue them back together. If it's open then poke some epoxy and filler in there. If it's just pinholes then pump epoxy in with a syringe.
You can rebuild the shape of the leading edge with chopped carbon and epoxy. You can also use microfibres (stronger) or microspheres (easier for sanding). I quite like the result with chopped carbon.
If it has properly split then I would wrap the edge with a little carbon and/or fibreglass. It's easy to do but you need to practice on something else. You want to learn about peel ply and other methods of absorbing resin and wrapping with cling wrap or tape. That's what I am playing with at the moment. It's quite fun.
I am in the middle of refurbishing my favourite foil. I've dug out the old filler patches. Reshaped with chopped carbon. Now working out a glassing plan that will add strength but not compromise the shape of the tip.
Aiming for precision is good. You need to mix the quantities very precisely. I have been working with tiny amounts of resin and weighing stuff out using precise scales.
PS One of my old filler repairs was similar to your damage. That was over 500 hours of use ago. My foils have a nice big carbon edge before the foam begins so there's plenty of structure to work with.
These users thanked the author OzBungy for the post:
If you're not an expert now, you could be by the time you're finished repairing it. It's something you need to do in stages.
Clean all the broken chunks and paint off it. Sand/file it to get down to solid material. Probe any gaps or holes with a pin and see if they go all the way inside.
If the top and bottom have split then you need to glue them back together. If it's open then poke some epoxy and filler in there. If it's just pinholes then pump epoxy in with a syringe.
You can rebuild the shape of the leading edge with chopped carbon and epoxy. You can also use microfibres (stronger) or microspheres (easier for sanding). I quite like the result with chopped carbon.
If it has properly split then I would wrap the edge with a little carbon and/or fibreglass. It's easy to do but you need to practice on something else. You want to learn about peel ply and other methods of absorbing resin and wrapping with cling wrap or tape. That's what I am playing with at the moment. It's quite fun.
I am in the middle of refurbishing my favourite foil. I've dug out the old filler patches. Reshaped with chopped carbon. Now working out a glassing plan that will add strength but not compromise the shape of the tip.
Aiming for precision is good. You need to mix the quantities very precisely. I have been working with tiny amounts of resin and weighing stuff out using precise scales.
PS One of my old filler repairs was similar to your damage. That was over 500 hours of use ago. My foils have a nice big carbon edge before the foam begins so there's plenty of structure to work with.
Thanks! Sounds quite complicated, it could become a new hobbie. Would you share some photos/videos of the process you dealt with while fixing your gear? I'm curious...
i had the same thing happen to my LF impulse. it is a manufacturing defect. not your fault. if you bought from LF they should replace for you.
but a diy fix will probably work well . i drilled a 2 holes in mine to pressurize with an air compressor , as an attempt to get the water out. it worked awesomely untill the the hole wing made a pop, and the the entire perimeter was delaminated. ... dumb.
I fixed the same kind of wing with same damage. Its not superficial, its structural. The core of this wing is some sort of porous glasfiber wadding. Sucks a lot of water.
First i dried it by putting it in a vacuum bag and absorbing material to suck out water. Let it dry over night.
I ground away material from the crack and filled with epoxy/glass micro fiber mix. Then drilled 4 x 3mm holes in square pattern on face of wing and injected epoxy with a plastic syringe. It took a lot of epoxy. Let it cure and did the same on opposite wing face.
Then sanded, filled, sanded, and finally some paint.
Saved that wing, it was on its deathbed.
and you can see the result in the video and the photo i attached. The crack is firm and there's no movement when i try to squeeze it with my fingers. I would like to get some advice on what should i do:
