How Long to Wait for Resin to Cure Before Pulling Tape or Cutting the Lap

Since temperatures fluctuate and resin pot life varies with volume the rule of thumb when it comes to pulling tape cut laps is to touch a bead of resin on the tape with your finger. If it sticks to your finger and stretches as you pull away it's not ready yet. If it doesn't stick and stretch then you can pull the tape or cut the lap.

Time wise with the Fast Fuse Epoxy give it about 45 minutes and do the finger test. See how it feels and determine if it's time.

It's always better to be patient when pulling tape. Too soon and the resin will stretch and leave stringy bumps on the rail which causes more sanding work - leading to possible burn throughs to the fiberglass and more work... It's great when you hit the sweet spot of the resin curing timeline and the tape peels off nicely with little effort. Letting the resin fully cure is better than pulling too soon. Worst case the tape tears and you have to pick pieces of tape off the board... Using a high quality tape like Indasa Yellow MTY makes life easier since it has a higher tear strength and great tack.

Cut laps are easiest when done in that resin curing time sweet spot. Too soon, again will cause trouble with resin stretching and leaving mounds on the board that need to be sanded. If the resin has fully cured it becomes difficult to cut through the cured resin with a standard razor blade. That's why I developed the Cutlap / scraper Razor Tool. The heavy duty blade and ergonomic design cuts through completely cured epoxy and 6 oz. glass with ease. I always wait until the resin is cured to cut laps with the razor tool... at that point you can stabilize the board by grabbing the rail with your (gloved*) hand for more stability and accuracy. * Always wear gloves every time you touch the lamination so you don't get oils and dirt from your hands on the board...

Overall, try not to rush through a board build as it just makes more work in the long run. It's always better to be patient.