hi vol,
the finish does look better,
but it always looked good
i'm not quite sure how you distribute the pressure from the pneumatic hose to the top of the board.
is there a simple soft release film or a stiffer panel?
i.e. do you get 'print - through' from the fire hose?
to be honest, once you place the board in the press, i dont believe there is any mechanish to remove bubbles from the laminate.
hand lams allow bubble to float and wet out.
vacuum bags provide an escape path with the addition of peel ply and breather cloth.
i'm not sure if any part of your press provides a similar function, which is probably why the ski/snowboard guys use solid top/bottom skins to dress up their product.
everybody has a favorite way to wet out the cloth. i don't think a squeegee is any worse than a roller.
in ether case over working the same spot is likely to introduce air.
in addition to BWDs suggestions you may consider :
using a short foam roller to distribute the resin.
spin the roller in the resin by hand to load the roller ( dont just roll it back and forth in the tray)
wet out the cloth by moving in one direction only ( again, not back and forth)
a soft (or thin edged) squeegee can help to wet the fibers ( enough pressure to keep the cloth down but not drag it)
you can also thin the resin a bit by warming it in a microwave for 15 sec.
(do this before you add hardener. )
do small batches and spread out larger volumes on a plate to keep heat level down (slower cure) and get mixed gas bubbles to the surface ( a foam brush can be used to drag bubbles to the side)
I suspect your core is flexible enough that the press is not really required to form the core.
if the bottom lam, comes out the nicest looking, you may want to do the top by hand.
or add some peel ply and breather to the top half of the press.
......or you can buy a sheet of .030" solid wood veneer to press on as a top sheet to cover the glass with something as nice looking as the cedar.
many flavors that have strength comparable to 1 ply of 6oz glass
cheaper than cedar and comes in 6ft x 2ft rolls from furniture makers.
just a thought.
it looks too good at the moment to lose any sleep.
regards,
-bill