Ditto I like it. Let me ask ya something. Do you ever wet sand? I have been dry sanding for years and found it the best. As you 400 to 600 then polish with a 5000. Again speed is the trick. I won’t even polish if the guy I’m working for dosen’t have one or charge more because it will take twice as long to polish. So if I have 6 boards to do I just made it to the beach for a little surf. I think some people need to surf more and dish less.
No I don’t make Sean look good he Rips and pays on time. In my book he’s da shit!
I’ve always said if ya can’t ride and rip what ya sell go get a job. Ya can quote me on that one!
Yo Yorky! Right on it’s all good. As long as I’ve been at this game smack talk is a dally ritual. I compare working with surfers as you have to deal with two kinds of people. Kids and Bitches and I always try to be the kid. Your only as old as ya act! Just popped a beer for you. Cheers!
PS Saying Cheers isn’t really gay and yes you guys will win a World Title someday. Like when Kelly turns 65 and quits the tour. Cheers B)
Hey guys
Can’t thank you enough…this is exactly what I’d hoped for (minus the bitching that seems increasingly apparent on sways recently).
I will print this thread out and make myself a list…that will acompany me into the workshop hopefully next week when I’m ready to sand my next board. I will let you all know through this thread how I get on and the difference it makes. I’m sure it will be a positive step forward.
Once again, many thanks for your help…this place is amazing!
Cheers
Rich
SDrepairman; You right about the grits. If you are going straight to 220 you are laying down a nice hotcoat. Ken's process is the basic for hot coat and gloss sanding. But a production guy can't waste time blocking. He has to be good enough with the sander to do it all, even the bulk of the rails. If a guy has to start with coarser grits he's sanding a crap hotcoat. I used to do the whole process up at the "chicken ranch" in AG. I learned to put down the best hotcoat possible, because I was the guy that was going to have to sand it. 400 and 600 are fine on the gloss wet or dry whatever you prefer. But if you leave swirl marks in the hotcoat or the gloss; They will show when you polish. I understand now why so many of you guys block the hotcoat. Using the wrong grits and not skilled enough with the sander. Starting with coarser grits than necessary creates swirl marks. A guy should never have to use compound or swirl remover on a surfboard. Sand the hotcoat properly. Sand the gloss coat properly and polish with #2. Done right it's "tits". Reverb got lost in the translation.
If you or any think that you apply a gloss coat after sand with 220 grit and then you ll obtain such a wonderful coat and then in the future do not peel off in rails and other areas, well, you are in an error.
the tips are:
-what you say about proper hot coat (but proper shape and glass too)
-“pulse” and triggering
-after you touch the hc think what finish the board will have.
I learned my lessons refinishing and repairing exotic cars, where ripples were definitely not acceptable.
After moving to surfboards I found the same principles apply, except lightweight foam surfboards will never get truly flat. Longboards with multiple layers will get closer.
Sorry to all the experts out there but I've never seen a mirror flat board.... close, but no cigar.
Bill's cross sanding advice will get you as close as you want to spend time on.
Chances are the heat of the polisher will distort flats too.
Hey reverb-------- If your gloss chips or flakes off, sanding isn't your problem. Try Relchold. Quit using that cheap Brazilian crap. Like Isaid if you leave swirl marks in the hotcoat or the gloss they will show. Sounds like I'd be able to see yours no problem. And as mentioned in the post just before me you never get a perfect FLAT mirror finish on a surfboard. close but no cigar.
I do not have peeling off problems, but I saw those problems in the past and occur because fine sanding and still a bit of wax on that surface due to lighter and fine grit.
there are some older threads on here if you can find them that are really good - step by step how to get certain finishes. different methods from different people to get similar results. keep at it and you will find you will make your own recipe with tricks from different sources.
Using the process I described above; I have never seen a gloss (using Reichold) chip or peel, even after several years of use. I don't gloss or sand or hotcoat or lam. I shape only these days. Too friggin' mobile and itenerant. Just saw one of my longboards listed on craigslist Maui last month. Still looked good. Board's ten or twelve years old. Handshaped, lammed, hotcoated, sanded, glossed, polished by yours truly. I have as of yet not mastered the technique used in posting pics. But aside from that unlike yourself I've got nothing to proof and don't care to beat my own chest, nor use Swaylocks to sell boards or inflate my ego. But you sir, are in a class by yourself, amigo.
