Hello people! What are your ideas on waterproofing wooden boards? I have read about varnishes and (linseed) oils, what are user’s experiences? I’d like to keep weight down & save a lot of work if i’d do a woody.
Just a thought: would a big sleeve of clear shrinkwrap (as used for insulating/strengthening electrical cable) have an application in surfing… ? Tho, i get a an association with cheap kiddies board … But keen to hear from thinkers that have been released from their box!
Cheers PIM
check in with Tombloke, he has extensive experience in the lamination free realms.
I followed his advice on my hws, and the finish turned out excelent.
pat
I’ve read Tung oil has excellent waterproofing properites, but didn’t used the stuff yet. Roy’s the man when it comes to waterproofing non-fiberglassed wooden boards.
Jack
Howzit PIM,
I have been using straight laminating epoxy to finish my boards for a while, it’s nice to avoid glass cloth, but it isn’t necessarily less work as the resin coats are thinner than glass and resin and it can take a few coats to build them up.
Weight wise it’s not necessarily lighter either, as more resin is needed to get the same strength as glass and resin together. If making a strong wooden board structure using a fairly hard wood then less resin can be used and the loss of strength doesn’t matter as the board is structurally strong anyway, in fact it can help the board to flex a bit more.
Natural varnishes and teak oils are interesting, haven’t tried any myself yet, Tom Wegener is doing some oiled boards.
With thin resin coats the shaping job has to be more accurate than with a thicker glass and resin layer as the thicker glass and resin coat acts as a fairing compound, hiding small errors ( in other words it can drive you crazy, but not as crazy as the glass itch ).
Cheers
Roy
I’m currently experimenting with Spar Varnish. It really makes the board look nice and shiny. The only problem is that it takes a lot of time. You need at least five coats (top and bottom), and you need to wait at least 24 hours between each application. That’s 5x2 = 10 days of work. I’m currently on coat number 3 (day 6). Here are some pictures.
Hi!
there was a discussion about oiling wooden boards on the paipo-forum some time ago:
http://www.rodndtube.com/…/viewtopic.php?t=404
greetz,
Eef
Hi there Swied,
Wondered where you had gone… the board is looking really sweet.
Hope you are going to post a “how to” on your varnishing efforts when you’re done.
-Cam
I’ve had success with clear urathane—mainly minwax, it’s waterproof and really shines up nice----two or three coats sanding between and it’s done add a bit of tint and it looks old school-ish