Apprenticeship/employment

General Discussion
1

I am looking for a highly skilled shaper who would be willing to let me work under them for the 08/09 year. I am willing to travel anywhere to get the proper education. I’ve been making boards for over one year now, so I have some experience. I just want to learn the proper techniques from someone who has been doing it forever and has the art down to a science. If anyone knows of a job opening or possible apprenticeship PLEASE let me know. I’m a very hard worker and I would not need much pay at all. Thanks,

Ryan

2

same here, exept i just do kneeboards and paipos…the occasional stand-up fish…

good luck to you mcdeee33, its gonna be tough but im gonna shape boards,even if it doesnt pay the bills …

im just 19, but make my own blanks, shape and glass my own boards…

i need help though , my glass jobs are sloppy and ive fcked up too many boards in the lam stage…

can anyone in OC help me to properly lam/sand…i only do epoxys but am open to bio-resin and polyether foams too…

i cant forsee a future not working in the surfing industry, ill end up running off to mexico to shape HD material boards in the desert and sell em at the boarder!!

sorry for the hijack,–matt, err i mean mateo ; D

3

guys I have been trying for years. established companies I have contacted are typically and understandably not incredibly receptive to apprenticing. To paraphrase what robert august told me: the up and coming generation of shapers is pretty much fucked, back in the day it actually saved you a lot of mney but the cost of blanks and making boards has cut the profit margin and therefore it is harder to learn because it is so expensive. Shapers are also less willing to train someone who in the process may ruin a few board or may in a few years leave the company and become competition.

4

but im a non-threatening kneeboard/paipo/mat surfer who can supply all his own blanks…i dont even want to shape stand-ups …but i want to make a spoon kneeboard and i cant do that at this point without possibly ruining it…

5

skamatt, you are goofy

6
Quote:
I just want to learn the proper techniques from someone who has been doing it forever and has the art down to a science.

I think you mean. “…and has the science down to an art.”

7

Im 20, been shaping for about 3-4 years…you just gotta suck it up…Concentrate on using new tech, vacuum bag lams, try using some veneers, ect. Strip old boards and reshape, make some lightweight blanks with Home Depot XTR or EPS. Use Epoxy…I work year round in my basement so epoxy is a must. But the way I see it, less people can do a good epoxy job then can do a good poly job just because it has been the industry standard for so long. Play around with the APS software, learn how to properly design a board and digitize the files. CNC shaping is the future of the industry, theres no denying it…Learn as much as you can. You’ll get a better response with shapers if you can ask them more specific questions rather then asking for an apprenticeship…it really doesn’t pay for them(more of a hassel then anyhting). Ask if you can watch them instead.

8

Skamatt,

      Call up Terry Price at Cerritos College and ask him about taking a lab class. There are a few guys just starting to learn how to do epoxy lamination on EPS blanks.  



        562-860-2451 ext 2927

Mike

9

It seems to me that these days the only people who want to get into this industry all want to be shapers right off the bat. A lot of shapers I know started as shop rats and worked their way up by watching an learning. The ones who succeded where the ones who showed up to work and took their job seriously no matter how mundane. In 1977 I got my first job at a glass shop. The first day of work the shop manager handed me a toilet brush and said " So you want to learn to build boards? Well you start at the bottom and work your way to the top." and pointed me to the bathroom.

10

Ryan:

Contact Mike Casey. He is a master shaper and can teach you everything about gluing up stringer/blanks, wood boards, fins, SUP, Windsurfers, short boards, long boards, etc. He is also a great glasser but rarely does that now. He works steady but I wouldn’t call him a production shaper. He takes his time and does it right. His last olo board sold for $10K during the Randy Rarricks last surfboard auction.

The catch is that he charges. His students end up making great surfboards.

http://www.caseysurfdesigns.com/index.html

Mahalo,

D

11

Some of the replies coming back to your post are an insight as to why so much surfboard production has moved to Asia.

12

we have a factory in france and have been searching for a factory grom to start at the bottom and learn the trade for 3 years

all we get is people who want to be shapers and shape themselves there and then not learn or be taught

both of us (the owners of this company ) started at the bottom and worked hard to learn all about boards not just shaping

if anyone is really keen contact us but its a long dirty path to travel and the shaper is not the only main guy in building boards remember sanders and glassers

13

im gonna tell you guys how i pulled it off as I am 24 now and was in this same position at 19, no shaper for all the above stated reason is going to be open to pulling someone in, so basically if you like to build surfboards figure out a way to do it, you have so much info an this website (so much info to take it beyond traditional shaping), i begged the guy i was getting boards from for two years to teach me/give me work before he allowed me to sweep the floor and cut out logos/sandpaper, through out this time i stayed positive and persistent, built a few backyard donkeys, and all along he was giving me pointers, my skills were improving and he was about to pull me in full time and them BOOOMMM!!! Clark foam shuts down, the last thing my boss was worrying about bringing in an apprentice at this time, he was more worried about keeping his buisiness going (which is very difficult in surfboards) if thought it was over but i kept building boards and eventually i got a job lamming epoxies for another company when their shaper saw some of my work, my mentor told me to run with it and i did, couple hundred boards later: i can lam epoxy and poly no problem, have learned dark secrets form awesome shapers, and people call me for advice on board building, ride all my own boards, and have no problem getting any sort of surfboard related job, I’ll tell you the secret right now: stay positive and persistent, get invovled with your local shaper(even if your buying boards and just watching them get shaped) take any info you can, offer your services and dont get discouraged if nobody wants to teach/employ you right now, and most importantly have fun and do this because you love to do it, everything else will fall into place naturally, and if that doesnt work you can come to florida and be my maid and ill show you a thing or too (but 5 yrs later and I still have so much to learn)

14

forget it mate

get an apprenticeship as a a sparky or plumber

make some real money

make a few boards at home

and have plenty of time to go surfing

working in factorys sux

as is doing mundane repetitive jobs like sanding over and over

why would you want to do that shit

and scratch around the pecking order and be treated like shit

its really not that hard and you dont need to sand boards for years to be a good shaper

if you wanna shape

shape

you dont need an apprenticeship or anyone to teach you

just get some blanks and go

there are books,videos and of course swaylocks

or make your own out of eps block

its cheap and no reall drama if you stuff it up

tools are next to nothing these days and really good qaulity

i was a jeweller in a factory for a bit and apprentices were treated like sheet

they were made to solder charms and resize rings for there whole time

and came out knowing sweet F all

i was making 3 stone dia rings from scratch within 6 months when i was an apprentice

because i had ambition to teach myself

and didnt have to suffer the bushit of the factory mentality

those poor suckers in the factories have been polishing castings for 20 years and thats all they know

if you have an inclination to make things with you hands

you will have been doing so for sometime by now

you will already be good and can only get better with practice and study

15

silly said it better than i did

16

All well said.

“You have to itch before you can get rich” The bottom starts with a broom, you graduate to easy dings and then you foil fins. The proven and best way to learn. Iv’e tried to teach a couple of guys, They sat in the corner and as I spoke they seemed to be taking notes. Turns out they were working on their logos. The next thing I showed them was which way the door swings.

The more humble you are, the more you can learn. Aloha, Tripper

P.S. No matter how much you itch, you’ll never get rich making boards. It’s not about money, its about love and passion.

17

apprenticship

in the days of old

were commenced

when you were seven years old

when you were fourteen

you were put out to work

arround as a journey man

the timelyness coinsided with

predictable levels of chronological

levels of receptivness and maturity.

twenty one was when yoou became eligible to apply

to a guild to become a master craftsman.

this was done by submiting a master piece.

the members of the guild

were critical

duh.

all the comments about groveling and eating crow

easier to take when you are seven.

out on your own

when you were fourteen

when nobody can tell you anything

because you are the smartest guy in the world

until you are hungry.

so we have a template

a life template.

you wanna learn it when you are 19 years of age?

teaching yourself is a great option

if you have reading difficulties or learning disabilities

they must be addressed.

you are not alone.

the day is coming when you may

have the oppertunity to take 'the class ‘’

in the ciriculum at the institute

from a knowledgable wh0

dosen’t do but teaches

I’M a kook and I feel comfortable

charging 33.00 an hour for instruction.

you want some

I know stuff genius

to spend time answering

your stooooopid questions

over and over and over

expect to pay a great deal more.

there you have it.

a slice of brain sample

at 4:30 in the morning.

you are entitled to the best

your mother loves you

and you are

the evolutionary product

of millions of socializing years

learning tools alone is an ongoing

deal.

choose your path wisely

you are the ultimate

victim of your own devices.

preserve all your fingers

dont become a caholic

take out your own trash

phone your mom

hold your wife’s hand

train that damn dog

learn to cook.

drive a junk car

buy raw materials

make stuff

find sombody to listen to

that calls you stupid

in a way that you can listen

and learn.

apprenticeship AINT FREE!!!

pay in cash

pay in work

hard work

and eat crow

and lose the phrase

‘’ I KNOW ‘’

you will grow to be and old man

that know stuff

naturally.

…ambrose…

oh yeah if you have to blow the boss … quit.

18
Quote:

and lose the phrase

‘’ I KNOW ‘’

you will grow to be and old man

that know stuff

naturally.

…ambrose…

I love that part of your reply.

19

I agree. Ghost shaping is becoming a thing of the past with shaping machines and why would you want to train a competitor? Personally I would shape for yourself and take it from there.

20 
  Are you looking for personal enrichment; or a career. It'll take you years to get clientel as a hand shaper; even hand shapers have turned to machines. And even thats being outsourced over seas.  

  Find a trade that can't be outsourced, make and save money, if you can, and survive. 

  There's plenty of shapers who will let you sit in on a few shaping sessions...or maybe just show you one key aspect they find critical, or answer specific questions you may have. 

  You dont have to do it as a living to enjoy it. Like surfing itself, you dont have to be on the World Tour to feel the stoke.  

  Production shaping is a grind, not as miserable as sanding, or toxic as laminating, but monotonous, just the same. " is my board done? where's the bro deal?" 

  Best thing about shaping is it requires few tools and minimal space, so an overall minimal investment.