bamboo

…hello, so is 0.5mm too thick to use on the deck? Is the only thickness I can buy here. However is not so wide.
Somebody tested bamboo onto the deck
May be I ll try without a vacuum pump. The not so wide is the main problem due to that ridge there…

If you’re doing it with a vac, .5 is not a problem at all. And as the sac gets tight, you can roll the edges with a narrow wall-paper roller and the ridges will settle into the foam and stay there. I think that trick came from Bert originally, then Pierre B more recently did a deck/bottom in .6 and used the roller trick beautifully.

Reverb, .5 mm is half the thickness of the stuff most of us have used. The bamboo I continue to use is .042 inches thick or about 1 mm. I think it will be fairly easy to use but you may need to further reinforce the deck with glass.

That roller trick is good. Sam Barker at RR discovered that when he and Greg Loehr were experimenting with the Timbertech build. BTW Mr Loehr still says Timbertech is one of the best builds there is for surfboards. Strong, flexible good looking. Like me. Ha.

Also if you don’t want to use a vac bag there is another way. Very low tech. Let me know and I’ll describe it.

All the best

…hello Jeffrey and Greg, will be without vac pump; so my first guess about low tech is to do it with weight on it, hence my question about the ridge and the joint between the two bamboo parts.

Thanks

At 0.5 mm, I think that edge is going to not be a problem. I used to sand mine down a bit before adopting the roller trick.

Instead of weights consider this trick: using a cheap inflatable beach mattress, cover the bamboo with the deflated mat, wrap the board tightly with the clear plastic used for packing (not sticky packing tape), then using a bicycle pump inflate the mattress. You should get a more even pressure than with weights. I’ve used this successfully for bamboo patches and lengths shorter than the full length of the board. But i think it will work for full length. If not, I’ll refund your money.

all the best

I remember a thread about wood softener and tape for joining the narrow widths at the stringer. Can’t find it right now, though. The compound curves in the nose (rocker plus deck roll) can be a bugger.
I’ve had bamboo splinters pierce the bag when I used the roller trick.

…I was thinking in sand bags. Regarding the plastic wrap, may be the problem is to damage the shape; the density that I will use is the lightest available in PU, is a lot lighter than any PU that you have there.

Hi Red boards, yes the nose flip could be a nightmare and possible cause of future delamination? I m thinking to make some cuts there; but more cuts more ridges, lines etc.
The cosmetics are very important.

Also, how much weight add this build?; you know if I use 1 4oz under to prevent delaminations then the bamboo then another 4 oz to reinforce and seal everything is more than a plain 2x lamination. Yes, I glass these light foam with 2x on the deck for HPSB.

I remember that article and tried the the wood softener on a shortboard kiteboard. didn’t know what I was doing- what a disaster that turned into. I applied the softener, put the bamboo & blank into a vacuum bag & left it overnight. Next day, turned off the pump, opened the bag & went off to work. Came home to find the veneer had dried out & curled up in the opposite direction. Made things real difficult.

Sandbags work fine. Did plenty of .5mm bamboo decks with sandbags before building a vac bag rig.

Poke a few small holes through the bamboo (I use a dart) so the resin flows up through. It acts like rivets and the bamboo will never delaminate.

…the bamboo arrived today but I have some back orders for a surf shop that I need to do first. In the meantime I ll try to make some test but the blanks are close tolerance so I do not have any room to try too much outside of the intended final shape…

Greenlight, so do you say that still good to go without glass under the bamboo? and I can have similar results, regarding possible delaminations, doing little holes?

Thanks

I’ve used bamboo supplied with a cloth backing that seemed to hold it together well. Was able to force it around the curves without splitting.
I’ve seen bamboo veneers without the backing and heard that split really easily.

…hello, this one have a backing too but is not a cloth.
In first instance I would say that I do not see that the bamboo can hold HP abuse, like knee duck diving and strong pumping action without delamination but on the other side, adding glass under will convert it in a so heavy application…

That “cloth” on the back is scrim or a non woven nylon. Huie was/is a strong proponent of using an extra layer of innegra underbthe bamboo.

If using the paper thin stuff I’d put some glass for backing plus some patches under foot. If using the 1/42 inch stuff I’d use innegra 3/4oz plus patches under.

bump

As has been suggested, a layer of cloth under the bamboo and a layer over it will be a “sandwich construction” which will be the strongest.

…hello, been suggested by me too; also I mentioned that in that way will be heavier than a basic 2 x 4oz. Hence all these other questions.

I would think the 2oz under would also act as a better bonding agent to the blank than the direct bamboo.

I have a 2# EPS with 2oz. / 1/64" bamboo veneer / 4oz layup and it’s by far been the most durable board I’ve ever had. The 2oz. under doesn’t add much weight at all and has a lot of upsides. More positives than negatives in my mind. The weight is negligible. It becomes a proper sandwich and also you have a better bond to the foam with less chance of a delam.

With the thickness of your bamboo you could probably get away with 2oz under and over. The only downside to that is sanding 2oz. over bamboo would require a bit of finesse to prevent sandthroughs.

Post pics of your process/finished result. Would love to see it.

I did a T-flex with 2oz under bamboo veneer top and bottom, 4oz top and (maybe 2x) 4oz bottom. It snapped.
Next one had 2x4oz on top, 2oz under bamboo veneer top only, 4oz bottom and it too snapped. Both boards were sub 5lb thanks to the glassing genius of my mentor. The rail stringers were glass/epoxy, from memory.
I’ve snapped repaired the one T-flex a couple of times. It’s still sub 6lb and a good board.
The deck is dented under the pads (but watertight) when I pulled the pads off for repairs.

I’ve done quite a few 1.5# EPS, 2oz, 0.6mm boo and 4oz over the top, with some extra 2oz patches under butt cheeks and back foot, and it is very durable.

…seems nobody did it in PU…
Karl, did you put glass under the Bamboo or did not?