Im making my first board and need to know what materials I need.
I already have:
Leash plug
Blank
What I need to know is what kind of fiber glass and resin I need and where I can get it. I can get some fiber glass from lowes. Will that work? Where can I get the supplies that I will need?
I also need fins. I would like to get FCS or future fin system
I used these guys when I didn’t have access to local materials. http://www.fiberglasssupply.com Also https://www.foamez.com
A lot of info there too as to what you’ll need and the basics.
Thanks!
dont be so damn useless. learn to search. stop expecting knowledge to be handed to you.
a short list...an Internet search.....random order. Enjoy your Beer....start searching
Thayercraft
Fiberglass Supply
FoamEZ
GreenLight
Fiberglass Hawaii
US Blanks
WNC
Bashums San Clemente
GreenRoom
Resin Research
Mitch's Surf Shop
Graphite Master
Craigs List
And many more.....................................
Man, you are just like an incredibly supportive wealth of knowledge!! I’ve been going through all your posts and pretty much every one is like this. You pop in, mention something someone is doing wrong, and then provide no information yourself. If I could glean anything from your posts, it’s that you actually know nothing about board construction, and just like to tell people they’re wrong. If you don’t want to answer a question someone has, then don’t. You’ve wasted more of your time responding with this little gem than you would have by just ignoring the post.
Shaping
Hand saw - for cutting out outlines
Stanley Surform - for truing up outlines, taking down thickness, rail bands, foiling, bottom contours.
Sanding block - Wood block with foam on one side. Wrap your sandpaper around it, hard side for flats, foam side for curvier areas.
Electric Planer - Not a necessity for your first board but speeds up every aspect of shaping.
Block plane - For taking down stringer
Spoke shave - For taking down stringer in curvier areas the block plane can’t fit into.
Sandpaper - 40, 80, 150, 220
Calipers - For measuring thickness
Tape measure
These are the basics, you could shape a whole board with a surform and sanding block if you had to.
Glassing (poly blank)
Poly resin (use UV if you can, much easier for a beginner)
Catalyst (MEKP)
Surfacing Agent
4 and 6 oz. E glass.
Mixing buckets/sticks, squeegees, tape, chip brushes
Fin rope
Leash plug (looks like you’re set on that one)
GOOD RESPIRATOR
Sander/Polisher for sanding glassed board with various grits of sandpaper.
You’re also going to need some sort of racks and side lighting. You could go old school and just use sawhorses out in your yard.
Go with glass on fins for your first. Fin systems require kits, routers, jigs to install.
Check out Greenlight and Foam EZ they have board building kits with everything you need. I use Fiberglass Supply for most of my supplies. These are the basic tools you need but there are many more that you may want but add up to a significant investment.
First board? Read this first. http://jfmillbiz.home.comcast.net/~jfmillbiz/swaylocks/Surfboard_Design_and_Construction_1977.pdf
If you are using a poly blank, you can use poly resin, if you are using an EPS or XPS blank, you need to use epoxy resin.
Since you have a leash plug, you’ll need a drill with the proper bit to cut the hole for the plug.
You can shape and sand a board with just a good sanding block and a variety of sand paper, starting the roughest grit going to 400 or more. The 36 grit stuff will be plenty to do most of the shaping, and the initial sanding after you laminate the board.
your boards 5’10" right? get 2 yards of 6 oz cloth and 4 yards of 4 oz.
i prefer epoxy. check out that link I posted… $80 for a 1.5 gallon kit, which will do two and a Hal boards.
I mean just google where to get fins/plugs, etc… one tip I can give you is to buy all your supplies from one place. but shipping adds up fast, so if you can buy local DO IT!
and nah install FCS X-2’s, just buy a 1 1/8" forstner bit. you can use that for your leash cup too.
and I don’t wanna sound like a dick, but try searching the Archives. you could find almost all your answers there. or just try google, that’s a great tool too haha.
Hey there stingray, my dad was 1/4 German. His grandfather came to Hawaii in the 1800’s, and sometime before 1900 he had a bar in downtown Honolulu. My uncle told me we were related to the Pabst Brewery family, and that we have a long history of drinking beer. I don’t think I’ve had me a Blue Ribbon even though they sell it here.
I think mixing drinking beer and shaping boards only works if you like asymetrical boards. By the way I seem to make a lot of those.
My best advice on shaping is to find a place with good lighting. If you look around you can find places that will allow you to see the curves and bumps. I work under my house, but you could just go under covering and look at the shadows and mark the bad spots then go back to where ever you are shaping and work on them. Just take it slow, real slow once you start getting close to what you want.
Watch the Terry Martin shaping video on Youtube. He says that he tries to be very careful because every stroke of the sanding block takes a little more away, and you can’t put it back once you take it off.
I know of quite a few guys who made a very nice 1st board. We all surfed a lot before shaping and that helps to know what you want before you start. The outline, rocker, rails, profile, better to know what you want before starting out.
Best of luck and I hope you get great results.
A rasp and sanding block(s)/paper is all you need seriously. The rasp is optional however I love um. xo. Excellent results and practice.
You have a fascinating family history, sharkcountry. Very good advice regarding beer and shaping although I don’t think Pabst has much alcohol. Alcohol and power tools go together about as well as alcohol and firearms. I know Ray and am familiar with his drinking habits. Ray’s beer preference rates rite there with Pabst. His work is impeccable and I think he probably saves most of his drinking while waiting for the resin to cure. This is based only on my observations of his work, however! Mike
Anyone know where i can get supplies in the Bay Area?, near San Francicsco.
