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Is there much of a difference between these two foams as far as weight?
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How close tollerance are the walker blanks?
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I was looking at the clark 9’9W. Would that be compreable to a walker blank?
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I am having the hardest time trying to track walker down. They are only open when I am at work(No one picks up and i cant have them call me back during work). So is there a shop in san diego(or wherever) that can order them or maybe even carries them?
call them on your lunch break…or sneak 5 minutes away from whatever it is that you do. they’re very nice, and will mail you a catalog of all of their blanks, custom stringer options, etc.
as for the Clark 9’9"W…great blank
I just finished shaping a Walker foam 9’3" blank, and it seems to be relatively close to a Clark blank in weight and the way it cuts. The blank that I bought was not close tolerance. It gives you a lot of leeway to use your imagination. The one thing that I didn’t like about the blank was that the bottom had quite a bit of dome to it (rail to rail). On the other hand the one thing that I REALLY did like, was the ability to have him incorporate (personal) custom rocker dimensions. As for getting his product in San Diego, I’m afraid I can’t be of much help there. Sometimes he is open on Saturday till about noon. I hope this helps you out.
My brother has worked with both Clark blanks (at Byrne and Global Glassing) and Walker blanks (Kaysen) and he tells me that the one main difference is that Walker blanks blow a lot of gas out after you glass them.
looking at the Walker catalog as I type.
The’re 9’8" is quite comperable to the 9’9" Clark. Has a tad more tail and nose rocker. But they can add or subtract to suit your preference.
The walker blank is a little closer tolerance as compared to the Clark. They have a 10’2 and a 10’3 as well, but those would be a tad on the larger side if you are interested in the 9’9" Clark
Never shaped a classic weight Clark. Walker offers three densities…regular, light, and heavy. The regular weight is comperable to Clark supergreen.
I have never had a problem getting them on the phone. But maybe my luck is better than yours. Joe Boyle is the manager, real nice guy to talk to and helpful as well. But if your lucky and someone answers the phone it just might be old man walker himself. Ask his advice and you might get a cool tail of the old days as well!
Drew
Hey duckdive… the Wind’N’Sea surf shop in Mission Beach sells Walker blanks. good luck
Wind an Sea Surf Boards
3780 Mission Blvd
Mission Beach
619-488-9374
Doesn’t Cooperfish and Mobley use Walker foam because it is considered denser, especilly the “Old Man” density vs. Clark Classic? To me that would be beneficial in shaping heavy,traditional longboards?
Can anyone with a chemisty/technical background explain why Walker would off-gas more than Clark? Does Clark have some proprietary formula which reduces/eliminates the gassing?
Thanks, John
Well the good news is that walker is sending me their blank info. Now comes the question of what type of density the cooperfish/dewey weber blanks are? Does anyone know if they are just the standard or the old man version?
i mainly use walker in both the old man and stock densities. the old man and the clark classic seem pretty close in weight. the structure is really different between the two brands though. i think walker yields a little heavier board because the crystally blank surface seems to require a little more resin. the resin bond on the rougher surface might be beneficial. walker’s a good choice if your cutting a into the blank very much because the consistancy is uniform from crust to center, you really can’t “overshape” them. i haven’t had/heard of any problems with blowing air. when using volan you have to work the resin pretty good so you saturate the crystally surface otherwise you could get little seven-up bubbles, experienced laminators have no problem there.
both brands have their benefits. you should try both and come to your own conclusions. i use walker because it fits my needs best and i’ve a developed good friendship/working relationship with them. prior to hooking up with walker about 13 years ago clark always treated me right and delivered a quality product.
does anybody know how I can get a Walker catalog
Call and ask them to send you one
(310) 513-1940
Drew
Clark is polyester based foam… Walker is polyether based.
Walker generally shapes easier than Clark. Walker cuts and sands more chrisply.
Clarks has a larger selection of blanks sizes and is generally closer tolerence. (ease of shape)
Clark has a smaller cell structure and uses less resin but has a tenency towards worse delamination per density.
Walker has larger cells and uses a bit more resin.
Walker is harder per density than Clark. Clark is a bit more flexible per density.
All and all percentage differences … I’ve use plenty of both. As urethane goes both are VERY fine products.
Greg,
I was wondering how Clark and Walker blanks take to your RR epoxy.
I eventually would like glass at least some of my boards in epoxy, but would still be using the poly foam…
Thanks for any input.
Drew
Walker also offers computer shaping services…
They have several generic basic models and offer digitization of your own custom shape for $200.00.
Prices on shaping range from 25 - 50 dollars with a minimum of 2 per order. They also tack on a couple of bucks for thick and/or multiple stringers.
Works fine, no problem at all. The Clark is a bit more closed on cell size. The Walker I’ve done I like to seal with spackling compound. You can laminate without but I like the way the Walker comes out sealed… really nice. Saves some weight and looks really clean. Airbrush on the seal looks nice too. I’ve done some Clarks and with epoxy and they come out about 1/2 lb lighter than with polyester with the same glass schedule. They tend to dent a bit more so I like to put another 2 oz of glass on each side which brings the weight in at about the same and dent strength goes up a bit. All the other physicals go up as well and you end up with a stronger board. A lot of the pro guys are now doing this because they get better flex/return with an epoxy glass job than with polyester. And a bit better durability as well. Another way to go is to use the next weight blank up (like a green intead of a blue). That way all your physicals go up, you end up the same weight fnished board and your using the same glass schedule.
Greg, thanks for the feedback
So why, when using epoxy on a poly blank, Walker in particular, would you have to seal it with spackling compound. Souds like a lot of work just to be able to glass with epoxy.
I do notice a slight difference in cell structure between Clark and Walker, but I couldn’t imagine that it would be that great.
Thanks again for your feedback Greg, Mucho appreciated!
Drew
does Walker foam have retro blanks like Clark so I would be able to shape a fish?
Walker Foam can be reached at (310) 513 1940. If you can’t get them on the phone, you can e-mail Joe.
He will answer any questions you have.
You don’t have to seal, I just like the way they come out better when I do. I’ve even sealed Clark blanks. It saves about 1/2 lb. of dead weight.
I know that some here see sealing foam as this big, huge deal, but it’s not. It’s nothing. It’s 5 minutes to do both sides. You can do both sides at once with spackle and it takes a couple hours to dry. Sqeegee it on. Water clean up. Light sand after. Makes laminating so easy. To get a better board I’ll seal anytime. Lot of work? Not to me.
Chano,
The Walker Foam catalog does’t really have any “retro” blanks for fish, but a custom order can get you what you want. I was going to order a 7’4" with custom flattened rocker for my 6’4" fish (scaled up Lis template). Instead, when I told Joe what I wanted, he said that they could cut the 7’4" down to 6’6" and put in a fish rocker. Shaped it last week and it was pretty much perfect! Very close to the desired shape. Nice flat rocker, etc. I cant wait to glass and ride.
Get a catalog. Talk to Joe.
Seay