I’m not sure what the circumstances were for Clark to just fold up shop, BUT let’s look at it from a different point of view. For whatever reasons, he quit/closed. All of the existing equipment is still there. What would it take to buy him out ?? Possible investment opportunity ?? Multiple partners ?? I would LOVE to be involved in something like that. Anyone else interested ?? Please chime in … Does anyone know how or who to get in contact with ??
all the molds have been destroyed.
everything is gone, there are several dumpster, compactors in the lot as we speak.
If I knew the chemistry involved, Id consider it, Because i have been in there enough times and spent enough time to duplicate a decent amount of the tooling. But really the chemistry is the most important thing, the rest isnt much.
The difficulty is extreme your talking about parts per thousand of chemical’s and slight shifts effect everything, temprature control and other factors… Ive seen a few people say “its not rocket science” But it is fairly close.
Clark went over this in his fax. If you haven’t gotten to it yet, what it came down to was that he had created/customized his machinery enough for them to be called his own designs. As a result, he is liable for them and the standards that they meet. THIS COULD BE VERY COSTLY IN THE FORM OF LAWSUITS DOWN THE ROAD AS THEY DO NOT MEET STANDARDS RIGHT NOW. More lawsuits have to be the last thing he wants to add to his stockpile.
Howzit RyGuy, That’s a shame since I received an e-mail today from a person interested in buying the company. But the fact that he custom made the machinery should not have been a factor.People are inventing new things every day and you have to build a prototype to get a patent so he should have done that and he would be in a safer situation. But on the other hand he may have wanted to take the secrets to the grave so to speak. Why destroy all those molds that took years to perfect when others would have been glad to take them off his hands. People talk about advancing the technology but in my mind if all those golden molds and machinery have been destroyed clark has in a sense set the industry backwards.Aloha,Kokua
Someone out there has to have the means of supporting something like this, I mean really, if 70% of the market just got the shaft; there WILL be some alternatives who can step up and get it done…right? NO WAY is the face of surfing going to turn inside out just like that, were not talking diamonds here, were talking foam and wood. there is a lot of money floating around in the surfing world… some one needs to turn in some savings bonds or something
Im sorta stoked to see some new radicals! Hot wire my ass, EPS? humbug… I wanna see some old fashion ingenuity!
just my thoughts,
-garden variety tangent man
Quote:
all the molds have been destroyed.
That’s not the end of the world, I’m a Machinist. I can make almost anything, or I know someone who can … I like a challenge … Also where I am employed at, I am surrounded by some of the most gifted Engineers. The light is getting brighter at the end of the tunnel … I hope …
Quote:
Clark went over this in his fax. If you haven’t gotten to it yet, what it came down to was that he had created/customized his machinery enough for them to be called his own designs. As a result, he is liable for them and the standards that they meet. THIS COULD BE VERY COSTLY IN THE FORM OF LAWSUITS DOWN THE ROAD AS THEY DO NOT MEET STANDARDS RIGHT NOW. More lawsuits have to be the last thing he wants to add to his stockpile.
If that’s the case, then how is Walker Foam staying in business ?? In all honesty though, I believe there is some underlying reason as to why this decision took place, and some of us may never find out.
I’d be interested in be involved in this. PM me.
once again, you guys are all clammoring around whats easy, Find a chemist, THAT should be your first issue, above and foremost, a chemist who specializes in poly foams, I can build molds till im blue in the face, i can build the equipment to put it all together, that in this equation is the easy part.
I even can put together the list of chemicals and have the sourcing, still I have no clue about the science.
find the chemist, and you find the key
(almost sounds like CSI, doesnt it)
ec
Mr Clark tells of several workman comp cases filed against him along with a cancer case involving a lawsuit. Anybody hear of “Product Liability?” All the lawyers have. I’ve even heard of a lawsuit against a surf leash manufacturer after some guy (a lawyer) claimed injury from using one!
Sell a customized toxic technology and suffer the consequences for any and every thing that could go wrong? Doubtful… at 70 years of age, doesn’t anybody think he’s earned the right to kick back and relax without the hounds on his tail?
At least clark could have made blanks of each mold or let someone come in with a laser device and scan them into CAD or something . . . and released the chemical formula . . .
Dave Sweet has his formula . . . yeah find a chemist, and possibly secure the molds? Or whomever has the .PDA of all the blanks offered can contact the shapers and get the blanks from them directly?
Then work with a good manufacturing lawyer and get a manufacturing / chemical industry biz consultant to solidify things.
Quote:
once again, you guys are all clammoring around whats easy, Find a chemist, THAT should be your first issue, above and foremost, a chemist who specializes in poly foams, I can build molds till im blue in the face, i can build the equipment to put it all together, that in this equation is the easy part.
I even can put together the list of chemicals and have the sourcing, still I have no clue about the science.
find the chemist, and you find the key
(almost sounds like CSI, doesnt it)
ec
Actually I found a couple of chemists who are some of my co-workers, and they are interested in getting something together.
I definately agree with you, Kokua, about it being a shame that a lot of Clark’s advancements are not being passed on. It’s going to be much more difficult to have to “re-invent the wheel,” so to speak. On a more optimistic note, it does seem like this event is pulling a lot of experienced and great minds together as well as financial backers. Maybe there’s a better road to be had with PU? This is all assuming the epoxy/EPS train doesn’t fill the nich of PE/PU before any real forward PU action takes place.
Providing the ocean and waves don’t shut down, some surfing tomorrow.
Best Wishes,
Ryan
If there’s anyone in the Santa Cruz area who’s interested in AT LEAST doing EPS blanks let me know. I saw my favorite foam mower near tears a few days ago. PM me.
All anyone needs to build exact replicas of the old molds are unshaped Clark blanks. A friend of mine is already talking about using some of my blanks to create molds. The molds are the easy part, the correct chemistry to create a consistent foam is the issue. Maybe Bennett or Burford in Oz want to share their secrets…
Someone should talk to Noll, he used to blow his own foam, so did sweet and there was a company called Foss in the 60’s there has to be some formulas out there.
Howzit RyGuy, I never go to the surfer mag site forums but I checked them out today to see what they are saying. it seems the molds were destroyed because they are considered toxic also from all the chemicals poured into them over time. OK so they break and crush them up and now where do they dispose of the pieces and dust? Not being that familiar with waste disposal in Ca I don't have a clue but it will end up somewheres. I'm wondering if they just go in a dumpster and then to a landfill in the desert or does Ca have hazardous disposal sites where some developer will build homes in 10 or 20 years without any one knowing whats under their foundations. Aloha,Kokua
does anybody have a link to the fax so i can read it?