I want to say XPS…but cant just yet…
still waiting for the ‘perfect blank’…
maybe I need to brush up on chemistry.
Redwood vs Balsa?
How about polyurethane/epoxy? Seem to work ok for me.
I’ve been only using EPS/epoxy.
Cause it is cheaper and easier for me to get for one thing; but
I would like to try shaping some PU blanks and some of the 2.5 and 3# EPS that is out there to see how they turn out. I find that 2# EPS is hard when it comes to the cosmetics. …especially getting crisp paint lines and even color, and clean cutlaps (always get bead pull up on the cut).
Epoxy is a little finicky, but it is not very toxic (which matters to me) and I don’t think there is anyway I could use PE where I am anyhow. too much smell!!
Sure,I believe he is,but we did gain from the experience.
And if we felt the need to build a eps/epoxy,it would be no problem.
Maybe these days,that’s what will separate the old schools from the new schools.
I do by the way have a board in the works that is different in every thought of design and construction.The shell will be done with epoxy,at least this round.Herb
Tuna,
I’ve always wanted to give that a try, but never got around to it.
Have you had any blow-ups(de-lams) issues ?
Do you glass heavy or heavier than normal pu/pe standards ?
Anything you’d like to add ?
(((((((Chris Shroeder has done a few and they look Prime !)))))))
I know you’ve been around awhile and I trust your judgement.Herb
gotta say it…love the poly… teamed with some volan makes for a twenty year board. then again. im kinda old school
Herb…I’ve fooled around with polyurethane blanks and epoxy glass jobs for a few years…lately I been using “Rhino” blanks here on the east coast. I use the same glass schedule as with polyester and get a slightly lighter board which is harder to ding. Sometimes I gloss with poly and have had mixed results. Sometime gloss coat will flake around a ding, sometime it doesn’t. Have yet to figure it out…delam does not seem to be a problem…
I’m with Roy on this…
Wood & Epoxy…
I don’t need no deadening foam…
To me it’s all about “the feel”…
Most of you won’t understand…
More durable too…
Downside, takes longer to build…
That’s all…
Epoxies are great small wave boards, but then again so are poly regular and hybrid fishes, so I don’t mind either way as long as it rides well; for good waves I prefer polyester. Longboards? Can’t stand the epoxies and I’ve never tried wood so I’ll go with the Poly vote.
And I don’t understand the whole epoxy is safe thing, here is a small breakdown on styrene foam…
The biggest environmental health concern associated with polystyrene is the danger associated with Styrene, the basic building block of polystyrene. Styrene is used extensively in the manufacture of plastics, rubber, and resins. About 90,000 workers, including those who make boats, tubs and showers, are potentially exposed to styrene. Acute health effects are generally irritation of the skin, eyes, and upper respiratory tract, and gastrointestinal effects. Chronic exposure affects the central nervous system showing symptoms such as depression, headache, fatigue, and weakness, and can cause minor effects on kidney function and blood. Styrene is classified as a possible human carcinogen by the EPA and by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). A voluntary compliance program has been adopted by industries using styrene. The US Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration unsuccessfully (a federal court overturned the ruling in 1992) tried to limit the amount of worker exposure to styrene to 50 parts per million (ppm). According to the Styrene Information and Research Center (SIRC), they still encourage their member companies to comply with the 50 ppm exposure limit. This program would reduce styrene exposures to a 50 ppm TWA with a 100 ppm (15 minute) ceiling.
In the past year I have sold all of my PUPE’s(5) and have replaced those boards with hand shaped EPS/Epoxy boards. Part of it is the ride, to me they get into waves quicker, plain faster, are livelier, and react quicker in our fast sectioning waves. I do give credit to the shaper who makes excellent riding boards for our East Coast/Gulf Coast surf. He has been working with EPS and glassing with Epoxy for probably as long as Mr. Loehr. The other part is the durability. My daily driver which I surf 90% of the time, and is over a year old, has only had one minor ding on the tip of one of the pins(fish), from a hard board collision. The bottom and rails are still in perfect condition and the deck has minimal denting. People are always asking me if the board is new.
Current boards are all shaped with 2lb EPS, 6’2" Fish, 6’6" Thruster, 6’10" Quad, 9’0" LB. I also have a 6’6" Round Tail Quad in the works that has been shaped, with 2.5 Marko foam. The new board is coming from a different shaper and will be glassed on the West Coast so it will be interesting to see how it holds up compared to the boards I have now.
let see where to start?
I personally would like to be agreeable,primarily.
all ther isto maque surph boads frum
is inspired.wood off the beach
is a tree that always wanted to surf so bad it moved to the beach.
for that matter helping flowers floating downstream riding out on
the current given a lift and balanced on the nose of my board
to blow off dropping into airiateing the tube
how bout that.
epoxy eps for largesse
to make it carryyable back and forth from the petrol horse
poly ester aand grubby foam can-do materials
wood with epoxy solid
waterproof woven textile
why leave out future mat morphed to surfcraft
ethafoam
whodathunkit
zip-tie some etha foam noodles
did velzy do that?
steamed plywood
val valentine did that…at Vaimea
chronic wave riding
cheers
every time I go and catch a good one
man how can that board be less than the best.
Unless I dont catch a good one then its junk
or is that just me?
…ambrose…
Both. Clark ass end with 1# EPS nose (no swing weight) and H45 rails. Don’t try this at home. 
Really it’s not about poly or epoxy anymore, now it’s aboutSUPER MAGNETS… Triple reverse polarized magnets genetically implanted into your heels allow you to ride waves without a board solely (haha) using the earth’s gravitational pull. But only on Tuesdays.
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Epoxies are great small wave boards, but then again so are poly regular and hybrid fishes, so I don’t mind either way as long as it rides well; for good waves I prefer polyester. Longboards? Can’t stand the epoxies and I’ve never tried wood so I’ll go with the Poly vote.
And I don’t understand the whole epoxy is safe thing, here is a small breakdown on styrene foam…
The biggest environmental health concern associated with polystyrene is the danger associated with Styrene, the basic building block of polystyrene. Styrene is used extensively in the manufacture of plastics, rubber, and resins. About 90,000 workers, including those who make boats, tubs and showers, are potentially exposed to styrene. Acute health effects are generally irritation of the skin, eyes, and upper respiratory tract, and gastrointestinal effects. Chronic exposure affects the central nervous system showing symptoms such as depression, headache, fatigue, and weakness, and can cause minor effects on kidney function and blood. Styrene is classified as a possible human carcinogen by the EPA and by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). A voluntary compliance program has been adopted by industries using styrene. The US Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration unsuccessfully (a federal court overturned the ruling in 1992) tried to limit the amount of worker exposure to styrene to 50 parts per million (ppm). According to the Styrene Information and Research Center (SIRC), they still encourage their member companies to comply with the 50 ppm exposure limit. This program would reduce styrene exposures to a 50 ppm TWA with a 100 ppm (15 minute) ceiling.
ROFL!!
working with polystyrene will not expose you to styrene. Once it is a foam block it is inert, the dangers this report outlines refer to the monomer, prior to polymerization and is of application to the manufacturers of polystyrene. But whilst where on this topic you might consider that your polyester is a solid suspended in… styrene monomer! You gloss using wax suspended in … styrene monomer…
so the health concerns you outlined are actually of no bearing on the eps/epoxy boardmaker but do apply to polyester users!
Balsa/eps/epoxy… love at first ride.
Jimmy.
I’m not defending either one, I worked with both for many years (more than 15,000 board repairs in my career).
Someone is making the blanks are they not? The law suits against Clark (another blank manufacturer) were from employee health problems, were they not? Blanks are planed and sanded which release all sizes of particles into the air, do they not? Do those particles contain things that are better left out of the lungs? Epoxy resin hot coats contain xylene do they not? When sanded is it good to breath the dust? Clean up is done with acetone, is it not?
What I’m saying is be careful, all of this stuff is a health hazard, some of you guys make it sound like epoxy is safe to have as an evening cocktail.
Drew,
Is that Tuesday am, or pm?
cool mix of materials.
All day Tuesdays. It rules 'cuz you even outsmart the guys who take off on Mondays to beat the weekend crowd. In all seriousnesses, I want to do a magnet project. Like what if you installed some super magnet into the deck of a board and built a skimboard thingy with the reverse super magnet installed on the bottom and it worked like the skateboards on Back to the Futures. Forget about Laird’s hydrofoils, magnets, man. Seriously. If you fall the thing slams together and never gets lost, you can just slap it on the top of your car, no racks. Definitely Eps/Epoxy to account for weight of magnets. Maybe vacuum on some hippy-ass hemp. It took plenty to come up with the concept, might as well involve it. Hemp and maple syrup lam so it’s environmentalllly uber-friendly. It can even fart out little organic fish pellets so you’re helping the local marine ecosystem as you surf. Magnets, man…Magnets…
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Someone is making the blanks are they not?
Actually the foam itself is blown industrially in large plants under legal environmental control (at least here). I visited a plant a while back nearby and they had stringent controls and protection in place, it was actually a big machine and the operator had a hazmat suit type thing on. From there, the product is foam and is safe to handle, sure a little bit of poison is released when hotwiring but good ventilation deals with that microscopic health issue.
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The law suits against Clark (another blank manufacturer) were from employee health problems, were they not?
Hear you there man, from what I heard chaps were running around with buckets of TDI and eating their lunch in contaminated areas… cowboy business from the sounds of it…
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Blanks are planed and sanded which release all sizes of particles into the air, do they not? Do those particles contain things that are better left out of the lungs?
The dust itself from EPS is chemically inert but it is dust and all dust best kept out of your airways, a good (3m) dust mask and a vac help there.
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Epoxy resin hot coats contain xylene do they not?
I hope not, xylene is nasty stuff, if your resin is diluted with solvents it is probably not the best stuff around… I keep solvents well away, they are just open invitations for health issues…
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When sanded is it good to breath the dust?
again dust is no good for you and epoxy may not be fully reacted for weeks so yeah, epoxy dust is dangerous, there may be unreacted hardener containing amines of some sort and that is asking for trouble, proper protection is vital.
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Clean up is done with acetone, is it not?
Not in my house!! Acetone is best kept out of your shop! Acetone will leech just about every harmful chemical straight into your bloodstream! Not to mention it’s volatility both on its own and in combination with other common boardmaker chemicals… it ranks as #2 danger on my list after industrial strength MEKP…
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What I’m saying is be careful, all of this stuff is a health hazard, some of you guys make it sound like epoxy is safe to have as an evening cocktail.
I agree 100% bru, it ain’t grape jelly… all these chemicals we play with are hazardous. Some are downright explosive!! If you keep your wits about you and read and learn about these things you will be fine.
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All day Tuesdays. It rules 'cuz you even outsmart the guys who take off on Mondays to beat the weekend crowd. In all seriousnesses, I want to do a magnet project. Like what if you installed some super magnet into the deck of a board and built a skimboard thingy with the reverse super magnet installed on the bottom and it worked like the skateboards on Back to the Futures. Forget about Laird’s hydrofoils, magnets, man. Seriously. If you fall the thing slams together and never gets lost, you can just slap it on the top of your car, no racks. Definitely Eps/Epoxy to account for weight of magnets. Maybe vacuum on some hippy-ass hemp. It took plenty to come up with the concept, might as well involve it. Hemp and maple syrup lam so it’s environmentalllly uber-friendly. It can even fart out little organic fish pellets so you’re helping the local marine ecosystem as you surf. Magnets, man…Magnets…
I don’t know why but something about this post made me think of :
http://www.joecartoon.com/pages/stoneflies_anim
I really don’t know why but it just did… man… magnets man…
edit:
and of course: http://www.joecartoon.com/pages/stoneflies2_anim