Eps/Epoxy in the UK.

I don’t want to give up the hobby I love, so it’s time to switch to epoxy and esp., waves of change, the tide goes out, the tide comes back in.

Spent that last week going through the achieves, looking forward to the challenges of new materials and construction techniques. Sure it’s a set back, I’m going to be learning a lot of stuff from scratch and feel a like Newbie all over again.

My questions are mainly aimed at UK builders, but advise from anyone would be welcome.

  • I’m trying to find suppliers of esp available in the UK, Already checked out the building merchants in my area, but can only find sheets of foam. 2x4ft, I don’t really want to glue sheet together as I’d be worried about structural integrity. Anyone producing larger sheets?
  • Can you get RR epoxy & additive F in the UK?? If not what resin do you guys use. I don’t remember seabase or homeblown stocking epoxy (though I image that will change in due course)
  • This is probably a dumb question, Q-cell and spackle, is that the same stuff as Poly-Cell and polyfiller on this side of the pond?? Just different brand names???

Many thanks in advance, I know right now there are about a hundred eps/epoxy questions

go to the builders providers and find out who makes the sheets for them i did this and then go to them and you can get anything you want cut and cheap to last block cost me about £10 for a 10’-2’-6" block

resin is easy give this man a call:

dave cooley

01179 070480 http://www.applegate.co.uk/…mpany/co_1121251.htm

he is in bristol and has a real nice clear surfboard epoxy 2:1

he also does 6oz glass nice and cheap too.

q cell is like glass bubbles or cabosil and you can get spackle in most painting and decorating shops, i use the premixed stuff in a pot.

thaere all your problems solved :o)

Thanks paul, thats really apreciated, I’ll get on it right away.

Markyv recommended Marineware in southampton for epoxy SP115

They also do some serious cloth

Mines’s been in the garage a week though - 3 month old son is consuming all my spare time!

Vacuum Pump and some bits arrived yesterday that’s going to take some putting together

If you want to go down the vacuum bag route and you’re in a hurry and don’t mind spending the money try www.bagpress.com pricey!

  • Simon

Hi Woody

Seabase might struggel to supply blanks but you can still get them from HomeBlown and they are a nice bunch of people. try www.homeblown.co.uk

I got foam for a couple of boards last summer from CS Manufacturing Ltd in Bristol. Try calling Brian on 0117 9773397. They use a lot of the heavy foams apparently, were willing to cut us off as much as we needed.

Hey Woody

Not trying to put you off epoxy but Homeblown foam are just down the M5 from you…excellent enviro friendly blanks…my last short(ish) board came from a 6 10 homeblown blank — I’m super stoked with it and it seems tougher than clark foam…less pressure dents. (it was however a bit harder to mow)

If they’re not too snowed under … we should be ok

By the way JP uses them… so they gotta be half tidy…

homeblown make some nice blanks, if you have all your dimensions too and you speak to trist he will custom cut them also you can get custom stringers and blocks aswell.

I did a six stringer nose and tail block a few months back!