Hi i am thinking about trying a fabric inlay on the nose of a 10’ 5" long board. This is my first attempt at building a board and I am wondering if maybe I should keep it simple and not try the fabric inlay. So far I have a cotton cloth and have been told to wash it in vinegar to help set the dye. Will having this fabric inlay make the glassing more difficult. Also I am adding a tailblock I have been told to attach it w/ resin or with a hot glue gun. I was wondering what any thought about that. I was planning on using 6 oz 2 on the deck and one on bottom. I am kind of commited to the 6oz e glass since i bought it already. I was thinking about adding a deck patch 4 or 6 - but some have told me it is difficult to glass thru the 3 layers-especially if it is your first time. This is a wonderful website and let me thank all in advance for any advance and also thanks to Teddy and the other gentlemen who helped me with my shaping question. I ended up using a template. Thanks, DAmon
Hey Damon, First, you can search the Swaylocks database by input “fabric inlay” and “tailblock”, there should be plenty of infos. Second, I have to claim I m not clever enough, my 4th surfboard built in fabric inlay, I still have had lots of faults. Third, I recommend you to build a fabric inlay after the first try of lamination, it helps u much about how u tackle the resin. Regards, Crabie
Like Crabbie said check the resources but if you have trouble I will throw in my 2cents worth.However I agree with Crabbie on the beginner deal…start out with something simple,board building is an addiction so don’t use the hard stuff just yet. R. Brucker
I had trouble on my first 2 boards attaching a tail block using resin, it never seemed to cure totally. Herb gave me the tip of using a hot glue gun which worked great, so I would recommend using the glue gun. On my first board I put in a fabric inlay in the nose. It worked out pretty good. I trimmed it before it was ready and had some pulled strings which I covered in the finish product with a crude pin line. I haven’t done one since, but maybe my next board. Good luck. Frank
say you are doing a tinted deck patch and a possible fabric inlay. would they both be done directly on the foam first, before adding the deck cloth?
Howzit Teddy, You can also use super glue to attach the tail block. As far as a tint over fabric goes it will affect the appearance of the cloth (probably darken it).Personnaly I like the look of fabric on a unpainted or untinted surface. Just looks cleaner!Aloha, Kokua
yeah prob…but i was really just wondering if deck patches and inlays are done the same way?? meaning first on the blank before any cloth is layed out
Thanks alot for the advice crabie, cleanlines, and h2ofxk. Teddy i was going to try a fabric inlay on the foam but not tinted resin pinlines. I was wondering if you first resin the fabric to the foam then lay the glass - I think on this one I might just go the easier way and forego the fabric inlay. Thanks, Damon
Yea … the way i did mine was to lay the fabric on the foam. Tape one side the pull it tight. Then tape the rest of it off. Make sure the is no slack it will give you problems im sure. then i put on some catalized Lam resin and let it sit over night. Then took a Sharp utility blade and cut aroundthe tape line used a straight edge to guide my blade cause i had a hard time cutting along the line with out it. then i just laid my glass out and glassed it as usuall. My only problem was doing my pinline i messed it up… But other then that My inlay looked Sweet. I really like the look of somecloth on a board. Just has a classy look to it. Good Luck Man.
I did a pretty fancy board like you are describing,it went something like this…Bottom-cut lap (it was a yellow tint).On the deck I taped off for a 3/4 deck patch and did it in light blue tint(cut when resin jells)…the remaining area of the nose was a blue floral inlay,just tape it off and laminate it…wait for it to completely cure before trimming.Lastly I cleaned up the fuzz with a sanding block and glassed the deck in the freelap mode.The board was 9’6’using Clark Super green.Worked out good.As for tailblocks…shape the board to 80 grit…cut of tail…apply one layer of two inch tape up to the cut line on the foam…gglue block with epoxy or hot glue (Ilike hot glue)…shape block,when you start hitting the tape you are done.(Thanks to Jim Phillips for the tape trick) R. B.
On tail blocks, I like shaping them with the sander, not the planer. I’ve had planers knock em off. The tape trick does work great especially when using a sander.
Cleanlines and/or Greg, could you explain the tape trick in a little more detail? Thanks- ryan
Howzit rcg, I think they mean is if you sand into the tape you’re sanding into the foam and you don’t want to do that.Aloha, Kokua
any good tips for cutting dark cloth inlays or anything opaque? if i can’t see the tape, what can be a guideline?
Hey Kokua. Yeah, I misread Cleanlines. It’s all clear now…Thanks man. Teddy, a good tip I picked up here for trimming inlays is to use a flashlight or other lightsource under the board. With all other lights off you can clearly see the tapeline. It worked great for me- ryan
I do use a sander for tail blocks…do bottom first to get the rocker…template and cut…do the top and roll the rail band.Like the boys said when you start hitting tape you are done.You may feel a little bump in the wood to foam transition but it will be ok after it is glassed and hotcoated.As for opaque inlays I heard Tom Sterne talking about putting a strong light under the board so you can see the profile but I have never tried it.I let the resin cure completely and carefully pull the tape up until it gets to the edge of the inlay which will be bonded well.Take a razor blade or an exacto knife and cut along the tape line.You have to go slow…it will not be perfect but I always do a pinline on the hotcoat.I like to do a white pin against the dark cloth with a black or red next to it around the board…nice contrast.You can do it. R. Brucker