How do you make fins, with out using wood? Like the ones in the surf shops?
How do you make fins, with out using wood? Like the ones in the surf > shops? Click the link…Go down the page… http://www.hollowsurfboards.com/fins.htm
Sorry… You asked without wood…Check the Swaylock’s archives… http://www.hollowsurfboards.com/fins.htm
How do you make fins, with out using wood? Like the ones in the surf > shops? HOW DO I MAKE FIBERGLASS FINS? (Jim Phillips): You need a smooth flat surface to work on. If you can find a piece of used plate glass or a formica’d surface. You can used car wax to prep it with. apply one coat, buff with a rag then repeat. Have all of your cloth ready, don’t fire off the batch too fast, because laying up a fin sheet takes a while and the resin will go off on you in the bucket sooner than on the table. Wet out the table and put down one layer, work the air out and rewet. Next put down two layers, squeegee those out well, looking for air and repeat the process until done. When the sheet has set, mix up a waxed hot coat and seal the exposed surface. When the sheet is thoroughly cured, start a wedge of wood or plastic under one corner and slowly free the glass sheet from the lay up table. You will feel the hairs stand up on your arms while doing this as it creates a static charge as the two separate. Using a scratch awl or tempered sheet rock screw you can etch the outline of your fin template onto the sheet. When cutting them out it is best to leave the extra scrap on the fin base, this gives you some room to clamp to while foiling. After the fin has been foiled, cut off the remaining part on the base. You now have your set of fins, for longboard center fins the process is the same, just use 30 layers of cloth. The fins are easy to make. I used to save all my trimmings and sort them to size. It takes about 14-16 layers, it doesn’t matter what cloth you use. They can be cut out with a sabre-saw and foiled with any sander. The foiling is the itchy job though. (Herb Spitzer): A couple layers at a time if this is new to you. Stick with white opaque it cleans up the best, and go to a hardware store and buy a good dust mask, nice fitting thin rubber gloves, and a paper paint suit with a hood. The gear I have described will help in the foiling phase(keep you from itching)+you can use it to lam with(keeps the resin off your skin/clothes).You need a respirator, and a pair of rubber boot wouldn’t hurt either. p.s. make sure you get all the air out of the lam that you can! (Jim Phillips): What Herb left out is, DON’T do this in the garage, patio, mom’s living room or anywhere that PERMANENT reminders of the attempt will remain. You need a large piece of cardboard or tarpaper to work over. Resin has a way of finding the only uncovered piece of real estate. If you wear anything that is not already ruined, it will be. (Tom): Cut the glass in big squares. If you can do it, make them about 24"x24". that way you can get more than 1 fin out of it for all the hassle!! As I believe Jim said, a couple layers at a time . This is so you can keep quality control as far as watching for air and stuff. Even though you’re laying up a couple layers at a time, you want to do ALL the layers with the same batch of resin, this will negate any chance of layers not bonding together properly. Multi color fin layups are done with a multiple lamination process with a hot coat between the colors but that’s a whole 'nother story! Anyway, yes you can make 1 fin at a time, just make the panel large enough so the entire fin will be the same thickness when you cut it out; sometimes the edges of the panel taper down because of squeegeing. WHAT ABOUT COLORED FINS? (Herb): Hotcoat between colors. The reason you hotcoat between color lams is so the colors remain even during & after foiling. You must sand the hot coat thoroughly before lamming the next color. P.s. you can also use color hotcoats between lams too! http://www.hollowsurfboards.com/fins.htm
Paul I enjoy seeing your beautiful fins. I read your directions on how to make wood fins but i’m still confused as to how you make the fiberglass base for the fins. Is it a seperate piece of glass that’s laminated on or do you build it up. How? Please help this dummy. Thanks.
… I cut away most of the wood that fits in the box and replace it with fiberglass… Epoxy is a good idea, Carbon fiber better still… From now on I’m using that ‘fin thing’ to attach the fin in the box… Way stonger http://www.hollowsurfboards.com/fins.htm