general eps question

General Discussion
1

So I’ve shaped a few PU boards and was thinking of trying the eps/epoxy combo. I originally wanted to try PU/epoxy but after doing some extensive research on the forum, it sounds like theres a lot of problems with that and eps works better. So, is shaping eps a lot different than PU? would I have to use any different tools? Do epoxy/eps boards ride differently than PU boards, can I use PU shapes for eps and still have the board ride and somewhat feel the same? And what brand blank would you forum users recommend? Preferably somewhere close to California, I dont really want to spend a fortune on shipping. If it helps, Ill be making skimboards similar the the Maui skimmers so the blanks only need to be about 5’ 5". the finished skimboard would be about 5’.

Thanks, Isaac

2

I’m not aware of any problems glassing PU with epoxy. I did it for years on Clark blanks and never was a problem unless it was too cold which caused bonding issues. As far as the cold thing, it was a problem bonding epoxy to epoxy and a couple of boards were near total disasters. Chalk that one up to the school of hard knocks.

As for shaping eps, it shapes easy, but there’s little pulls and tears to deal with. Just leave 'em alone and “bog” 'em later with either epoxy/q-cell mix or acrylic/spackle mix. Just apply it as thin as possible.