hand-shaping a dying art?

General Discussion
21

first off, better double check that number contractor. as for volume, i listen rather than post.  for you its vice versa.  lol

 

right here, you completely give away the fact that you do not know WTF you are talking about.  simple as that. not all shapers use their machines the same way.  not all machines are created equal.  GASP some shapers create their machines.  crazy, right.  you are correct about many machines and their operators.  but even a broken clock is … so, pipe down, or at least stop generalizing when you are not clued in whatsoever.

 

 

22

…first, please go and read my comment on the industry talk forum about the handshaping/machine/ratios

then put the hand on your Heart and think about it…its only to make more money, nothing more than that; no bullshit about anything else.

 

-Yes, the commercial hand shaping is dead like rock n roll or any real music out there, only sustained by connoisseurs or enthusiasts as in this forum.

 

The backyard handshaping is not but lack of most of the important characteristics and facts that previous generations had and some still have so possible in the future this labor will be more informal than ever. There are too many unskilled pseudo shapers all over the world mimicking that they can shape. Man, happens in the pro circuit…so imagine.

 

 

 

23

One day you wake up late....and you call in sick.....can't do that if self employed!!!!

I need a day off to make some custom surfboards.......surfing is fun.........

 

24

Yes no1, please tell me more…

Could you name me one production machine shaper who will scan a shape, and then take off a fraction of an inch, and get the board to the customer on a quick basis?

No nevermind, I really don’t care enough for your answer.

25

oh yeah, and since this is sways… do all you comsand guys get a pass for using a rocker table and vacuum bag? think about it for a second…

the better title to this thread is “is the knowledge that comes from handshaping (for years) dying…”

 

EDIT : forget all the shaping BS and fame - where are all the glassers?! Everyone want the glory job of shaping. Show me a young kid that wants to learn to glass/finish a board and I’d be beside myself…

 

26

[quote="$1"]

I'm 16, and I have 3 other friends who are 16 and 17 who are shaping, too. we're still learning, and it doesn't help that a lot of the older, better shapers in our area don't want to help us and it's a VERY expensive addiction, but someday we'll be shaping custom boards for people as much as you (huck) and Harris are. we're the future, and we're hand shaping. hand shaping will never die.

[/quote]

I do not shape customs, I am a backyarder and make my own boards.  I am not in the same league with Harris, surfing or shaping wise.  I will go head to head with him any day in parallel parking, 'tho  =)

I can't speak for the shapers in your area, but Swaylocks is here to help, free of charge, 24/7.  Probably even help you figure ways to get the cost down too, if you care to talk about it. 

For the record, I did not say hand shaping would die.  Mark Price, CEO of Firewire, said it.  I thought it might be a bit premature, maybe even a little cheeky of him to say it, so I posted the quote to see what anyone else thought. 

I think everyone should build their own boards.  I like the hand-crafted aspect of building my own boards.  My production is limited.  I already have too many boards!

Good for you guys learning to shape at a young age.  My best advice is develop good health / safety practises, so you can do this for as many years as you want.  Research the dangers of the materials we use, and take the precautions. 

Be sure to post up some pics of your work, we'd love to see what you and your friends are up to.

27

i see ye hath conceded.  smooth backpedal - and i wont bother cuz youve never heard of him, trust me   :wink: .  

 

heres a tip - read rob lion’s 2 posts. read em again.  then, since youve proven to be a little slow to pick up on things, read em once more.  you will be tested at the end of the semester.

28

maybe its just heading the way bespoke clothing and footwear went ?  Same with hand made cars, motor bikes and the like, it all went into factories to keep up with global demand but the ones that kept on doing it by hand did it tough and now are rare craftsmen sought out for their skills and quality pieces.

 My crazy history teacher always said that one day machines will rule the world.

 Crazy bitch.

29

[quote="$1"]

My crazy history teacher always said that one day machines will rule the world.

[/quote]

My history teacher used to say that the one thing we learn from history is that we never learn from history.  Took me years to fully grasp that one, LOL.

30

[quote="$1"]

EDIT : forget all the shaping BS and fame - where are all the glassers?! Everyone want the glory job of shaping. Show me a young kid that wants to learn to glass/finish a board and I'd be beside myself...

[/quote]

Be careful what you wish for!

31

…hello Royal, man, design and then shape is most important than glassing and paint.

A good no lazy shaper really can fill ALL the orders he could have without pain; not so easy for a board builder; check the math that I did in the industry talk; that s the true behind how many shapes some one can do or not to do…

Couple of the shapers you posted are well known for not to be found on a shaping room…so the aids of a machine.

Yes, you are right about what type of characters and intentions behind the use of a machine but in the end it s all about the lazyness and the easy money; you know, the crew then paint, glass and finish the board, so the guy do nothing at all, only moves and enhance their egos big time.

that analogy about being a tool, I dunno, a hot wire or whatever is used by the hands of the shaper as a sandpaper, etc and the guy works and sweat for that money and normally “we” really like to make a board for some one.

In my opinion, and I said this more than one time in this forum, we do not need machines, we do not need more people on the water (only people who really likes Surfing, ride waves)

The machine, big egos, lazyness, businessmen, wrong side of capitalism, are not the right answers to finish with a happy ending

Im not talking hippie shit here, nor soul crap, Im talking about a fact; think when Clark s foam shut down; all the lies about thousands and thousands of blanks that he provided…all lies; this industry is SMALL, as you know well man; you had the opportunity to meet couple of famous shapers, etc, all rapid in few years; think about it.

So we as a surfers and boardbuilders do not need more and more and more BS, lies, crowds and like this new troll member, that only shaped 1 board but thinks that he know all about this industry, marketing-based-new generation-approved- pseudo science to justify designs that only work in the feet of super good surfers

 

edit to say: that in my opinion there are enough work for all of us and if for some reason, I doubt but, we cannot supply the demand, that was the place for the upcoming shapers

32

    This is an interesting thread that i feel compelled to speak in. I agree with almost everything being said, attacks aside. My opinion is that you have to crawl before you can walk. I have only shaped a few boards. I was on this site before I ever saw a blank in person. Just lurking. I wanted to make wood boards. It seemed like a lot of $, so I looked into eps.  Got a kit, shaped a board, glassed it, etc. It floated, that was about it. 

  I was humbled. Went to a local shop with a in house shaper ( as rare as a consistent wave around here) asked him if I could pick his brain. I was met with a growl and he walked away. I would see him at the beach every now and then, and he wouldn’t give me the time of day. ( probably saw my shape!) 

   After about a year of this. One day I was going out with my girlfriend and we walked near him on the beach. He was all smiles all the sudden. We spoke again and he agreed to let me come by. 

   Long story short he put me to the test, I wasn’t without some knowledge, especially of what not to do, thanks to you all at swaylocks. I didn’t mess up long enough for him to make me his general bitch, and eventually glasser. I’ve shaped a few more boards. Applying the mass of knowledge I’ve been able to suck up just by being in a production setting, and adding some new stuff I’ve learned here and through this network. I’m not starting a board company, or shaping for anyone but myself. I want to be an craftsman. I want to be able to shape, glass, and sand at a pro level. 

     Hand shaping is alive and being practiced by many in a boutique way. Maybe the same as the craft beer industry in the 90’s. It went from garages to big time because there is a niche in the market for quality. It fluctuates with the economy but it exists. Shaping could follow suit. Those of us who don’t want an inferior mass produced product, will take it underground and make our own.

     As far as the machines go, there is certainly a place for them. It is the human way to make tasks easier to complete. There is not a ton of money to be made on each board so this is still a labor of love for all involved. The more creative and intelligent people we get in this industry the better for all. 

33

Really Mark?

Are you kidding again?

Sure anyone with a machine fitted with a scanner can duplicate your board with a fraction of an inch plus or minus.

It only takes $$$.

With $$$ somethings are possible!

One day to scan make file and cut.

Next Day glass and hand to the customer.

Two day turn around for PU.

Three day turn around for EPS/EPOXY.

I’ve done it more than once!

Kind regards,

surfding

34

Surfding,

I was thinking of you when I added the word “Production” in front of “machine shaper”  You posted that your machine is a hobby, and that you have a “day job” that pays the bills. Of course you as a machine shaper can turn out a custom one-off board, maybe even faster than a hand shaper.  It will probably be more accurate to the design concept too.  I know that you turn out a custom in a week.  But your average surfer can’t get that service, because if you were production, doing 100 boards a day, you wouldn’t have the time.  And also, the average surfer doesn’t know how to find you, because you don’t mass advertise

Exactly My point is that you are not the norm.  That a production machine house isn’t going to stop the factory, to spend an hour with an average- not team rider- surfer, and make him his board exactly to his specifications and do it quickly.  To do so would be too expensive.

A small artisan shaper, with a stack of blanks and not too many orders can fill that need.

35

1 , its not art. its a dexterous skill of hand and eye coordination using a power tool.

  1. it cant die if its not alive
36

The original question was about someone from a magazine stating that shaping was dying out and becoming a lost art. First off shaping is not an art in my opinion. it’s a craft or a “trade” kind of like being a woodworker. Some are better than others.I have shaped thousands of boards and never considered myself an artist.

      Shaping machines are tools and no big deal in my opinion. As for hand shaping dying out I say Bull Shit. If anything there are probably more hand shapers out there right now than there ever was. There are thousands of small operators that shape and glass their boards. The only places you can even find glass shops in the USA are California and Florida with a few far and in between. Same goes for shaping machines. On the East Coast just about every town has a local shaper/glasser…some are making a living at it and some do it part time.

      You guys can argue all day long about shaping machines but it means nothing. They exist and they have a place but hand shaping is here to stay.

37

sh!t i think someone shaped this in asia OMG .

38

[quote="$1"]

You guys can argue all day long about shaping machines but it means nothing. They exist and they have a place but hand shaping is here to stay.

[/quote]

Yeah, because its so much fun!  Man, I wanna go shape another board I don't need.  Especially when I look at cleanlines' boards (yes, you are an artist!)

39

Mark Sorry!

I was taking it out of context.

Maybe I should advertize “custom service” regardless if PRO or REC?

Nobel Ideal!

 

Kind regards,

surfding

40

surfding. just get someone with big tits behind the counter