I was talking to someone the other day and he said that he only shapes but doesnt glass. I wondered if that was the norm and if it is then who should i get to do the glassing, thanks.
I read through a couple of your previous posts.
Your from San Diego, that should be listed in your profile if your not going to remember to divulge it with a location specific
question here.
Now that everyone knows your in San Diego, you’ll get pertinent answers to your question.
Heres the answer to the question your didnt ask yet: around $200 for a shortboard.
San Diego/Oceanside as previously stated $200 for a shortboard, $300-$400 for a longboard. The reason some guys don’t glass their own is that they consider themselves shapers and shapers only. It’s also a lot cheaper and less hassle to just have a 10’x14’ shaping room. Lowel
glassing is as much an art form as shaping. true craftsman do it all, haha jk. (kind of) do it your self you will learn that much more.
There are lots of glass shops, most of them are not busy right now. Let me know if you need a number for one
Alot of shapers start doing both then when they get to making quite a few a week its more cost effective( by time) to contract out. I make maybe a board a month so I just do it all.
i take a couple every few weeks to ropers, excellent glass jobs
I know of one shop in europe that got a significant warning to stop glassing because the neighbours smelled the polyester resin, envirocops said they had to move to a licensed premise to use stinky chemicals. I could imagine alot of shapers don’t want that hassle of moving shop or taking these aspects into consideration.
Haha, Lol, some people call me a shaper, but I consider myself more of a glasser. My shapes are good and getting more refined as time goes by, but I really love glassing. I’d pay someone else to do the sanding and plug installs though ; ). I’d still do the glass ons myself.
In the industry it’s usually one or two guys per room, thats the nor. Out side the back yard It’s getting more and more unusual fo find guys that will do the whole board start to finish, but shapers can learn alot about shaping form glassing a few boards now and again, and glassers can learn alot about glassing from shapping a few boards now and again.
If you really don’t think you can cope with glassing or are worried about ruining a good shape then get it glassed by a pro, but find one that will let you watch, then try yourself on the next one.
Glassing is a lot of fun and should not be missed, but wether or not you decide to do it depends on what you want to get out of making boards. theres not really any rules, shaper, sprayer, sander, glassed, pinliner, polisher whatevers your bag baby, each can be turned in to an art form in is own right but if you don’t try you’ll never know.
P.S dont’ be the sander, sanding sucks - all good sanders deserve a raise ; )
I glass all my own. I don’t like to glass and consider it a chore. But, the money a save by not paying another guy 200-300 bucks saves me enough money to buy another blank, some fiberglass, and some more resin. Plus, I get more satisfaction riding something I built from start to finish. I don’t glass friends boards anymore. I told them I’ll shape them a board and they can take it and get it glassed anywhere they want. Now I don’t get those guys who are just trying to get a cheap board from a hobby shaper bugging me. Mike
THe “boardbuilder” who does it all; will spend a life time trying to be the best at all of the pieces of the “Process”. The guy who shapes, glasses, hotcoats, installs fins, glosses and polishes might (out of necessity or ego) spend his whole life trying to be the best at each piece but chances are he will be only be average or mediocore at any of the above if he trys to do it all… If your a hobbiest you may be driven by trying to “show those guys” or the simple fact that you are just a hobbiest and you get some satisfaction from the process,. The simple truth is it is fun and sometimes necessary to do it all. When I decided I couldn’t do it because I couldn’t or rent was too high and rented just a shaping room things changed for me. I contracted with a good glasser and got on with my shaping. Since I have done that, my shaping has improved dramatically. Maybe not the world’s best, but good enough to be called a “shaper” I still do ding repair etc. so my abilities to use glass and resin have not completely evaporated. I still long for the day I will have a full shop like I had at the “Chicken Ranch” on Central Calif’s Coast in AG. Some place to hotwire, bandsaw and drillpress anything I want, anytime I want. Suffice to say: You want to be a good shaper–SHAPE. You want to be a great glasser, a Tony Channin or Clyde Beatty, Steve Albin, Pete St.Pierre(?sp) —GLASS. Sanders make the most money anyway. Lowel
…I dissagree with McDing…Not looking for a battle…Just looking at things from a different point of view…
Hello NoobShaper, You can network on Swaylock’s, find someone to help you , or find a shop in your area to glass your board. I’m not looking for work but I do glass boards for Swaylock’s members when I have time. Nothing’s free , $200 is the min. I would charge. I just got some fiberglass cloth from ResinHead for a really good price…let me know if you need cloth…
Ray
Hi Noob,
I have gotten the same advice as McDing from other professional shapers. It’s probably good advice to specialize in an area if you are thinking of doing this professionally. But, as a noob I recommend you learn how to go through the whole process before specializing. If you are just board building for your own amusement the money you save doing the entire process is a pretty good down payment towards your next project. Sting’s lamination work kicks ass, by the way. Mike
CRACK SMOKERS ALL OF YA!
If you make surfboards, you have to learn how to make a surfboard, that means nuts to bolts. Then if you think your too good to do that, or you suck at this or that…then you can decide.
If you contract out glassing…why not contract out the shaping too? Go hook up with the APeS’s 20000 thingy and take all the discovery out of it. Hey why not just buy off the fricking rack? Better yet why not just get a chinieeisesees board and save all the hassle? You guys are bringing me down here lately.
THIS IS SWAYLOCKS PUNK! MAKE YOUR BOARD…POST IT UP, BREAK IT, AND MAKE ANOTHER…stop whining.
Yahoooooooooooooooo!!! You go ResinHead!!! Time to Cowboy-Up That’s the spunk this place needs!!!
Agreed!!! Doing it yourself is what this forum is all about! Plus unless you do it all, you cannot say you made the board. You only did a small part of the entire process.
I bow to the seal slayer! Thanks for bringing it back home. Mike
HOT DAM !!! I’m ready to Cowboy up!
I had some good side work lined up for Sunday / Monday /Tuesday and the guy canceled…I got a little fish that’s ready to glass…Epoxy job…Sunday night into Monday morning…oh yeah…gotta plan around those 2-3 hour cure times…
You guys have me all FIRED UP !!! Where’s my squeege…forget the space heater the weather is perfect.!
I rode a stink’n old school 6’2" quad fish this week…I never thought I could ride a board that short…This old man is out of control…The stoke meter just blew a gasket !
You can do it !!!
Aww man, about ready to throw in the towel…
til I realized if I made my own fin boxes I could have a leg up.
