I’ve been building boards for 40 years and want to share some of the inside tricks of the trade. From shaping to polish. I had posted on Swaylocks for years and wanted to return to help perpetuate the craft. All I want to do is help keep the underground alive. Without a strong underground surf culture the China made crap would have already taken control of our industry. I am still working shaping and glassing for others and making a living at it. So if I jump on your post its because I feel I can help. Long live the underground
Hows it Kokua. I thought it was under futureset but I can’t find any old post under that. I did find a few under Rob Brown. Its been since 2003. I had a shop in Washington and was friends with Paul Jensen who I don’t see on here anymore. What happen to Paul Gross.
Hahahahah I wish but its still doing what I love. Lot to be said about getting up and enjoying what ya do. Yes way to small kind of ghetto ooooooooldschool. Then again Location location location is hard to beat.
So what is it like to be doing this so long without the accolades reserved for the IMposTers? Do you think that GL’s shaping rooms are too confined, and the racks are too close together?
Hey Herb Longtime. I do remember all the hating that was going on about the time I dropped off swaylocks. I sure would like to see some of the oldschool guys back on here. The Master craftsman are slipping away every year. I have always like picking the brains of these guys. I used that Gun grip you gave me all the way till last year. I had a major fire and lost all my tools, templets and boards. Thank god thats in the past now. How have ya been? Looking forward to see what Swaylocks has to offer these days.
This is music to my ears sanolocal. Please let me be your new project on everything sanding…I’ve been making boards for years now and I’ve never had any instruction on sanding techniques…I can produce professional products but have this doubt in my mind about the way I aproach sanding…I’m good with preparation, methodical in fact, but seem to spend an age sanding a board. Dont get me wrong, theyre coming out good and all my customers have been happy with them but I’m sure I’m missing some tricks that could be passed on. I aspire to sand and gloss boards that dont have a single bend in reflections…maybe it’ll be a long time but I’ve got to do at lest one in my time…
Any help you can give - even if it seems the most basic principle to you will be greatfully recieved!
Cheers
Rich www.thirdshade.com
i recall that name as well. welcome back. jensen still posts up-has his own blog site that he does most of his stuff thru/on. some people who couldn't handle the truth, were jealous of PG, etc. made his life miserable here, so he went on to greener pastures. check surmatters blog site.
The best thing you could do is post up a detailed account/description of what you do from hotcoat to finish polish. Pictures of each step would be a plus. Let a few people critique and the constructive criticism may reveal something that may make a differance in your finished product.
It’s good to be back Herb in the sticky thick of things. The better we all learn to build boards the less chance we all will have of having to buy imported replica pool toys. Its better to have built it then to have settled for a cheap replica of a custom built surfboard.
I can do better I can explain it better. I did a post back in 02 on sanding I guess we can’t pull those up any more. It was pretty complete. Of all the steps in building a board is machining skills. Once ya learn to let the machine do all the work it really isn’t much work at all. One trick for sanding for a gloss is use 40 grit and a Hard pad with a 5000 rpm machine. Grind with a hard disk your boxes and laps with a 50 or 60 grit disk. Even grind your patches and lams that stick up a little. Then Hard pad all the flats twice as much as you think you need to. Then take slow variable speed 2800 and that used pice of 40 grit and put it on a med or a soft pad ( if your scared ) and go back over the whole board a few more times blending in your hard pad swirls. Done right you’ll need very little blocking to get a mirror finish. Remember your best gloss will be on a rough surface. Gloss like to avalanche on smooth surfaces. If you’re doing a pinline sand the area smooth but go back and scratch up the finish to the pinline without sanding the pinline off. Fixing pinlines SUCKS!.
Howzit sano, We have lost quite a few of the old timers but some of us are still here after all these years. If you left before mid March 2004 then you have to look in the archives since we all had to reregister because Mike made some changes to the site. I remember your name from before and it's good to have you back. Back when you where here in the early 2000's we only had about 100 -200 members at the most I think ,but now we have 16000 members and are getting almost a 100 a week. Swaylocks has become very popular and I think a lot of the old guys have just gone their ways or just check the site on occasion and miht post or just read. I know I used to spend a lot of time here but over the years I have had other things on my mind so I don't spend as much time. I personally am glad you have come back and hope you enjoy the site as much as before. Aloha,Kokua