I want to give a shot at making some fins- to fit Futures. Ive searched the archives but did not find anything or used the wrong search words.
Can anyone direct me to some links or threads on this topic? thanks much
thanks etmo. i found the step by step d fin. those are sweet but im going to stick with fiberglass for now. the hyperlink didn’t work though. what was that to?
I tink I feex um :>)
will89,
Did you ever find anything on the glass futures? I am trying to make a set for a quad, and am not sure how much glass I need, and would like any tips. Thanks.
Erik
Quote:
will89,
Did you ever find anything on the glass futures? I am trying to make a set for a quad, and am not sure how much glass I need, and would like any tips. Thanks.
Erik
Hi Erik, You need about 28 layers of 6oz to make a Future thickness, but you need about 35 layers of 6oz in the future base to machine a cant angle in. Mahalo,Larry
thanks for the info. as far as cant though, can i do that with the box instead of the fin?
erik
they are really designed to have the fin canted. otherwise one side of the box is going to really be wedged into the foam. if you want a system that is super easy to make your own fins for, go with probox.
I second riderofwaves - go probox. You can make your fins with no cant and change the cant insert in the box between a few angles. Easy install and a lot of adjustability. check out the website link in Probox-Larry’s profile.
i will check out the link. thanks. i just happen to have futures boxes already, so i’m planning on going with that. i’ll just have to do more research.
Making fins is harder than shaping a surfboard. Make sure you have all the right tools - blade on your band saw? Foiling a fin is so critical.
Guy’s like PRO-Box Larry are master fin builders and have a special niche. If your are good at it you will be in a league all of your own (like LARRY). Set up a well ventilated enclosure with exaust fans plus filters and air intake for air flow and partical separation and wear a space suit because you will iche until the second comming of CHRIST if you don’t.
Good Luck!
surfding,
thanks for the info. i made a set of wooden fins for my first funshape that i did. i took it slow so that i wouldn’t mess anything up. i don’t think i am going ever be a pro at making fins like Probox Larry, Halcyon, or Bert. i would just like to say that i did it, just for the experience. now, i do have a question though. like i said i have done fins before, and sanded a good bit and have never had any problems with itching. i use regular 4 oz. and 6 oz. cloth and RR epoxy. does that make a difference? i wouldn’t think that it would.
erik
Erick:
I did the same thing: made fins just to say I did it. I found it harder than shaping boards.You can use whatever you want?
I made some out of Lexon Glass once.
SD
Chuck at True Ames used to band saw cut fins out for years but then started a water cutting method hich eventually turned into a whole other business. Imagine the ability of H20 to do that!
I’m surprised you didn’t get the itch…after all you were sanding glass fibers. Most surfboard production entails very little fibre actually being sanded on hotcoats…nearly all resin except for heavier laps and glassed on fins which are more rare these days.
When I was a grom, I was a grinder for Radon Boats (ironically the boat yard one block of the beach in SB that I would eventually come back to and start The Surfing Underground). I grew up with Ronny, Donny and Mike Radon.
Grinding those boats was a bear! They were ply, matt and roving…a lotta glass. It was the most miserable job of my entire life! I would have rather pumped septic tanks, dug ditches in the desert, or been in a Complaints Dept. listening to people bitch all day…talk about stinging. My ears would ring until I went to sleep and I would wake up around 4 in the morning happy to realize the ringing had stopped, then I’d roll over and groan seeing the clock and knowing I had to be back there in 4 hours for another day.
I just made some fins for a customer that wanted glass ons…it paled by comparison.
…in my opinion, making fins is not harder like shaping
is only work, like put bricks in a wall
repetitive
custom shapes dont
-I made panels and foiled few thousand of fins
still do that for almost all my custom boards
in summer I foil with a short and a T shirt and I dont have any itches
-if you prefer sweat instead of fiberglass, use a cotton longsleeve t shirt or like that
-use a full face respirator
-foil outside
-the panels are very easy to make; easier if you do small ones
etc
I will make some panels up then have them water cut on a cnc then foil them with a long sleeve shirt and a good respirator. “Good Ideal Dead”!
Reverb:
Your right it’s just work. I had a bad experience once when I made a fin panel with volan. I iched for weeks after I foiled. The fin was a “D” Classic LongBoard fin which came out nice but so much time to make. I bought my next set of “D” fins from ONE WORLD on the Gulf Coast and he made them cheaper than I could make them myself. I shape some balsa wood boards for these fins and enjoy the whole process of Shaping the balsa which I found easier than making the fin.
I repect you paitence and talent. I’ll have to dig deeper. I just have too many other projects to make fins all day. Hopefully I can use you for a resource?
SD
…may be Im sounded rude, but that was not my intention
I tried to put the stuff in perspective to encourage the guy to make his fins
by the way, I really hate make fins (and finished them after glassed on…)
but I just didnt found other guy to do that properly, etc
I used 26 layers 6 oz for a shortboard fin. For a fin tab I would cut it down and set the cant in a mold for the finbox (with resin and chopped glass) and set it in the box with a kind of protractor thingy.
I think that like shaping it is very hard to do anything reasonably decent on your first attempt, and the finish quality gets decent after a dozen or so. Making something that is high quality AND highly functional requires either copying someone else’s design, or a lot of experimentation.
But after a few dozen fins, you can foil them in a few minutes each, and getting a good foil is an every fin thing.
My key after foiling was to rinse off immediately. And, I had some high powered fans blowing the dust away from me at all times. But I could cover my arms with dust and it was no problem, provided I rinsed it off quickly.
I found foiling never to be that difficult. just make sure to count your layers. on both sides. I wore goggles, respirator and the cheap disposable painting suits from the home despot, and washed my clothes I wore underneath right away. but one time my mom washed the dust covered clothes with all my boxers. cruel cruel woman.