Aloha all,
I will be shaping my first marko eps blank soon and have been reading the old threads about sealing the blank. First these are new blanks - do they still need sealing? The cabosil and epoxy seems to me to be the strongest. Spackle sounds like a bad bond??? Help!
both will work…people will argue until red in the face which is better…try whichever you want…then try the other on your next board…decide for yourself…
my opinion…spackle
why?..because it’s cheap and i can get it at the store down the street.
chrissupp…
werent you the dude who didnt want to use a blanky?
eps is pretty sensitive to heat also
its good you keep an open mind and try new things.
bd
chrissup…either or?
I’ve used both. Historically we religiously used epoxy and Q Cell (microspheres). Then a quickie scuff sand before laminates.
The spackle paints beautiful f you ar doing any hard line graphics.
I couldn’t tell any diff on strength on the final…you’d think the epoxy/sphere mix would bestroonger as I doub spackle has any real inherent integrity to speak of…but still, as said, the proof is in the pudding. More importantly…just remember, the strength is the GLASS reinforcing not the resin. Think rebar in concrete bridges, strands of fiber in clay, etc.
Mahalo’s for the answers. Ya I’m the dude with no blanky and here it is. In the shaping bay as I start out there will be 4 Bioblanks from Homeblown, 2 Marko eps, 1 Icenine and a clark. I also have reg. glass fabric 4oz. and 6, bamboo fabric and want to get some kevlar. Using RR I will try all kinds of combo’s to find the one!
The clark is recycled and will be used for practice - I would like to make at least an environmentaly conscious board as poss.
Thanks for the post on Icenine in hawaii I will be ordering the Icenine blank after christmas.
Also trying to get some midget blanks in Hawaii but no ones home!
Keep the aloha flow and no droppin the kook word. Ya Surf Hawaii Ya Get Pounded Brah - No Kooks Here
When you say spackle - are we talking about drywall or what?? Thanks for the help - will post picks of the shaped bio’s they are coming in this week I hope.
Many thanks to Foam-ez, Greg Loehr, Royce @PauHana surf, Brian @ Greenlight and brothers on Swaylocks.
If you go the spackle route… just go to the hardware store and get a tub of “lightweight spackle.” I fondly refer it it as “fluff.” It fills all the texture of the EPS, and slows down the migration of resin into the foam, giving you a lighter board and allowing the cloth to saturate better. It adds no structural integrity to the board, and I think (I could be wrong here) that it yellows faster. It makes a very smooth surface if you do a couple of coats, which is great for artwork or resin tints. It’s faster and easier to apply.
If you go resin/microbubble mix, you get a better seal, making the board even lighter. It will also form a hard crust, so there’s some (but very little) added strength in terms of ding resistance, but not snap resistance. It comes out brilliantly white, and you can even add some white pigment, but you won’t get that perfectly smooth surface - bad for resin tints and artwork. It’s a bit slower process, has to cure, and a bit messier to deal with in terms of cleanup.
If the buyer dosen’t care, I go with spackle. But for most of my own boards, I do resin mix.
Chris,
My final word, and I haven’t had any bonding issues or failures on my EPS boards. This works.
Use DAP Fast n Final, lightweight compound. It’s in a red & Black/ White tub. When you pick it up you’ll swear it’s empty.
Mix it with (distilled Water) to the consistency of mayonaise. Put it on light with a bondo spreader, just enough to fill the little voids. When dry, lightly sand with 150 grit. Blow off the dust. Then paint or do your laminate as usual.
-Jay
I’ve used both and much prefer spackle. Never had a delam problem. I know the RR boys prefer it.
Chris,
a few of the guys taking the surfboard construction class at Cerritos College used Marko foam it looked like very little spackle was needed. The finished blanks came out pretty smooth not many if any tiny holes usually found on lighter EPS blanks. I think the only ones I had seen were the ones around the nose where the rail thins out they got a little aggressive with the sandpaper but you’ve got to understand these were the first boards that these two guys have ever shaped.
Mike
Thats what I needed to hear. I will procede with da spackle.
I gotta tell you guy’s about the sick snowboard session on Mauna Kea - 4 feet deep in some places. We laid down some nice turns on top of the world.
It gets better. In the morning there should be some 2-3 coming in from NE. Pushing up to 4 on thurs. . Thanks for all you guy’s help.
Hope there are waves werever you are.
Hey Chris, missed this post first time 'round. Hope you’re taking pictures of your shaping progress! Everyone loves a good photo thread around here. Especially Chip! Hope to get a chance to see those boards in person!
Yu gotta em. Pictures coming soon - I picked up the Bio blanks yesterday from Kona and will be laying down some templates.
I also got an extra board loaded in my truck that was shipped to a Brian Degroot in Kamuela. It was from JC in Cali and we are betting this guy wants to rip the thing. Brian if you are out there my # is 808-217-7308 - come to Hilo and get your new board. Theres no phone # on the box. But we will find you - Royce at Pau Hana gave JC my number - hopefully this guy will call in.
In the mean time I’ll just trace the template for future use - HAHa just kidding John Carper has been down right cool to share his skills on video. The technique he use to freehand the boards curves with a long piece of metal should allow all of us to come up with our own lines and designs. I’ll tell you guy’s - my quiver is full of boards from Al Merrick, Stan Lawrence, Jerry Grantham, Jeff Johnston, Fury, Underground and a Nectur they all have good features and some drawbacks. I want to remove the drawbacks ( that pertain to my style of surfing) and combine about four different boards into the ONE. The rocker from this one, the rails from that one, the bottom contours of that one and so one.
Pictures coming soon! Mahalo’s
Brian Degroot are you out there???