Surfstheworld. Thanks for the tip. Ben, don’t rub it in. Dick!
relentless
you guys need to lighten up .
I have heard from a very relaible source that Bennett Dion from Australia is right now setting up in Ensenada and the factory is big. Bennett has been making foam since 62 (started a year after Gruby) and the quality is very good. Finally good news on the horizon!
EPS no longer has to be just light. Check out what Harbours doing over on his website. Could never get him the right results until he used higher densities. Now he’s totally stoked.
Greg,
Is there ANY three pound density foam out there made with the ‘T’ size cell? For the new readers on the subject, the ‘T’ size cell is the size used in Styro coffee cups. I would think that that would yield excellent results in a finished shaped board, and probably not need any sealing. What say you?
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Greg,
Is there ANY three pound density foam out there made with the ‘T’ size cell? For the new readers on the subject, the ‘T’ size cell is the size used in Styro coffee cups. I would think that that would yield excellent results in a finished shaped board, and probably not need any sealing. What say you?
Corefusion foam Australia
hi all, i am also about to start shaping my first eps board. my question is can i expect the finished product to be smooth like with pu or am i going to frustrate myself? i have seen pictures of shaped eps and they look kinda choppy, especially the rails. should i just settle for reasonable smoothness before sealing? since the blank is quite thick i think i have some room to try the diff. methods found in the archives before i reach my finished product. anyway i was just wondering what i might expect on this first go around.
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hi all, i am also about to start shaping my first eps board. my question is can i expect the finished product to be smooth like with pu or am i going to frustrate myself? i have seen pictures of shaped eps and they look kinda choppy, especially the rails. should i just settle for reasonable smoothness before sealing? since the blank is quite thick i think i have some room to try the diff. methods found in the archives before i reach my finished product. anyway i was just wondering what i might expect on this first go around.
Just finish it out to 80-100grit. There will typically be some voids on the rails but the flats finish fairly nicely…not perfect but not bad
I’m new to this website as a member (i have read for a few years). I have been surfing since 64 (I still exclusively ride shortboards, fishes tec) and shaping since 69. This whole site seems to be a platform for all the old EPS guys to get credibility and probably monetary gain. I’ve had heaps of these boards and even 2 from Greg. Ok in real small surf but no spring off the bottom in any real waves. I know where I’m going in the future. Ultralite urethene blanks, epoxy lams, poly hot coats, I can still have fun shaping and sprays, tinits, etc are no worries. Then I’m going to bake each board!
hey cuttie welcome to the forum!
as a eps guy myself im curious about your post. im not really sure you like or dislike eps. when you say eps lacks spring, how were those boards constructed? what does pu foam have over eps in this respect? have you tried the higher density eps foams?
do you think there’s a way to get spring from eps? if so how?
i respect your opinion.
thanks
And I’d love to hear your technique for sticking poly hotcoats on epoxy. thx
Hello Meecrafty.
I dislike the expanded polystrene blanks for all the obvious reasons, grinding nightmare, sanding is tough, having to seal the balnk with spackle or other secret formulas. I can think of so many negatives but the positive is price. I fell like I’m shaping a cooler just not fun! Mostly shaped the 2lb density.
The extruded foam I have shaped 4-5 brands ranging from 2lb, 2.5lb to 3lb. I even tried 1lb or I was told it’s 1lb. Most planned very slowly or tearing occured. If your machining this is not a problem. The blue foam was the best but the gass situation sacres me. I’m worried about long term delams no mater how you compensate for it with the glass. Remember the gassing of the Clark blanks 10-14 years ago! Also I have spent my entire life making sure holes are fixed in my boards I have a tough time making a board with holes. There’s no way this will not effect the long term performance of the board! Water inside a board and heat (the sun) can’t be right!
I’ve noticed these boards seem to be affected by the climate. More flex in warm climates and more rigid when cold. I’d like to see an actual lab test on flex and climate.
Even though the boards have a great finished weight (they feel unreal under the arm) they still have the rigid feel off the bottom. Somtimes they seem closer to a molded board in preformance than to the polyurathene boards we are used to. I like my boards to pop off the bottom there’s a spring to get up the face. I’m not alone in regards to this I have talked to heaps of hotties about the subject. I think this foam might be better without stringers. Maybe this is how you can get the pop!
Because of the Clark fiasco everyone on this site has gone EPS. It’s like a full on pendulum effect one or the other! I’m trying to learn from this and end up in the middle with the construction I mentioned. We all know the positives of our old foam and to be honest I loved shaping it! There’s foam on the horizon they’ll be 3-5 companies for sure. The Aussies make great foam.
Hi Greg,
When you lam the epoxy you have to make sure it’s saturated really well. If not you’ll get pin air. After you grind the lap then hot coat with suncure poly! I think you could bake these polyurethene blanks lam’d in epoxy to around 300 degrees. Can you imagine how strong they would be?
My new 6’8" epoxy. 4/4 top 4 bottom. 3# density(expanded) EPS foam. Super strong, and light. No spackle nedded. Different strokes for different folks.
“If your not riding the wave of change, You may find yourself beneath it”
Nice ad is this site about real people making boards or just a billboard! Kinda like Ron Jons when your travelling through Florida!
Cuttie,
Things have changed. EPS used to be only available in 1.0 or 1.5. Now it’s all the way up to 3.0. This makes the board ride different just like the tow guys using 4#+. There are now at least 6 or 8 polystyrene foams being used in surfboards. XPS, EPS block, EPS molded with all the different densities of each. Don’t be too fast to discount them all until all the results are in.
Urethane is fine material but for better or worse it will never again be what it was. The future lies in many technologies for many different people, many different waves, and many different applications. The days of “one way or the hiway” are done. Make what YOU like and don’t be so fast to judge those who are making what THEY like.
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Nice ad is this site about real people making boards or just a billboard! Kinda like Ron Jons when your travelling through Florida!
Trolling is for fishing, or some other site.
hey, surfstheworld, where are you getting 3 pound foam on the in Florida? Cellofoam? other? thx