My first board

bileboy · December 19, 2007, 4:15am

Hey, new to the forum (in the registering part, been reading for a while) but I’m a 17 yr old lookin to get some stoke shapin some boards.

I’m gonna be starting my shaping pretty soon (as soon as I get a blank basically) but I had some questions that I thought I’d ask while I was waiting…

I’ve been reading the archives a lot, looking at some vids, etc, just to try and minimize any questions I had, but I am still kinda confused on a couple things.

I was going to be shaping a retro fish on a pu blank (polyurethane I assume, sorry Im a kook at this!) but the local blank provider is out of stock of pu’s, and since I was stoked on shaping I was looking into the EPS. However, as I was reading the forums it seemed to be that EPS are a little harder to shape, ie bigger chunks and not as smooth, much like crumbling styrfoam(?). I’ll be shaping with a manual hand planer, surform, and some sandpaper, so I dont know if I should wait for a pu? Also, I was reading about this little debate on Spackle… It seemed just when it would get cleared up, something would be posted that muddled it up again. Can anyone REALLY clarify this? Right now I understand spackle to be used for basically filling in little holes in the blank, but does it make it weaker/delams etc???
I’m REALLY not savy on the whole glassing thing. All the cheater coat (?), hot coat, lam process, 4 + 4oz, etc. all get mixed up with me. There is some good information in the resources, but it still uses a lot of undefined lingo that gets me confused…
Glass on fins or box?? All my current boards are glass on fins, I don’t really know how a fin box surfs (if it surfs any different). For a retro fish, would it be better to have glassed on or is it a lot of personal preference? I read the thread on this, but there’s so much back and forth…

Sorry if these questions seem like they’ve been asked a thousand times. There’s sometimes so much info it’s hard to know what I need to read/learn and what’s just gonna put me on overload.

Once I get started shaping I’ll be posting some pics (if thats okay) and getting some feedback from anybody who can or wants to give it.

Thanks for any help, sorry for kook questions!

kensurf · December 19, 2007, 4:36am

Where are you located?

I wouldnt have to ask if you filled out your user profile a bit more complete

I would start with a PU blank they are better to learn on

the eps spackle thing is a cosmetic/ structural debate ( to me is more cosmetics)

If you dont have a power planer , You will after the first board

you can use another blank other than a fish blank just mow down the rocker

I used a Just foam R9 100 blank ( i think its 6’ 6") made the fish below (6’)and the guy who bought it said it works amazing

and all I did was skin it to the thickness 2.5" took out a little bit of rocker

bileboy · December 19, 2007, 4:51am

Thanks for the reply Ken, Sorry about the profile, it’s all updated.

My understanding with the power planer was that it cut down on time and was a little easier. I got plenty of time, I’m here to learn and have fun.

So you think I should just wait for them to restock on PU blanks? It IS cheaper…

I like the rails on that board btw

etmo · December 19, 2007, 4:54am

BileBoy –

Read everything on this site:

http://www.surfersteve.com/introduction.htm

And then read everything referenced in the “Required Reading” section on this site:

http://noviceshaper.blogspot.com/

Get a copy of Shaping 101 and Glassing 101 DVDs from any place online – google will find you a lot of vendors. Watch them each about 10 times.

If you can’t afford to buy the dvds, search YouTube for shaping and glassing videos – there are quite a few, but do the reading first, because they go a little fast.

Good luck!

dlock · December 19, 2007, 5:00am

other side of the coin,

got money?

if you answered yes, run to home depot now and grab blue or pink foam xps AND white foam eps.

decide your measurements, snap a line, bend some strip, cut your outline with a knife.

why wait for pu?

If you are serious about making one, the next question is when? Man against machine? or man against the system?? Dont wait for pu unless you have to.

If you are going to home depot. At least you did it on your own.

bileboy · December 19, 2007, 5:15am

Unfortunately Dlock, money is a pretty big issue at this point, i’m pretty involved with school so it is keeping me from getting a solid job.

I’m tryin to get the most bang for my buck, and if I would learn more on a pu (cheaper too) then i might wait. However, I did consider the build-your-own-foam, but i thought like you need a hotwire for that and I have very few of the items needed for that (let alone the money to spare on it)

Etmo: The noviceshaper blogspot is the only one I had not been to and lo and behold, it has everything right there! I feel like such an idiot! I have other glassing videos (but their old as in VHS!) and I’ve looked through youtube and google video.

I guess I really do need to do more reading before I have any room to ask any questions. Thanks for the help, i’m lookin forward to gettin my hands on some foam, be it pu or eps or a homegrown

dlock · December 19, 2007, 5:36am

do well in school then and get the pu, less room for error, cut down shaping time etc.

enjoy the ride!

mxmz

chrisp · December 19, 2007, 7:03pm

i’m only one and a half boards ahead off you BileBoy. so take my advice with a grain

of salt… on the other hand, i might be closer to your situation than most…

i’ve shaped 1 PU (polyurethane) blank and one EPS blank. the PU blank was EASY to

shape with sanding blocks. the EPS (Marko) blank was near impossible to shape with

only sanding blocks. the sanding block would kinda skip across the eps whereas on the PU

it would sand like butter. i ended up buying a planer to finish the EPS board…

repeating advice that was give me many times, “don’t be afraid of the planer”. just jump right

in. i obviously have a long ways to go to be competent with the planer but i shaped the EPS

board with one and it came out ok…

if you decide that the budget does not permit a planer, my advice is to stick with the PU blank.

SPACKLE: i’ve read all the debates over spackle no spackle, epoxy and microballoon vs. spackle…

my conclusion is … spackle… make sure you get the one that everybody reccommends (the name

escapes me at the moment… something super light or along those lines.)… down the road when

you’re a pro shaper you can decide if spackle is right or wrong… for right now, thousands of boards

per year are spackled by the pros and … it’s easiest.

here’s how i glassed my first board using epoxy resin. i used 6 ounce glass. and did 2 6 ounce layers

on the deck and one 6 ounce layer on the bottom. after you lam you will need a “hotcoat” or “fill coat”

because the weave of the fiberglass will still be there. the hotcoat will fill in the weave.

LAMINATION

lay the glass out lengthwise on the bottom of the shaped board (board is upside down on racks).
cut glass off roll with about 4" extra hanging over the nose and tail.
cut glass around outline so that about 4" hangs down all the way around the board.
roll glass up off the board where you are going to put your logo.
mix your resin.
put a small blob on the foam where your logo will go.
put your logo on and squeegee out any bubbles.
roll glass back out.
pour resin down the whole length of the bottom of the board.
squeegee the resin out so that it wets out all the glass.
pull the extra glass that is hanging down the sides of the board under the board and stick it on the deck (tuck your laps).
add more resin as needed.
squeegee out excess resin from glass.
chase air bubbles.
let cure.
flip board.
roll out glass lengthwise on deck and cut from roll so that 2" extra hangs down at the nose and tail.
trim glass all the way around board with about 2" hanging over the sides.
roll out a second layer on deck and cut from roll so that 4" exta hangs down at the nose and tail.
trim glass all the way around board with about 4" hanging over the sides.
roll back top layer of glass where logo will go.
mix resin.
put blob of resin where logo will go.
put logo on blob.
squeegee out bubbles.
roll top layer of glass back out.
pour resin all the way down the center of the board and spread around till all glass is wet.
tuck your laps (pull the hanging glass under and stick it to the bottom of the board).
chase out air bubbles.
add more resin as needed.
squeegee out excess resin.
let cure.

HOTCOAT

tape a resin dam for the sharp edge at the tail… from about just ahead of the fins back.
mix up resin per manufacturer’s specs for hot-coat.
spread all over the bottom of the board using a paint brush.
make it look all nice, even, and shiny.
let cure.
flip board.
repeat.

then i sanded…

Glass on fins or boxes has a million different pros and cons each way… do you have access

to a router? if yes my opinion is go with probox. REALLY EASY, not expensive, and a QUALITY

product. if you don’t have access to a router, my opinion is do the glass ons. my next board

will have glass on keel fins.

…

bottom line, get a blank and just jump into it. count on making a bunch of mistakes and if you don’t,

you’ll be pleasantly surprised. when i look at my #1 i see ALL of my mistakes but, i’m SUPER stoked

on it and hopefully those mistakes won’t be on #2… i’m sure there will be others though…

have fun!

and definitely show your results!

L8drop · December 19, 2007, 9:25pm

BB, another word of advice from a newbie(just finishing #1). Prep,prep,prep. The more time you take on the first the easier it is to avoid careless mistakes. My first came out decent but the areas needing work are things I could have easily avoided.

True up yor template, I thought it was good until I took a long hard look and sure enough a bump.
True up your outline. (Should have spent more time, my bump could have been eliminated here!)
Dont over shape!!! Its easy to do.(thanks for saving my arse Josh Miller, you da man!)
Use good scissors for cutting cloth!!! (really eliminates stringys and makes for a good lap, probably a very under rated tool).
Sand that lap. Get it nice and smooth, the smoother the better.
Read, search and ask,the people on this site are full of the info you need for every part of your journey.
Have a good time, there will be mistakes and most wont even know they are there. In the end it will probably turn out better than you thought.

Just insert these steps with ChrisPys(LOL) post and you are on your way.

FBfla · December 19, 2007, 10:34pm

Yo Ben I see you are in Fernandina Beach… small world that is exactly where I am located. Be glad to help ya out with any questions once you get under way.

If you want to see the process up close you are more than welcome to swing by when I am shaping.

Cheers, Mike

bileboy · December 20, 2007, 1:05am

Wow, it IS a small world Mike! I would love to take you up on that offer some time, I can’t imagine it not helping tremendously.

L8Drop and ChrisP thanks a ton for the help! Thanks for writing ALL that out Chris, that is great!

I got my blank, its polyurethane and about 7’1" the place i got it is out of fish blanks/longboard blanks, but the 7’1 is thick/wide enough to just cut a fish out of it

and i am taking my time workin on making the outline/template, adjusting my dimensions, tryin to figure I know i’ll learn a lot as I actually DO it, but I would like to try and make it come out as clean as possible.

Again thanks for the help, and the offer Mike, i’ll be takin pictures and i’ll post 'em.

One question though… I want to try some color, but I don’t know whether I should paint straight on the blank or tint the resin. Any pointers ?

Thanks

kensurf · December 20, 2007, 1:22am

keep it simple for your #001

stick with the color “clear”