New Project - CompSand Vacuum Baggind Questions

General Discussion
1

Hey guys,

Well iv finished number one and tested it out and it gets the thumbs up for rideability…

Second project… Vacuum bagging compsand…

With a bit of searching and thanks to sabs and silly i have found suppliers for most materials here in auckland, nz…

Im still not sure weather or not to do a balsa or corecell skin…

Balsa sounds alot harder for a first timer but i cant seem to find a supplier for corecell (or equavilant) here i nZ… Anyone got ideas?

I have studied berts original vacuum post and the solid rails vacuumed on with the bottom skin looks the easiest option in terms or shaping the rails ect…

Is 4 0z cloth ok between the eps and the skin? and then 4oz all over to finish it??

Am starting to get bits and pieces together and think i have found a vacuum pump so with a bit of luck things should be ready in a few weeks…

Thanks

2

On my fourth compsand at the moment ( all Balsa ). No major dramas just tape your balsa well. Do you intend vacumming your skins over the rails or after the skins are on ( ive done both and havent noticed any discernable differences). Just follow Berts Thread as much as possible.

Still havent found the best way to rail the boards yet, but 12-15mm seems to be right, built up out of two or three layers.

Post some pics, birth of a compsand and all that…

Gonna start posting my new board next week c what u think…

3

Thanks,

From berts thread i got the impression that be did the rails and bottom skin at the same time???

I was thinking of doing the rails, then shape the deck, then skin over the deck…

With fin systems and eps/compsand, do you need to put in extra support for the fin box or is extra glass sufficient?

Could you please give me a link to some of your vac threads if you have any??

Cheers

Tom

4

Cool, another NZ vac bagger!

Theres so many ways of doing things…

What I will say is that the vast majority of them have been mentioned here on sways at some stage…

Searching through the archives will give you a million ideas, which is a good thing.

The honest truth is that there is no single best way to build these, and thats kinda why they are so fun.

You can take an idea and modify it to work in some smart way, and suddenly your building them in half the time!

Then you start looking for the next breakthrough .

I think that pretty much everything that is suggested is possible, with a bit of enginuity.

If you need some tips, PM me

5

Hi Tomo,

Here’s what I’ve have fallen into. 5 compsands, and slightly different methods for each.

  1. Hotwire bottom rocker only on 1# eps foam block, shape bottom.

  2. Vac bag taped balsa skin to bottom. Simple spot masking tape stays under balsa.

  3. Re-attach rocker profiles, hotwire deck off.

  4. Router outline template.

  5. Hotwire rail bands off.

  6. Glue up rail materials, GG at foam and balsa connection, vac bag.

  7. Shape deck and rails.

  8. Vac bag taped balsa skin to deck, over rails as much as possible.

  9. Nose block, 30*, tail block 45* for fish.

  10. Final shape, deck skin will sand off rails and end up a very natural lap.

  11. Sand everything with 150 grit, the balsa joints haunt me every time.

  12. Cheapo foam roller, 150 grams of epoxy to seal balsa.

  13. Light sand.

  14. Glass.

  15. Route for fin boxes, no gap showing, dig out to deck, dig out 1/2" wider under skin, I use 8# pour foam.

  16. Hotcoat, etc.

  17. Post some pics. ha

This is the way I feel the most comfortable. I think with the HD foams, you can do some steps in the bag at the same time.

Others may (read “do”) have better ways and I’d like to hear about them (again).

Thanks,

WM