What is your opinion on spray painting XPS and your experiances, I have left the boards x5 and a custom body board with a good keyed 60 grit finish and they are looking good, will be going plain on a couple of them with just a few lams. It's my first time working with blue XPS and have been very impressed with it, I have made a couple of EPS boards and loads of polyester PU ones.
Here's a time lapse of me shaping one, I will be bowing the rocker in when glassing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd4eZww4xEA I have also put channels in this one now.
Excuse the mess it was the 3rd one of the day and my space is limited.
Good to be back on here hunting for your great advice again, I have been kayaking for too long now and need to get back.
I have used paint that is for plastics (rattle can from hardware store) and it didn't melt the foam, but I only used it to get my outline. I haven't tried glassing over painted XPS or EPS foam. I have painted over finished boards using the same plastics paint many times.
Watched your shaping video, and I have a couple of comments. First you do a lot of cleaning or smoothing that you don't really need to do. I cut as much of the bottom down with the planer before smoothing it. It saves a lot of time compared to what you did. I also try to get it planed down as close to the deck side at the nose and tail to get as much rocker as I can. I cheat it a little by planing the tail down as much as possible and working out the rocker as if the block was placed at an angle tilted down towards the nose and not flat. I use an 8 foot long 1 inch square aluminum rod to gauge my rocker. I placed a brick on the board when glassing to get more rocker, but it left a mark in the lamination. Using a hook to hang a weight from would be better. Plus One Surfboards facebook page had images of doing it that way.
Acylic paints are always a good bet. With the blue foam I would seal it with an Acylic Gesso first. I have seen Gesso in spray cans. I is easy to thin with water best to use distilled water. Then spray a few coats over the Blank.
Thank you both for you tips, I like the way your cutting the rocker in Sharky and I can see your point, as for my shaping I like to remove any cut tramlines before I plane again, yes it is a little slower but more acurate for me, I am a glasser turned shaper and I can keep my eye in that way. I love the colour the XPS is showing through your glassed board it shows that the foam alone really looks good. I have put anchor points in to bend my rocker and can achive what I am aiming for with this method but will try your way next time of cutting more rocker through the bottom. Does the natural blue finish well
Artz, I have plenty of acrylics and love whacky designs, based around blue foam limits things a little but I will give it a go so thanks for the tips. Here are a few of my old board projects from older posts, it would be cool if I can get the XPS looking like some of these.
