Noodle - Give me a breakdown of the grits of sandpaper/sanding screen your using when you shape an EPS blank. Thanks, P.V.
Noodle - Give me a breakdown of the grits of sandpaper/sanding screen your > using when you shape an EPS blank.>>> Thanks, P.V. I just checked them. I use 50, then 80, then 100 grit sandpaper, then a 150 grit screen for the spackle. In addition to 1"x4"x18" foam covered wood sanding blocks, I use a couple more. For bottom rocker I use a 1 1/4" x 5 x 24" piece of deck floorboard. I have a slab of backpack foam on it with 80 grit sandpaper on it. The weight and size of this monster help me form a smooth, planar rocker curve. For light touches, I mount 100 grit sandpaper to thick 2" thick foam, like boogie board foam. I use contact cement for all the gluing. When taking down deck center foam, a good technique is to heavy sand with the big foam backed block. It leaves the stringer high. Plane down the stringer with a corner of a spole shave, then start back on the foam.
Thanks for the info. I just picked up my first epoxy blank this morning, I’m stoaked. The beads look a little freaky to me, it seems like they would come out as whole little bead sections when you take a block or a planer to them. I was told just to go slow with it and I should not have any problems, maybe I should buy an extra container of spackle. Noodle, why don’t you just tape the stringer off when you spackle? That seems like it would save you some time and effort, or is there more to it? I am doing a 6’2" - 14" x 20" x 15" with a pulled in swallow tail thruster (fishy). Probably 2 5/8" to 2 3/4" thick (I’m 6’ 200lbs.). I’m thinking 4oz deck patch under a 6oz. with 6oz. bottom. Does this sound about right? I want the board to be fairly light but not disposable. Thanks for any info.
Mike d. - when you start to shape let me know what you think of EPS and what tools your using. I am very interested. Thanks, P.V.
Mike d. - when you start to shape let me know what you think of EPS and > what tools your using. I am very interested. Hey P.V I have done 4 boards with EPS foam. I am no where near as experinced as Noodle or anywhere near as particular. ( which is probably not a good thing) I use regular shaping tools, cheapo B&D planer, surform, and sandpaper. 50,80,100, and 150 after spackling. I don’t use any screens. I have a problem with the screens tearing chunks. Might help if I had some older used screens, they would be softer and more pliable. I have found EPS to be about, but not as easy as polyU foam. Add in the extra time with spackling and sanding and it is a bit more trouble. But hey, if it is what available to you, go with it. I like the weight and the float of the EPS. Keep us posted on how your boards are going. ed > Thanks, P.V.
Hey P.V I have done 4 boards with EPS foam. I am no where near as > experinced as Noodle or anywhere near as particular. ( which is probably > not a good thing) I use regular shaping tools, cheapo B&D planer, > surform, and sandpaper. 50,80,100, and 150 after spackling. I don’t use > any screens. I have a problem with the screens tearing chunks. Might help > if I had some older used screens, they would be softer and more pliable. I > have found EPS to be about, but not as easy as polyU foam. Add in the > extra time with spackling and sanding and it is a bit more trouble. But > hey, if it is what available to you, go with it. I like the weight and the > float of the EPS. Keep us posted on how your boards are going. ed Don’t listen to ed about me. I’m only on my fifth board. A sixth board went into the trash. Thanks ed, but I’m not so good at shaping or glassing, just a novice at programming.
Thanks for the info. I just picked up my first epoxy blank this morning, > I’m stoaked. The beads look a little freaky to me, it seems like they > would come out as whole little bead sections when you take a block or a > planer to them. I was told just to go slow with it and I should not have > any problems, maybe I should buy an extra container of spackle.>>> Noodle, why don’t you just tape the stringer off when you spackle? That > seems like it would save you some time and effort, or is there more to it?>>> I am doing a 6’2" - 14" x 20" x 15" with a pulled in > swallow tail thruster (fishy). Probably 2 5/8" to 2 3/4" thick > (I’m 6’ 200lbs.). I’m thinking 4oz deck patch under a 6oz. with 6oz. > bottom. Does this sound about right? I want the board to be fairly light > but not disposable. I think your planned glass job is too light for EPS. I would use at least a 3 layer top and a 2 layer bottom. I use 4 layers on top and 3 layers on bottom. As I stated above, You will sand part of the top glass layer. You have to do this to remove the slick epoxy lam skin. Outside of this, EPS is weak, light and spongy. The idea is to cover it with strong, flexy glass… epoxy. If you don’t, you will make a weak, light, spongy board. It will dent, ding, and snap easily One layer of glass isn’t enough over EPS. Ask Wyman. You’ll be amazed how little weight that extra layer of glass adds.
That seems like an awful lot of glass to lay down. Do you ever run into problems working your resin into all those layers? I was planning to use about 24oz. or resing for the bottom and 40oz. for the top. I guess I will bump that up a little bit. Do you heat up your resin to make it flow better? Thanks again.
That seems like an awful lot of glass to lay down. Do you ever run into > problems working your resin into all those layers? I was planning to use > about 24oz. or resing for the bottom and 40oz. for the top. I guess I will > bump that up a little bit. Do you heat up your resin to make it flow > better? Absolutely not. I cool my resin in the fridge to give me more pot life. Epoxy cure time is sped up tremendously by heat. I use 1.5 oz of resin mix per glass layer per side per foot of surfboard.