Well now that summer is here and that I have a new child I have a lot more time on my hands. Thus I am thinking of undertaking the restoration of this Mark Andreini Owl board that I originally bought for $10 just so I can get the dimensions off it and have something similar made (which still may happen down the road). But in the mean time I thought why not try and restore the board myself. The only problem is that I have never undertaken anything of this matter, just done some easier ding repair and thats pretty much it. I know how to work with fiberglass but have never glassed a whole board. I have done some research here and there are a bunch of minds I want to pick so I can attack this project accordingly. This is where I am asking for your help. Any suggestions will help. My questions are:
1.Where do I start?
2.What tools would you recommend?
3.Am I a fool for trying to restore this board?
Check out the attached photos and let me know your thoughts.
Well, let me tackle question 3 first. The answer depends on why you want to restore it. If you want to learn the art of restoration, then you’re definitely not a fool. Think of it like a 40 hr course at a community college. When you finish it, you will be a whole lot better craftsman than when you started. However, if you have any idea at all that this project makes financial sense, then yes, you would be a fool.
Question 2, the tools needed depend on what approach you decide to take in the restoration. Which leads to question 1. Think about what you want to accomplish. Just patch up the holes and ride it? Or do you want to try to make it look as nice as possible? You could do anything from basic repairs up to stripping off all the glass.
IMO, you would be better off with a less challenging project. You could get 20-30 hrs into it, not see any improvement, and give up out of frustration. I did that with a metal working project as a kid. Turned me off of metalworking for good!
FWIW, I have a board in similar condition. I think it’s been in the garage for at least 25 years. I keep it because it would be a valuable board if it was in good condition. But it would take so much work to get there, I never start.
I in no means am trying to make a buck off restoring the board. I enjoy working on older things and bringing them back to life. Somebody was stoked with that board at one point in time or another and that is all that I am looking for.
umm… ahh… man… is that a challenging project. If you’re doing it for fun and experience, then go for it. If you’re trying to fix it up to ride it because you think that would be easier, or more economical than building a board from scratch… well let’s just say you’d get an education either way.
I’ve done a lot of ding repairs, and I’ve made a bunch of boards… but I wouldn’t want to dig into that. I could make six new boards in the time I could fix that one - easy. That’s a lot to bite off if you can’t look at it and know exactly what to do. I’d suggest making the copy first… then if you want to have a go at it… have a couple beers and find something else to do.
Personaly I would love to teke that on as a project.
Its quite intensive surgery, I would expect it to take at least 3 months, maybe not one to attempt unless you have some previous board making and ding repair experience.
Do it along side other smaller projects, one step at a time.
Check out Platty’s posta on sways and his web site:
Thats a bit past the point where I’d tell a guy bringing a board to the repair shop:“I’ll make you an exact replica, BRAND NEW FOR LESS!!”
There’s different values to apply here though…you want to learn ding-fixing and take some pride in a board you brought back from the dead? Go for it. A mission, but if you have a few hours a Sunday for a year…
But for collector value, nah. Would’nt matter what famous brand or shaper it was, in that condition its landfill.
plenty of info on restorations available in archives.
now, choice is a cosmetic restoration for a wall hanger or a functional restoration to ride…which would also look good. my advice here is for a functional restoration.
i started what i laughingly call my “surfboard building career” reshaping old dead boards. and by reshaping i mean stripping off all glass, and then following the original template, cleaning up both the deck and bottom, filling in foam where ever chunks had pulled out, cleaning and truing up the rails, glassing and etc…
so that’s what i advise. strip off all the glass. save all the old logos for reuse. knock out all filler and replace with good foam. replace the stringer if necessary. sand off the “dead” foam on deck and bottom. retrue rails. in other words, take it down to the blank and rebuild.
i would use a power sander with 100 grit on the rails. gently. sand the glass thru till you get to the foam. this will allow you to lift the glass from the rails without too big a chunk being torn out. I use one of those hooked carpet knives to start tearing off the the deck glass, and after the start just try to peel the glass the length of the board back. of course, you want to pre cut out the locos if you can. the hard part, i think, is to get down to the blank with minimal damage to it. after that it’s just filling in foam where there isn’t any, and finish shaping your “preshaped” blank.
usually i found that when i did this i got a slightly thinner, slightly narrower board than what i started with. so it won’t be exactly the same. but it should be close.
fyi, i’m in the process of doing exactly this with one of my favorite boards that had multiple delams and pier injuries over the past several years. the hard part for me was getting out the qcell repairs. took about 2-3 hours to strip the blank and it is currently in the shed drying out.
Hey Matt. I think with help from the archives and the people here this project will be achiveable. This board looks as if it is not beyond it yet. I’ve taken on boards far worse than the one you have.
As far as tools you will require, the more the better. But if this not going to be a regular thing the basics would be a 4" grinder/ angle grinder that will take the 36 grit grinding discs and a orbital sander for the finer sanding work. Here in Australia you can pick these up for as low as $30. Handyman quality but will be fine for what you want. Don’t forget about some safty gear to. Resporator, eye and ear protection, gloves when laminating etc.
Were to start. I generally get the board on the stands and look at and handle the board. I also log the measurements, take photos and record any other relevent info about the board. This helps me to get a feel for the board. And how i’m going to approach the restoration. The hardest part for me is getting started.
The first thing I generally do is grind and repair all the dings. Then the whole board gets sanded. If it is a board where finish is clear and it is going to be kept original, all the repairs are done with glass. If it is going to be painted or pigment coated, the dings are filled with Q-cell and glassed. When the repairs are finished the board will need to be prepared for painting and finishing.
This info is pretty general at this stage. But as you progress with the restoration, you will have questions and they can be answered as they arise. Hope this helps. platty.
Clean the entire board with a plastic scraper, solvent (Coleman fuel works good outside) and some clean rags. Inspect for damage. I would use a Sharpie pen and circle every open ding, soft spot or shatter.
I believe it was Doc who advised someone else to go slow and avoid the urge to start hacking away “surgically” with a saw. Same with this board. It looks salvagable to me. I would not recommend skinning it. Save any repairs that are still solid - refill and feather as needed.
I don’t think I’ve seen a board in that condition that would have enough decent foam for a reshape. Water damage, old ding repairs, crushed foam and the finbox will all present serious obstacles.
Just take it one ding at a time and color coat that baby. Follow with a clear buffed out gloss and it’ll be a nice looking board.
Thanks for the advise and I am glad to hear that the board is not beyond help. I will keep this thread alive and let you know how things go. And I am sure I will have some questions down the line.
Nice thank for the beta on the coleman fuel. I have never used it for any other applications than cooking… Also thanks for the reassurance and reminder to take my time.
