Restoration questions

Hi,

I have never restored a board before and I would like to try it. I bought an old beat up Stewart board and I am trying to research as thoroughly as possible before I start. I already searched and browsed the boards and gathered useful tips and ideas. I do want to “redecorate” the board, so to speak and I would like to put in fabric/cloth/wood inlays - not all 3 materials, just one but I haven’t made up my mind yet. And here comes the question. What materials can be used as inlays/design elements for boards? Can I basically use everything from curtains to paper to wood or are there materials that should definitely not be used? I read neira’s restoration blogs and in this one

http://www.swaylocks.com/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=240799;page=1;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=25;

he discovers in the end that the board will not float because it’s gotten too heavy. How/by the use of which materials can I avoid that outcome?

Thanks!

Nord

Oh, I would also appreciate any links to step by step walkthroughs of restorations. Neira’s are great but I want to read as many as possible.

Nord

search some posts made by platty. he is a restoration master.

http://www.davidplattsurfboardrestorations.com.au

good luck,

Scot

Hey surf_nord. I don’t know if I would be using curtains as inlays. You can buy fabric inlay cloth designed for surfboards at surfboard raw material suppliers. Timber veneer is another option, but a little more work would be involved to make this work. You mention paper. Here in Australia you can get rice paper printed any size you want, with anything you want as the design. I’ve seen a photo of a aquarium full of tropical fish printed to fit a 9’ longboard deck. All of these options do add weight to the board, so you will need to be conscious of this. The link to the Bing site shows some step by step restorations also. platty.

http://www.davidplattsurfboardrestorations.com.au

http://www.classicbingsurfboards.com/bingrestorations.html

Thanks for the help to both of you. I followed both links and read everything. Good stuff!