Started mowing my 1st Walker, and it seems like it’s pretty good foam. Someone at the local surf shop said the foam absorbs more resin than Clark foam, so a similarly glassed board will be heavier. Any truth to this? Also, when I busted up the edges after cutting my outline, I noticed it flexes and bends more than Clark foam before it snaps. Does this have any functional significance?
Howzit dcasey, I believe that the fact that Walker blanks tend to absorb more resin will actually give you better adhesion of glass to foam. It might be a little heavier but could make it stronger which will make the board last longer. We are starting to see some Walker blanks here on Kauai and can’t wait to glass one again, been years since I did one.Aloha,Kokua
In the past, my experience was that Walker Foam had a finer cell structure than Clark. If that is still the case, then I doubt that it will absorb more resin than Clark.
Dcasey,
I agree with Bill that the cell structure “seems” to be closer because Walker finishes off really nice. Gives you a nice sparkly effect when glassed but from glassing many walker blanks they do seem to suck down the resin. We always have to do a final cheater coat a few minutes after completing the lamination layer (especially down the stringer).
Sincerely,
Troy
why do i get miffed that someone is suprized when they find walkers are “pretty good” blanks. it doesn’t get any worse than that soft merangue crap that i’d find in the middle of clark blanks when i’d step a deck or carve out a concave. that’s the main reason i’ve used mostly walkers.
also, i hate to disagree w/ bill on this but i find that finished clarks are smooth where walkers have a crystally surface. i believe the resin “grabs” the surface of the walkers better.
the “bending before breaking” of the bones speaks volumes about the structural qualities of the foam(s).
it seems kind of futile to argue the attributes of the two foams at this point but it looks like we’ll have other manufacturers throwing they’re hats in the ring soon so we’re entering a new age of foam. i’m sure we’ll be seeing some good stuff.
That “merangue” issue is definitely not an issue with the Walker, although it is my first. I would have the same experience with clarks-crusty chunks would break off and leave holes. It seems to sand a bit easier. Thanks for all the info.
gene,
It’s been many years since I’ve shaped a Walker blank. The blow process may be a little different now. If you see a “sparkling” appearence, that usually means a more open cell. What you see is reflected light from the smooth inner surface of each open cell. The Walker blank gets stronger as you shape into the core, whereas the Clark blank got softer as you shaped into it. A very good reason for Clark to have made such an effort to provide close tolerance blanks that would require a minimal amount of shaping. In the '64/'65 period there was a foam that became popular because it sparkled. It was Foss Foam, and was a bitch to shape. The cells were so open that if you weren’t careful, your fingertips would be bleeding after one or two boards. For many years the Walker blank was the standard that I compared other blanks to. They made a great product in the past, and I’ll be making several boards soon using Walker foam.
I did a comparison the other day. Two 9’ shaped blanks, both identically milled from the same CNC shape file, both with 3/8" basswood sticks. One is a Clark green. The other is the stock Walker density (whatever that is-thats what everybodys been getting). I don’t know if Walker does or is planning to make different densities as Clark did. The Walker weighs about a pound and a quarter more. I’ll find out what they weigh glassed in about week or so. And yeah, the cells are definitely bigger with Walkers.
I don’t know if Walker does or is planning to make different densities
Hi Atomized -
My Walker catalog states:
- Stock Foam: Preferred Density
- Performance Foam: Lighter Density
- Old Man Foam: Higher Density
I have a 9’8" “Old Man” density blank with t-band stringer and it weighs in at just under 15 lbs unshaped. It appears to be a fairly close tolerance blank. The foam feels solid to moderate thumb pressure.
Can you tell what density it is by looking at it? My blanks don’t have any real markings, other than the red glue around the stringer.
With Clark, the blanks have it spray stenciled on them. On the Walkers theres nothing marked on them. I believe the way Clark made lighter densities was by using less PU when they poured the batch into the molds. The cells in an ultralite where larger than in a blue. If Walker where to do this, their already big open cells would get bigger and probably suck even more resin- which would defeat the whole purpose. Walkers foam does’nt finger dent as easily as Clarks and it sands faster compared to a Clark. It seems more stiffer that Clarks softer foam.
Walkers has hired bunch of Clarks ex-employees. I’m sure alot of Clark knowlege will come with them. In order to fulfill the needs of the high performance PU market, Walker will need to develop foam that will meet that standard.
Right along the “Walker Foam” stencil there’s a hand drawn “OM” - maybe if nothing, it’s stock?