sick and bored!

I was just wondering how many home board builders glass thier own shapes? What would be the reasons for and against? I can think of many but I am curious as to everyones views.

i glass my own boards at home. its a lot of fun but a huge pain in the ass. it takes up space, makes a HUGE mess, it will never come out perfect, and the chemicals are lethal. aside from that, its a hoot. steve>>> I was just wondering how many home board builders glass thier own shapes? > What would be the reasons for and against? I can think of many but I am > curious as to everyones views.

wow, steve…you took the words right out of my respirator! i don’t know why i like to glass so much, given the very valid reasons in your post…all i know is when i finish glassing one, i’ve already devised some strategy for making the next glass job even better. it’s challenging for sure, but has its rewards…i always recommend learning as much as you can, and then trying it at least once. for me, that moment when you first tip the bucket, saturate the cloth, and see through it to the blank has always been special for some wierd reason…go figure?? doesn’t take much to make me happy i guess.>>> i glass my own boards at home. its a lot of fun but a huge pain in the > ass. it takes up space, makes a HUGE mess, it will never come out perfect, > and the chemicals are lethal. aside from that, its a hoot.>>> steve

Don: I do all of my boards start to finish. My reason is simply that I live in area where taking it to a glass shop isn’t an option. I could be warped as I really enjoy the whole process, even sanding. I guarantee that once you do one end to end you will feel like you made it twice, sanding your finished lamination is like cracking a shell open and finding a pearl inside. If you do decide to take on the glasswork just pay particular attention to the saftey issues and get some guidance from the guys here at Sway’s who have been doing their own for years. Yes, there is potential for screwing up your shaped blank but if you take it easy and step by step you will do just fine. Best advice I could give you is to WEAR the best organic vapor mask you can buy and use SunCure UV catalyst. There are lots of good tips floating around in these threads. TS>>> I was just wondering how many home board builders glass thier own shapes? > What would be the reasons for and against? I can think of many but I am > curious as to everyones views.

wow, steve…you took the words right out of my respirator! i don’t know > why i like to glass so much, given the very valid reasons in your > post…all i know is when i finish glassing one, i’ve already devised some > strategy for making the next glass job even better. it’s challenging for > sure, but has its rewards…i always recommend learning as much as you > can, and then trying it at least once. for me, that moment when you first > tip the bucket, saturate the cloth, and see through it to the blank has > always been special for some wierd reason…go figure?? doesn’t take much > to make me happy i guess. I glassed ONE board myself just so I can say that I did it, and from then on, I’ve left it up to the professionals. [smile]

Does anyone remember the question?Herb.

I glass my own stuff too. Steve posted an eloquent response that hits every point. I actually use the entire surfboard making process as a stress relief exercise. I love every single step of the process. The challenges come from the constant pursuit of perfection – similar to the golf challenge. I get the greatest satisfaction when the satin sheen starts turning slowly into a high gloss. Of course the whine of the polisher, the water and grit flinging off of the pad just add to the experience. I recently finished a black bottomed thruster that has a single small splash of bright yellow between the fins. I dig the way the sun shines on the bottom of that stick! Do the complete job for the complete experience. Now go listen to Jimi Hendrix while you polish your next board… Are you experienced??? Magoo

I glass my own boards. I am with the other guys, it is a huge mess and can get very frustrating, but I feel it take aways from the whole experience if you send it out for glassing. I enjoy the act of shaping, and if I didn’t glass it myself then I would get done shaping to fast and would end up with 60 boards in my garage.