Ok, I’m a moron and can’t operate the search function properly. How the heck do you remove/keep off stringer dust off the blank. I finished routing out my fin plugs and I had red stringer dust all around the trailer fin plug. It was my first board and I was just trying to “get though” the process and didn’t want to ruin the blank. I’m about to start my second board and don’t want the ugly red blotch around the fin. Any help???
“but I know it’s gold”
RIGHT!?!?
i was hoping you’d appreciate it as much as i do…
i have it printed out to read.
Well most people lay tape down over the fin area before routing their fin install and routing.
What fin system are you using that you are routing on bare foam and not through glass?
Tyson
OS, I’m installing fcs fusion on bare foam using the provided jig. The tape sounds really simple, I would rather not have to clean the blank at all. Nip it in the bud.
yeah, fcs fusions do install under glass. Yeah man, get some 3" tape, lay it all down in fin area. Rout, blow out dust, install then pull tape.
All good man.
Tyson
Thanks Tyson, I should have mentioned the fcs fusion part of the install right of the bat. Probably saved us some time. Oh well, my blanks won’t be in for a few weeks so I’ve got nothing to do anyway. Guess I’ll go stare at my cheap ass HF planer I bought today and have no I idea how to use.
Thanks again Tyson
Use tape in the future, but always have on hand some kind of air compressor around and a nozzle that you can blow off you blank with. I never dust off a blank with a brush or duster. If you do there is always the possibility that you will brush cosmetic debris permanently into the foam. Blow it off with air. Lowel
Since you’re installing FCS Fusion series plugs, I’m assuming that you are doing an epoxy board, EPS foam maybe? I’ve had at least 2 pro shapers now
tell me that the fusion line of fcs plugs were made for epoxy boards mainly, but work either way.
Also I highly recommend to only use an electric planer for skinning your first few boards. Dial in your rail bands with a surform or 40grit on a hard level sanding block.
Take lots of pics of your projects and post them for us to see.
Good luck,
Tyson
Luckily I just bought a compressor for installing molding around my bamboo floors I just installed. My knees are still killing me. What were we talking about…
It’s going to be epoxy over a regular poly blank. I don’t like the way eps sucks up water. Epoxy is great because I can work in my garage without stinking the entire house up. I chose the fusions because I’v got a ton of FCS fins already but I wanted something that installed under the glass. I had one poorly install fin plug once and I’m phobic about it now.
I’m definitely going to use the planer to skin but I thinking do the rail bands too. M first board I only used a surform and sanding block and it was hard to get the rails exactly the same. Wouldn’t this be easier with a planer?
I plan on doing a thread with pictures. Unless it goes horribly wrong. Then you’ll never hear another word about it 
Just go slow and easy on the rail bands and you will be fine. Slow is the key on bands. If you are uncomfortable going from say tail to nose and back again nose to tail; Don’t sweat it. Just go back to where you started the first band and cut the next . Nose to tail, nose to tail or whatever. Do the first few boards in the way that makes you feel the most comfortable and confident. Work on the "Pro-Technique later. Just go sloooww. One of those “Red” or “Green” blanks from Surfblanks America will glass up with Epoxy as light as EPS foam. So if I want a Really light board and I am an experienced Polyurethane shaper: Why would I take a chance with EPS other than my desire to be “cool”.
Thanks for the advice Mcding. I’ve been checking the surfboard america website. Good stuff.
FWIW on advice of others far more experienced than me i used the planer for the rail
bands on my #2 shape… kinda scary but not too hard… don’t get me wrong, i managed to
botch plenty of things up but, actually using the planer to do what i wanted, wasn’t as hard
as i had thought… basically, my screw-ups would have happened with planer, sanding block,
sureform, sledgehammer, etc, etc,etc.
i’ve been STUDYING this http://www2.swaylocks.com/node/1018545 before i begin on my
next shape…
Hey guys! That’s just the way it is. As soon as guys like Hobie Alter, Yater, Velzy, Phil and all the guys that came along about the same time or afterwards(I mean to leave no one out) and realized the potential of the “Portable Electric Planer”; Things radically changed. Since then if you are going to hand-shape or finish anything; an electric planer, Skil or Hitachi; has become a permenant slice of the surfboard shaping equasion. So don’t reinvent it, just do it. Go for it. You’ll learn from it.
I use those cans of compressed air you use to dust off computers and stuff. Some people say there’s oil in your compressor that can effect epoxy.
I imagine that happens more with an old compressor. They are alot like a car motor so you piston rings can start to wear and you get oil blow by. Condensation in the tank can also cause water problems. They make filters for both problems. On the other hand, a can of compressed air is waaaayyy cheaper!!! At least for a guy like me who’s only going to build two or three boards a year.
On a different note. I’ve rounded off the sharp edges of my planner. I seem to remember some one say they epoxied the groove in the front shoe. Is that a common mod or one of those anal extra steps.
WOW!! I just read the BillBarnfield thread on rail bands. I haven’t had enough coffee to understand it completely but I know it’s gold. Bill if your out there…Great post!!
Thanks for link chrisp. Between you, originalsin, and Mcding I’m so stoked to start I might start planing my old EPS ice chest.
Pay close attention to the above advice of Mr. McDing, he has given you the ‘‘straight scoop.’’