I was wanting to tweak the wings on a finless epoxy board and am looking for something that is easy enough to shape into a rounded contour but not too difficult to remove. I’d considered surfboard wax, but am sure there are better ideas. Any thoughts are welcomed.
Bondo.
Spackle or “Hot Mud”. Hot Mud is a powder that is mixed with water to just about any desired thickness. It is a drywall product. Each bag is labeled based on set time. One company makes 5 - 20 - 45 and 60 minute mud. Hamilton’s and USG both make hot mud. Found in the drywall section at Loews or Home Depot. Only comes in bags, I think 20#s or so. More than you’ll need for surfboard stuff, but who knows you may put your fist through the Sheetrock wall some night and need to repair it. You can mix it super thick, which makes it very moldable. My experience has been that 40 minute sets fast enough(usually quicker than 40 minutes). Once it has set hard, it is very sandable. If you do use Hot Mud; Get back to me and I’ll give you a few tips on mixing, sanding etc. if you use it on a rail and dont like what you’ve done; it can usually be removed by simply breaking it off. Lowel
Many thanks, will do.
If it’s not primered, painted or waterproofed in some way; Water will dissolve it. It bonds well enough for temporary use, but can be removed easily. My experience with it is that the shorter the set time, the harder it sands. The 40 or 45 minute sets in as little as 25–30 minutes. It is sandable after a few hours. It changes color as it sets. The color gets lighter as it hardens. When I mix it, I like to mix it in a drywall tray. A couple of handfuls of powder and then just a little water. If you get it too soupy, you can always add more powder to thicken. You can get it thick like you would Qcell. You can use 1 1/2" masking tape to make a mold on the rail. Sticks ok to foam. Not so good to fiberglass. Another product that can be used in the same manner is; Durham’s Rock Hard.
I think a lightweight autobody filler would be the best. Not sure how heavy the glass filled bondo is. I used a lightweight filler before and I thought it could be used for the same thing, testing contours on the bottom and rails. Just make sure there are no pin holes where you put the bondo.
I’ll be tesing the board over the next week and will see if I need to modify. At this stage I have spackle and plasticine at hand.
I’ll be tesing the board over the next week and will see if I need to modify. At this stage I have spackle and plasticine at hand.