No, this thread isnt to expound on the many blessings and contributions Clark foam has made or been the foundation of. Undoubtedly Clark foam is not only a historical institution to Southern California, but is an American icon that has gone the way of Indian motorcycles and other great products. Having said that…“THINGS CHANGE”…Move over ancient technology and let the sun shine in. I dont mean to cheer at the funeral or ignore the job loss of my surfing/shaping/glassing brethren, not at all, but I am excited to see what could be. Will Walker, or Aussie, or even Chinese foam fill the void before a new and hopefully better product can satisfy the market?? Guess we’ll see. I wonder how many people are scrambling to jump in?? I know Ive thought about it…have YOU?
Yes, I’ve thought about it. Several sources are stepping into the breach. And there are sources setting up “Off-Shore”, as we speak, but I can’t tell you who. Confidentiality issues. In my opinion, things will return to some- thing akin to “normal” fairly quickly. Though not quickly enough to avert disaster to some of the small, and I might add, talented shaper/designer/builders. That is the real loss to the industry. They tend to be the creative source of design, and innovation.
Howzit aquafiend, In a story in the Honolulu Advertser they called Clark the last bastion of American industry. Aloha,Kokua
Bastion of American industry…sounds like a Bush speech.
“Clark the last bastion of American industry”
Hey Kokua.
I wonder how true that really is. Pretty sad. How did this happen?? Was it the greed of the far right?? Or the greed of the far left?? Everyone seems to want something that suits there own agenda at the expense of the majority in the middle. Sorry not trying to be political…Just bummed. On the other hand…whats cookin?? I think Bill is right and it will settle back to similar form, but in the mean time alternative (superior??) solutions will get a chance to strut thier stuff. Too bad we didnt see it coming. The alternative guys coulda prepared for it and made stronger showing.
Howzit aquafiend, Actually I hope that there are more bastions of American Industry out there. The US has always been one of the leaders in technology brainstorming and we as a nation need to get our s#@t together before it’s to late. Labor wages in the US are a driving force that has done more bad then good. Sure we all want to make a lot of money and have toys and such but every time Unions would go on strike to get pay raises the company has to raise their prices to meet the pay rolls. It’s a never ending cycle that is turning us into a buying country instead of a manufacturing country, but that is in jepordy. G.M laying off all those workers is an omen of whats to come in the future. what will eventually happen is we stop making products and the work force is depleted and then we start losing our buying power and then before you know it we become a second or third world country who only makes smart bombs and military arms which in turn we end up selling to other countries. Look at the workers who are taking pay cuts just to keep their jobs, pentions being cut or eliminated completely. I feel for the younger generations because things in this world are going through changes and who knows what the future holds for them,good things I hope but it’s a big question mark in my mind. Aloha,Kokua
Colt and Winchester firearms.
Harley Davidson motorcycles.
Cadillac cars.
Coca Cola and Mc Donald’s beverages and foods.
John Wayne westerns.
Bob Dylan’s songs.
President John Kennedy.
Clark Foam surfboard blanks.
Colt and Winchester firearms.
Harley Davidson motorcycles.
Cadillac cars.
Coca Cola and Mc Donald’s beverages and foods.
John Wayne westerns.
Bob Dylan’s songs.
President John Kennedy.
Clark Foam surfboard blanks.
and Tom Curren
cmon guys,
this is a board building forum.. everyone makes something on thier boards... fins, glassing etc.. how about foam? cant a few of you get a whole bunch of discussions and info on actually making BLANKS? why is it that noone is making thier own pu foam? please explain..
called Clark the last bastion of American industry
By american industry do they mean environmentaly irresponsable in order to make few dollars?
If so i think America has plenty bastions left.
why is it that no-one is making their own pu foam?
please explain…
First, becuase few have built there own blanks. It is funny how so many people complain about Clark being a blank that pollutes. How much waste do you have with a Clark blank compared to a PU blank?
An other factor is the type of foam. Not all foams are created equal. You do not want a foam that might shrink!, delam!, etc! When you start buying the new blanks be sure they have a history of quality foam.
It took Clark decades to perfect a good surfboard foam. He provided close tolerance blanks(little waste). Custom stringer that turn an ordinary surfboard into a master piece.
Thank you for the ride!
Anthony
Colt and Winchester firearms.
Harley Davidson motorcycles.
Cadillac cars.
Coca Cola and Mc Donald’s beverages and foods.
John Wayne westerns.
Bob Dylan’s songs.
President John Kennedy.
Clark Foam surfboard blanks.
I think that Dylan would have been pissed to be lumped with that group.
I’ve heard enough about rape report news and gang shootings
The military, pornography and tall narrow buildings
I’m tired of being told to listen to my “cock”
and I’m not ignoring the problem, just refusing to succumb
to absent agendas and american legends who won’t leave young men alone
who say
it’s ok to be angry if need be
emotion is ok as long as you hide it
“gay” in a negative light
The x, y coordinates of my t.v. upbringing tell me that all I’m saying is wrong
but I refuse to let my generation keep this evil alive.
Quote:I think that Dylan would have been pissed to be lumped with that group.
You’re probably right. But I’m a foreigner, you know. This was just my vision of the States as a foreigner. Many different things and individuals making something unique.
You don’t decide to become a legend or not. You just become one. Dylan IS a legend, whether he likes it or not won’t change that simple fact. As a legend, he goes side by side with other legends that he may or may not like.
“…WOULD have been pissed…”??? Is he dead?
“First, becuase few have built there own blanks.”
ok true but how many of you come here because your building your first surfboard?
cmon surely we can get a big discussion going on how to make our own pu blanks… or has everyone given up and switched to eps already?
Quote:Quote:I think that Dylan would have been pissed to be lumped with that group.
You’re probably right. But I’m a foreigner, you know. This was just my vision of the States as a foreigner. Many different things and individuals making something unique.
You don’t decide to become a legend or not. You just become one. Dylan IS a legend, whether he likes it or not won’t change that simple fact. As a legend, he goes side by side with other legends that he may or may not like.
“…WOULD have been pissed…”??? Is he dead?
sorry about the wording. Bob, if you’re reading this, I apologize.
Feraldave, that’s a topic that we have discussed last year on www.shaperoom.net. Many “beginners” were asking for a recipe in order to make their own blanks. Now, Shaperoom’s webmaster, McFly, had just been working for a few months with “Roro” at SURFOAM, Hossegor. This is what he had to say (translated):
"OK, let’s go for some advice… but I must warn you, this is a crazy, if not dangerous, idea…
1)In order to obtain a homogeneous mix, polyol and isocyanate must be brought to a temperature of about 40°C to make them more fluid. The mix should be done in a bucket and you will have to fix some sort of mixer with three propeller-shaped blades set at different heights. Those blades should be wide enough so as to scrape the bucket walls.
2)The pour has to be done in one shot and correct spreading into the mould is critical: it has to be continuous and to follow a very precise path, making sure not to pour too far from rails, or you will run into density problems.
3)First, you have to find the one polyol that will match the desired density and different volumes of mix matching different density grades (i.e. “superlight”, “superblue”, “supergreen” in Clark grades).
4)You should also pay attention to optimal mould temperature during the blowing phase, constantly check hygrometry…
5)Last but not least, you must protect yourself: wear a very very good mask, gloves, outfit."
So, yes, pouring your own foam CAN be done. BUT…