The problem: I’m not quite sure how to do the final sanding of the blank. So after I’ve blended the major “kinks” out with sanding blocks and screened the rails, what’s the best way to go about smoothing everything out before glassing?
I tried using a very large foam pad with some 220 grit screen. Don’t seem to be making much progress, and I’ve even gouged a few little lines/pits in some areas. Should I maybe start with a coarser grit? I know my technique sucks too, so any advice? Maybe a pointer to a good video showing how it’s done?
When people use these large foam pads with sanding screen, do they go along the rails too? Like, cup it in your hand with the rail profile and just run it along the whole rail?
Sorry if these are “duh” questions. I’m shaping alone.
(Also, I put a heat gun on a stubborn little dent for too long, and the area turned yellow and caved in a little bit. So now I have a “pressure dent” on the deck already. That’s when I quit and went home LOL)
Some of my ancient/primitive sanding methods still in use. My final foam shaping grit is 150 — gives some minor scored surface for improved resin bonding. For uniform smoothing, I pull towards me for the full length of the board.
I use a chunk of flat XPS foam for smoothing my non-contoured deck and bottom surfaces.
For final rail smoothing, I hold a piece of sandpaper between my hands like I would with a cloth to polish my shoes. Again I pull the sandpaper toward me — with just enough pressure — for the entire length of the rail profile, adapting to the changing curve.
I’m sure others will have more exotic input than mine.
(The blank in the picture is a long way from final sanding.)
Screen the whole blank. Take the stringer down with a mini plane and then screen the foam flush along the stringer using a hard block and screen. Make yourself an 11” block padded with with yoga mat. Wrap sanding screen around it and screen the whole blank. Then using an 8 1/2”x11” piece of 1” or 1 1/2” foam screen the rails and curved surfaces. On the very last strokes along the rail use just screen pulled across the entire rail. I start with a coarse grit of screen and go to finer grits at the end. 120 —150 and then go to 220 —320#. You need to do a little Google . There are plenty of videos on finishing a blank. The process for EPS is a little different. Check out Greg Loehr’s videos for that process.
