“I wish them all well and hope they can keep standing!”
Amen, brother! And Bud, sweet flow there.
Sickdog
SurfDing, i totally agree, i dont mean to bash US at all, i guess i did come off a bit harsh. BUT as a laminator it is really hard to make a “first” quality product from flawed materials. especially when it comes to “gassy” foam, nine times out of ten the shapers dont see the areas the will gas out (particularly with plywood stringers) until the end. we cant deliver airy boards back to the shapers so the problems that result from having the blanks gas out means that we have to go back and basically do ding repair on boards that havnt left the shop yet- its a big bummer, plus that cuts into pay checks in an already depressed economy.
i too wish all the foam manufacturers the best, US has the biggest and best catalogue on the market and their “red” formula is second to none, it doesnt soak up too much resin, stays light and flexible and surfs wonderfully. my criticism here is meant to be constructive, and to possibly shed light on an issue so that the people who are able to fix it can take steps to do so. i do not wish any of them ill will and like you “hope they can all keep standing”
garaganafaninca
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SD------------A BIG Amen Brother! Lowel
Some of you may remember that Clark went thru a period of gassing blanks and exploding boards. I don’t remember all the details but it was an issue and they had to correct it and soothe a few shapers and glassers. If it seems to be only occurring in blanks that are stringered with ply; It may be the type of wood ply being used. I don’t know what type of ply is being used here in North America, But the Aussie Foam Manufacturers have always used some type of exotic(can’t remember the type of wood). The ply stringers are really finally catching on over here. Since Clark we’ve seen and shaped alot of ply stringered blanks. Shapers here in the US have gotten used to them and are starting to request ply T-bands. They look good, have good spring/flex qualities and are super strong. Some types of wood are just more prone to gassing. For instance redwood. Lowel
Before the current trend in ply some of us were doing what is called ‘paralams’…this was the 80’s. Two 1/12th’s to make a sixth and so on. Strong break ressistant boards. 3 1/'8’s glued up with colored glue to show off what it was. Take it out at Pipeline…etc.
Mike (Surfding) has the right attitude. We gotta support our suppliers by giving constructive feedback, adapting creative problem solving for minor flaws, and paying on time.
Pray for surf daily.
DS------------When I was on the Mainland(Pismo/AG) I usually requested the two-ply basswood from Clark for shortboards, three-ply basswood t-bands for longboards. They were strong but there’s no such thing as un-snappable. I actually think mixing the types of wood is better(ie. Ply). They used to tell us in high school wood shop that even a “glue-line” was stronger than everything around it. Lowel
Bud----You can “Fast’n’Final” spackle those holes and then lightly screen them with a block. Let it dry overnight before you screen though to be sure it is good and dry. Otherwise it will smear. Use your finger and only apply the spackle directly to the hole, not the surrounding area. I have done that with many of the “inferior” blanks that were immediatly available after Clark’s demise. If done right it is not noticeable unless you are specifcally looking for it. Lowel
Yeah Thanks for the tip Lowel! And I want to say that I didn’t mean for my post to turn this thread into a gripefest on USB foam - besides a few minor cosmetic flaws once in a while, I am STOKED on the products, price and service I get from the people who sell me USBlanks here on Oahu.
Most blanks even “1st” have minor pinholes etc. Usually they shape out. Sometimes you don’t see them until you have taken foam off and exsposed the imperfections. I have shaped quite a few US Blanks and the only comment I have is “very similar to Clark” only a bit harder. I prefer their competitor Surfblanks, but that is personal preferance. Lowel