Anyone ever heard of Walker Foam in Wilmington, CA ??? Is their products worth consideration ??? Tell me what you think, positive or negative.
I think there is going to be a lot of boards made with their foam this summer.
looked through the archives some… sure I did not see it all, but…
so the walker blanks appear to be stronger than clark (presumable superblue).
which clark density is comprable in weight? blue, green, classic…
and how does the walker/clark strength compare in the comprable weight blank?
is there more or less of an over shapping issue with walker (even density, harder deeper)?
I want to build a 10’0" supper tanker (was looking at 10’1"Y, or eps, but now want to know more about walker)
thanks
–4est
Walker is great foam, I only use it for longboards, thier plugs are not very modern and they dont really have anything “close tolerance” you actually have to shape thier foam, it is denser and stronger seemingly, it shapes a bit different and has a different texture. I personally wouldnt use it for shortboards,
Give em a call and ask for JOE.
4est, Weber classic models (Performer, Legend) are made with Walker foam. I do repairs for Weber, and I can attest to the strength of this stuff. I’ve seen boards that have sustained major hits to rocks and jetties that resulted in massive glass damage, but not that much into the foam. It has max density, so expect a very, very heavy board if you’re going to use it. Think twice about 8 or 10 oz glass if weight is a concern. Weber standard glassing for these is double 6 oz on the deck and single on the bottom.
Thanks a bunch. Looks like I’ll be heading down to Walker Foam very shortly and it’s closer too …
Does walker have a website or contact info?
they had a shitty 1 page site for like 5 years , now they have this really cool flash site ive never seen before.
looks as if they are finally getting ready to make a serious attempt.
And what’s even worse is that they are only open Mon - Fri 8am - 4pm …
the website has lots of cool fash but not much else.
looks like they are getting ready to make a go of it,
but not ready for primetime yet.
–4est
Since they don’t have “close tolerance” blanks would you suggest a first time shaper staying away from this? I plan to build a 10’x24"x3.5" supertanker. It will be my small wave board, and my wife’s learn to stand board. If it turns out OK I plan to loan it out as a learner board, so I want it to be pretty tough. That is why I am thinking either Clark supergreen or classic, EPS and now maybe Walker. Weight is not a big issue, but I don’t want it to carry or surf like lead.
Any thoughts regarding first time shaper using Walker or the other options?
If I chicken out and have it CNC’d do those concerns go away? (I’d be the one to hand finish)
thanks
–4est
It will be at least 6x6x6oz epoxy glassed (also my first attempt after some ding repair)
Walker foam is not new, he has been blowing foam since the 60s. Walker stopped making foam for many years. He came back with Clark was having trouble with his foam blowing glass holes. His foam shapes easier and is more uniform. Gene Cooper uses Walker foam only. I have been told by people that know a lot more about it then I do that Walker foam does not have the delam problem that you get with Clark foam. Walker makes two types of foam. One is called oldman foam and is like Clarks Classic. The other I don’t know what it is called is closer to supper green. Good luck.
walker foam is great stuff.
small company. Can get you whatever you want in a few weeks, sometimes less. they do some amazing stringer work. Cooperfish, Tyler and a bunch of other use Walker almost exclusively.
Joe is really cool and will set you up with anything you need. maria is also a treat to chat with. Can’t say enough good things about them.
As far as shaping your first board, I feel that you definitely DO NOT want a closer tolerance blank. Less foam = less room for error. call up up Joe and get a 10’2" blank. lots of room for error for the first timer.
Drew
My thought on the close tolerance 10’1"Y blank was that I would just skin it and shape the rails.
My other thought was more foam means more work, and more chances to screw up?
yes/no/maybe???
–4est
(still in the shadows, been reading on the site for 2-3 months.
My Master Shaping/Glassing DVDs arrive today :).
Should understand the process better after watching.)
Bagman/others,
What do you mean by “foam blowing glass holes?” My last blank was blowing bubbles like " the La Brea Tar Pits." I assumed it was something I was doing. Probably was. Board came out OK in the end, but it was a pain.
The Walker 10’2" is 3 5/8" thick - actually looks fairly close tolerance to what you’re after. They also offer computerized pre-shapes that you might be able to use but I’m not sure if they have a minimum order on those.
A few years back, I want to say like 10 years ago. Almost every shaper using Clark blanks was having problems. What was happening was this. The board would be shaped, the lam coat applyed then the hot coat, after the hot coat dried and was sanded there would be little pin holes in the hot coat. They would put the gloss coat on and the holes would still be there. A lot of the shops just let them go out that way, but most of the shops, and home builders tried to find out what was going on and how to fix it. Everyone went to Clark, and as it turned out Clark had changed his formula. When people said that they thought Clark should pay for the cost of fixing the boards with the problems. Well Clark said I will just close my doors and you can just get your blanks some where else. I have fixed a lot of boards that have little brown spots in them that are from that time fram. I use a pin vice and a small drill. I then draw a circle around the spot, so I will not forget where it is. I then use water clear epoxy and a raizer blade and put a spot of epoxy in the hole and wipe it with the blade. This has worked out quit well. So now you know what I was talking about. I’m not sure this is what was going on with you. I think you were just working the resin and getting it to foam up.
Bagman,
Thats what I thought on the first hotcoat that bubbled. I sanded it down, then reapplied a second. No bubbles until the resin kicked(UV). Bubbles reappeared in the same spots as the first hotcoat. Sanded and applied a third coat. Still some small bubbles, but i’m not doing a fourth. Sealed with acrylic spray paint and surfed it. I assumed it was the resin and/or my technique. Kokua had good suggestions for hotcoating I will follow next time. I wonder, though.
Walker has 3 types of foam, the old man the heavy stuff,the regular, and a performance foam, though lighter still not equal to a clark superlight.