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Hey guys,
so over the last few months I have been really interested in trying to make a board. I have been looking into it a lot and looking at designs, fluid dynamic, rockers, volumes, lengths, fins and how it all affects a board. i have been thinking of making a retro looking volumed quad fish..... now i know its probably not the easiest board to make but i just love the old style and speed you can get out of this sort of board. it suits my favourite beachy i ride and i have some time to kill over the uni holidays.
i have a few questions for those who have dabbled in it a bit (im trying to keep it as less problematic as possible)
- should i buy a pre shaped blank? e.g http://www.surfblanksaustralia.com/shop-online/shop/machined-blank-pdf/fish/50-fish-401-402-403-404-405-406-407-408-409-detail
- whats resin tinting like? im fond of bright orange
- have you used rice paper printing to put images in under the hot coat?
- should i put fin boxes in or make my own fins? i know it wont be easy but i feel like they would be nice to look at if it rides like mule when i put in on the wall 
im sure i will have more questions when it comes to dishing out dollars in a few weeks but that's kind of my concerns at the moment. i figure the less shaping i do on the first blank the better and the less to go wrong.
cheers,
mitch
1. have some fun. learn to use a planer. dont bother with a preshape.
2. tints are easy. use a strainer to get the lumps out before you catalyse, an u can use UV catalyst on the lam resin with tints. tone it plenty before.
3. i've used silk paper but yeah design ur logo on the computer and just run it through ur printer. make sure u do a test panel first to check the ink doesnt bleed. Do the lam/logo under the glass or between 2 layers of glass.
4. FCS boxes are easy, u just need a hole saw. look for the youtube instructionals.
5. make some good shaping racks, set up some shaping lights and buy some shapers pads and your away.
dont over think it just get in there and do it.
- should i buy a pre shaped blank? e.g http://www.surfblanksaustralia.com/shop-online/shop/machined-blank-pdf/fish/50-fish-401-402-403-404-405-406-407-408-409-detail - I personally wouldnt bother depending on where you live you can 2 blanks for the same price
- whats resin tinting like? im fond of bright orange - You just adding pigment to the resin, it can effect gel times and generally won't work as well with solarrez depending on the colour. You can paint the blank with water based acrylic its easier and MR does it so it can't be all bad
- have you used rice paper printing to put images in under the hot coat? - yes its pretty easy you can just use sticky spray to stick the rice paper onto a sheet of A4 and run it through the printer. The INK you get from your printer will fade over time. If you pay $60 surfdecals.com will print your design out as many times as you can get on an A3 and they use UV resistant ink
- should i put fin boxes in or make my own fins? i know it wont be easy but i feel like they would be nice to look at if it rides like mule when i put in on the wall - Making fins is on par with making a board save yourself some heart ache and put boxs in
Its a very rewarding experience and quite adictive if you ask me. By all means do as much as you can yourself but if you keen to save some mess and potential disaster get someone else to glass it and then sand it yourself. You will avoid a horrible sticky mess and the stinky smell and red eyes that resin gives. Its really not that much more once cost wise good luck and report back!!
It's a messy project. I've made a few boards. My advice would be to not plan to much and just wing it. Shape the blank yourself for sure. That's the best part in my opinion even make your own fins. Good luck.
Thanks Bertie! I don't have any tools for it as yet, but im sure I could find some around town. and that sounds easy with the UV resin. I assume that's to give it plenty of time to get it right before it sets? oh nice. silk paper sounds the go. have you ever had any issues putting those under the glass in regards to delamination or does it stick well?
have you every painted your finished blank? and are you glassing 6 on the bottom and 4+4 on top? i want an 'indestructible' board to ride into some of the heavier waves here
It will be a lot of fun id imagine. I cant wait.
Tux I live 2 hours away from Torquay in Vic so i was thinking i might be able to go there to get blanks. i was thinking of painting the deck but i was thinking that it might affect the durability. resin sounds easier and i guess it will probably look better ( unsure haha). i will look into the surf decals.
this was the last one i glassed. Acrylic paint foam stain on the deck, resin tints on the bottom. Only use pigments with MEKP.
As for the UV catalyst only use it for the Lam, not the hotcoat. When used on the hotcoat it get too brittle and can lead to lots of spider cracking. Use MEKP instead.
this board was 4oz on the bottom with a fin patch and 4 +4oz on the deck.
the trick with the painting the deck is to keep the paint thin. Then u have no durability issues.
As per www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Surfing/Longboarding/Save-some-dough/
30% off at shapers right now if you spend more than $100. www.shapers.com.au
just use 30sale as the code at the checkout.
these guys are good for microplanes, squeegees and sanding pads and papers.
Get on it Mitch!
