This is the first board I’ve ever shaped and glassed. I tried a foam stain but it came out horribly so I tried to sand it off the blank but the paint was still stained into the foam. I also have sharpie lines on the blank that wouldn’t sand off. Being impatient, I laminated the board with the paint and sharpie marks still on the foam, as I was planning on spray painting the board. But after some reading, I heard that painting on the hotcoat won’t give me a durable and long lasting color job. So now I don’t know what to do. Currently, I’m leaning towards the idea of a very opague pigmented white hotcoat to cover everything up as it seems the opague white will last for a very long time… What are your guy’s opinions on the idea I’m thinking of and if you guys have any suggestions of your own, I will be more than happy to hear them!
I’d finish the board in clear and incorporate the existing color into Posca/water color mural. Embrace your imperfections because after all, this isn’t a retail board, it’s a backyard board. Don’t worry about durable and long lasting on this one. Just surf this one for what it is and don’t fret about what it isn’t. Your first board is usually going to be about getting your feet wet. Instead, start planning for your next board.
As McDing says, “shape comes first”. Meaning, that should be where most of your focus should be right now - getting the cleanest shape and the cleanest basic glass job you can. The Look-At-Me cosmetics come later, after you have a handle on how to build a board.
Thanks for the advice. I’ll settle for a clear hot coat then. What’s the best way to make a template to get the cleanest shape for my next board?
How did you make the template you used for this one?
I was really careless so I measured from the stringer and made dots and connected them without a template, hence the crooked outline. What method or application do you recommend I use to trace out templates?
I haven’t made a hard template in years (I do my designs in Boardcad), but I’d still suggest you make a few hard templates in order to learn how to blend your curves. Here’s a vid showing one way to make a template. It’s not the only way and it arguably isn’t the best way but the overall process will work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMM_bg8bS1A&feature=emb_logo
After you make the template and smooth the curves out, you can lay it down on a sidewalk or a patio and trace it out in chalk (do both sides). That gives you a life-sized outline you can eyeball from different angles and even stand on to better envision what this template will look like when you cut your blank with it. If you don’t like the widths or the curve you can just tweak what you have or start over. These only cost a couple dollars apiece to make, so if you don’t like it the first time then just move on and do another one until you get the shape you want.
Just remember, it’s all about the curve. You’re shooting for a nice clean curve with no flat spots or bumps. Work clean to get clean. Don’t rush it thinking you can fix a problem in the next step - it doesn’t work that way. Also, don’t be a slave to the numbers. Not all combinations of widths and lengths will result in a nice curve.
Thanks gdaddy, I appreciate all the help man!
Join the crowd. Everybody on Sways does a radical color job on their first board and screws it up. A flexible straight edge and Masonite
Neither the wobbly outline or the botched color job will have any effect on the way the board surfs , wax it ride it , have fun , learn from your mistakes .
…Gbsauza; for sure that not clean outline will not perform the best and introduce other factors like friction and kind of cavitation.
—when make a template; put all the effort on that; the shaping will be easier and you will develop an eye to find pure curves.
Regarding the color problem. Sand the hot coat, then masking tape at 2 inches from outline all over and do a resin panel all over the rails; after kick remove the tape. Now masking tape to do couple of panels on the deck in another color; complete the deck with another shape panel (let 1 inch between each panel to ease the eye and to have a “context”)
Do similar on the bottom.
Will be a bit heavier, but not so mich if you sanded previous hot coat.
After all that, just slight sand all those panels and put a gloss coat all over; then polish.
Other option, but is way more heavy is sand over all the bottom and rails hot coat to the fiberglass, then apply another fiberglass layer (masking tape the deck rails before) and do an acid splash with different colors: in your case could be 3 shades of grey; a bit of white and a dash of black and purple.
With the deck you can do the same (heavy side) or you can spray the sanded hot coat with a color then spray over with clear. You have most of the scratches on the rails and bottom and that would not be a problem scratching the color because is in the resin…
Like others have said, just embrace it man. Everyone (including me) who does their first board has the idea they want it to be beautiful and perfect and have a rad color job. Almost 99% of the time it ends up looking like yours, mine sure did, sharpie marks and all. In the end I just clear coated it, embraced it, and rode the board. Wax covered most of the ugly on the deck and it ended up looking pretty cool anyhow. Yeah paint won’t last forever, but if you really want to cover up the ugly just paint it anyhow, it’ll chip and flake and wear off over time, who cares? It’s your first board, you did a great job, now go have fun and laugh with your buddies about all the mistakes.
Sand it to 320 with an orbital sander. The idea is you are sanding the upper layer of resin, not burning through the fiber, so have a light touch. Set up a tape line at the middle point going around the outer edge of the board. Mix up some Opaque Resin tint into your hot coat. I use sanding resin for this others probably use somthing else. Have fun with it. If you are fast, you can mix up two colors and have a swirl effect. or keep it one color. The Resin will self level like you could put drops of another color or two and as long as they are all still fresh enough, they will level out with each other. I like to put two coats when resin coloring a board. One right on top of the other just as it gels, but I’m not so concerned with weight and I don’t want to have any burn throughs. Peel off the tape before things get to hard. Once the Top is done, flip it tape it and do the bottom. After that, I like to then tape off the Rails wrapping an inch or so onto the decks and then give the rails an extra coat or two. I’m sanding anyways and I’ll blend everything. I agree with you. Right now that looks like a nerdstick. Definitely not going to pull any hot babes with that under your arm.
Dand that hot coat and make it an art project with Posca pens. Then finsih coat the art work. Have fun with it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRYzb-_nWgc
your board is a perfect starting point for experimenting with epoxy and colors. You will add 1-2 pounds in weight,
Here is my neighbors board brought to me to make “safe” for their kids. PU foam and PE glass job from the 90’s. The cool part was I got to save the logo.
you can do this!!! I recommend a quality surfboard epoxy resin, I you have access to green room, No 7 resin and regular fast hardener will get you there. It holds pigment colors exceptionally well, sands easily. After color is on, sand and final coat with clear epoxy resin then sand again . I am not an expert with glassing or color work but the quality resin made up for my abilities.
If you live on oahu i would be happy to assit you
Nice Job, How you do the Stippling effect?
Hi Behslayer,
Had to look up stippling effect. etiher way it is purley by accident. Was using greenroom resins with west coast fast hardener. A quality epoxy resine will hold colors and greenroom resin has the best finish properties as in clean, no pocks or pimples. Makes for easier sanding and taking to final finish.If you lkook on instagram “resin art” you can see tecniques to fill a container with different layers of resins colors and then dump out using pouring techniques to make certain effects. This is how mine came out and I claim no control of the process. I would sand yours with 100 then add color resins, sand to shape again and final coat with clear epoxsy. Properly protect fin box with resin application. Make sure to post your result. Still saveable in my opinion