Garage Works - 12/6/2023

I stayed home this afternoon because I wanted to get the fill coats on these two boards.  First up was sanding the box fill.  Here are both all sanded flush.

And I also got the under epoxy decals on.

This was a big Jolly Roger.

I used a total of 7.7 + 3.5 ounces of aluzine epoxy to get the fill coats on both the boards.

As I am writing this, I'm actually contemplating going back out and getting the fill coat on the top deck also.  That way I can sand tomorrow (if I don't get distracted).

EDIT: I got the top deck fill coat on.

And I added some epoxy to the tip of this fin to repair a chip (that was on it when it when I received it).  I'll file the excess off then sand (sand, and sand some more).

Garage Works, Part 2 - 9/4/2023

The epoxy from this morning was ready to sand this evening - so I just went that route (top deck fill coat).  I actually sanded the perimeter of the bottom deck just to see what low spots may have been sneaking through the filling.

I got the sole top deck logo that will sit under epoxy and got the top deck fill coat on.

This should turn out really nice!

I even placed carbon in the spot where I had sanded through the high spots.

And since I had some carbon laying around, I got the bottom of Roland's Hyper 190 laminated.  I put 4 layers of carbon with one overlapping the middle section.

This is really an experiment - I'm not sure where the cracks are.  I figure there is nothing to lose...  I'll have to sand and address the area behind the foil also (can feel something going on there) - Roland actually pointed out Uni changed the way the new foils are built out - they have flanges now (90 degree points are bad on foils... they are shear points).

Garage Works - 9/4/2023

When I got home, La was working on one of her projects - so I went ahead and got No.32 sanded.  I got both the top and bottom sanded.  

There were some low spots, and some areas that needed a little bit of carbon, so I went ahead and prepped the board for another fill coat.

I got the logos sorted out and stuck on.  Then I put 6.3 ounces on in two batches (4.9 and 1.4) to make sure I got sufficient coverage over the logos.

I'll try and sand the overage this evening, add the top deck logos and get the final (hopefully) fill coat on.  If the epoxy from this morning is not hard enough to sand well, I'll shift to drilling out the holes for the vent and leash plug (probably a better call - then I'll just sand and get the top deck fill on tomorrow).

I'm getting excited to try this one out!

Garage Works - 8/20/2023

This evening I got Ken's longboard back to him (whew) and I cleared using the Cabrinha H800 for a little longer provided I fix some of the scratches.

Then I waited for the sun to go down (while cooking dinner) and then sanded the laps on No.32

Through the sanding process, I found a few spots that needed to be addressed with epoxy.

This spot had an air bubble when the carbon was setting up.  I cut the fabric to get an approach to the loose area, chopped a few lengths of carbon fiber, then epoxied under the fabric and layered the carbon strands over it.

I had a couple of openings closer to the boxes.  A little epoxy and these should be resolved.

And lastly, I added some fill resin where the bottom deck logo sticker will go.  I'll sand it down a bit tomorrow, then apply the decal, and place the remainder of the fill coat then.

I think tomorrow's workload will include preparing the top deck laminate, and getting it in place with epoxy.  I'll have to cut out the deck patches and cover the foot strap inserts.

Fill Coats on No.25

I got the labels on and both the bottom and top fill coats on the new board today.

I can see a couple of spots that will likely need filling after I sand the board.  I'm going to wait a day or so to give the epoxy a chance to cure up some before I hit it with the sander.

Tomorrow I'll cut out some deck pad to get them ready for installation.  I'll likely sand this on Thursday (probably getting one final fill coat on after - then sand again and get through the fine grits).  I am still shooting for getting this board in the water this weekend.

Pigfish Top Lamination

Yesterday afternoon I grinded the bottom deck laps, then in the evening I got the top lamination on.  There were some irregularity areas from my grinding the bottom laminate laps - so I filled them with cabosil/epoxy before laminating the top layers of fiberglass on.

If I didn't mention it on the last post, I'm doing double 6's on both sides.  Nothing wrong with a little bit of weight if it'll get you a ton of durability.  It's not like I'm going to do a bunch of air-360's anyways so why not go a bit heavier (we're talking ounces not pounds).

The labels came out nice if I do say so myself.

Next post is the lap grinding.

Logo for the New Surfboard

Here's the model logo for the asymmetric fish I'm working on - I give you the "Pigfish"!

Because it is half a pig, and half a fish.  Now glassing can commence (oh yeah - I love glassing - yeah said with extreme sarcasm).

Labels Printed

I got these printed out this past Wednesday evening.  Running the rice paper through an ink jet printer takes a little patience.

But the results are worth it!

Lele pua'a is "Flying Pig" in Hawaiian

Building Boards is Not All Blood, Sweat and Tears...

It's also some desk jockey computer work.  Gotta have cool labels on your boards.  Note the "Flying Pig"

And you also have to design the templates for your boards.

This template is for a 4'6" kitefoil board that I'll cut out of plywood, glass and then slap on the kite foil I just started working on.  Now I have to cut out some rice paper and run these through La's inkjet printer.