September 29, 2008

The Baby is Born: Displacement Hull Surfboard



All done! Wow, quite an experience! Definitely learned a lot and found a whole new level of respect for all those shapers out there that do this for a living. Kudos to all you guys.

Ready to take it out!! I'll post some pictures as soon as I find someone to sit there and take some photos of me. Bummer it's really small here in SoCal right now.

Polishing


Not much to say here. Not much fun. Wet sanded with 240 grit, then 400 grit and finally 600 grit. Although after sanding away that shininess, it was cool to see it come back once I started polishing it with the compound.

The only thing I might of done differently is wearing gloves while hand sanding. I didn't wear them sanding the gloss because I wasn't concerned with the glass ichies. But I ended up sanding some of the skin off my finger tips.

The Icing on the Cake






Sanding is all done and now goes on the gloss.

Here is the Gloss Mix:

Gloss Resin: 24oz
Catalyst: 15cc
SA: None
Pigment: None
Env Temp: 73 F

It kicked about in about 15 minutes. It looks like candy right now - shiny and all. Hopefully it will stay like that when I polish it.

No more sanding please!


I am getting a little tired of sanding. It has been a little frustrating for me only because I keep on sanding a little too much. You'll notice at the tip of the board that I sanded the black off. Jeeeeez! Got to do more touch-up work.



Here is a picture of the leash loop that I just glassed on. As you can tell, it needs some SANDING. Jeeeeez. Anway, I am pretty excited about this because this is going to be the first board I own with a glassed on leash loop. All my other boards have that drill through fin box thingy. That is nice and all, but wanted to try something different. I hope the placement is correct and won't get in the way.

September 24, 2008

Bing Resurrection


This is one of my favorite boards - The Bing Resurrection shaped by Matt Calvani and designed by Ken Mockett at Icons of Surf. Black Resin tint top and bottom w/ red pinline design and moon tail.

Length 9.6
Width: 23 1/2
Nose: 16
Tail: 17
Thickness: 2 2/3

Combining the traditional "PIG" outline with a modern nose concave and half-moon scooped vee bottom tail, this board looks like a retro pig but surfs like a modern single-fin. I'll post some full view shot when I have a chance.

Here are some shots of the most current.






I think I am getting pretty close in completing the board. This weekend I will be doing some final sanding and then to the gloss. If all goes well, I'll be surfing this board soon. Can't wait!

September 23, 2008

The Lonely Soul



This is a new art piece I created called - The Lonely Soul.

September 22, 2008

My Desk in the Garage

Adding the Last Pigment Color


Get the Fin Box In.




I made this template using some left over pegboard and raising it up a tad using some left over balsa. The cut went well. No problems cutting the hole. I used a 1/4 inch router bit with the DeWalt router. Had to make the template pretty low because the bit I used wasn't long enough to cut out a 1 1/8 inch hole.

I needed to do shallow cuts. Probably a 1/4 of an inch at a time. It was weird, any deeper than that, the sound it made was intolerable although it cut just fine.

Coming Soon - Displacement



A new film coming out by Alex Kopps. Looks like it will be pretty good. Can't wait. You can also check out the website at DisplacementFilm.com.

Ready to Sand


September 21, 2008

Displacement Hull


Here is an image that gives you an idea of the curvature of the bottom hull.

September 18, 2008

Icons of Surf Website


So I just finished programming and designing the new website for Ken Mockett over at Icons of Surf a few weeks ago and thought you might want to check it out. They have a great selection of boards , clothing and accessories. Hope you like it Ken!

I'll post some photos of the shop when I have a chance.

Website: http://IconsofSurf.com/

September 17, 2008

Thomas Campbell


The great artist, photographer, filmmaker and writer now has his website up at http://thomascampbell-art.com/. Check it out. His artistic imagination is absolutely amazing. My wife and I are one of the lucky ones to get their hands on a Michel Junod board with artwork by Thomas Campbell. My wife says it's hers, but I like to think of it as ours!

September 15, 2008

Ever wonder what's under the water?

A circus of course!
This is a piece I did super-imposing some images together.


Reflection

All in all the kick times seemed alright. Freaked out a little bit at first only because I didn't know what to expect. I would kick it slower next time as the lam job started to gel a little and would of like to work the lap tucks better. It started to gel in less than 10 minutes. After I was done with what I needed to do, I used a heater to cure the lam and hotcoat faster.




The kick time for the hotcoat was fine. Just noting that it had 3 teaspoons of pigment in it, the kick times would be faster if there was no pigment. After reading some threads, I think I did the lam job too thin where the glass looked dry. This is why I think I got pits and zits in the hotcoat.

I probably should have installed the fin box after the lamination, but I think I will do it before the gloss coat. Plus I am trying to spread out my spending. I still need to get a 1/4 inch router bit, a router template bushing and make myself a template.

So having said all that, now I'm ready for some sanding. Kind of dreading this part... But Jason over at ClipsAndFasteners.com gave me an awesome deal (like always) on a DeWalt 7” /9” Heavy-Duty Electronic Variable Speed Polisher! Should make things easier. I will keep you updated.

September 14, 2008

So So Shiny!





Hotcoated the other side. Love the drippies - except when it's on my skin.

I knew glassing was a messy job, but geeze! Definitely need a drip tray for the next glass job. The stuff tracks everywhere - And you were laughing at my floor lining.

It's Hotcoat Time!!!





It turned out to be a lot easier than laminating. I ended up using 3 teaspoons of white pigment to get it a little more opaque. Seems to be just the right amount.

Here is the Hotcoat Mix:

Resin: 32oz
Catalyst: 25cc
SA: 10cc
Pigment: 3 teapoons
Env Temp: 76 F

Another Photo Before Hotcoating

What a Mess!

Who spilled the milk?


This isn't what you think it is. And no, I am not lactating!

I should call this board "The Nipple".
Hmmm - From this point forward, it shall be called THE NIPPLE!!!
Jason, stop salivating!

Lamination Complete

Laps cut and finally ready to move on to the hotcoat. I think I should of used more pigment in the lamination resin. I only used one teaspoon and it still looks transparent. Maybe with a white haze.

Cutting the Laps


After the lamination hardened (still tacky - maybe 3/4 way cured), I started cutting the lapsThis is what the cut laps looked like.

Now masking the laps for the other side.

Laminating the Bottom



Alright, the bottom lamination is all done. Sorry I didn't take pictures as I don't have anyone to take my action shots.

Anyways, the idiot I am.... I wasn't wearing a shirt and those wonderful resin drips that fell all over my arm, started burning! Enduring the pain until I finished, I ran over to the acetone to clean the drips off. Again, idiot.... Come to find out that acetone takes everything dissolved in it right into your bloodstream, through your skin!!! Hopefully I'll survive.

Here is what I mixed up for the resin:
Resin: 40oz
Catalyst: 10cc
Pigment: 1 teapoon (white)
Env Temp: 76 F

After laminating, it didn't seem like it was gelling like it was suppose too. Like I would really know - I have never done this before. After reading all those threads regarding the resin not kicking, I started to get a little concerned that it would never harden. But, it was doing what it was suppose too. It wouldn't be burning my arm if it wasn't. Just to be sure, I ended up bringing down a heater to elevate the temperature a bit. It probably got to about 79 degrees.

Glassing Prep

4 oz E glass trimmed and ready to go. 1 layer for the bottom and 2 x 4 oz for the deck.


I actually used a laser printer on the rice paper instead of an ink-jet. It would of worked better if i would of used a better laser. Mine didn't print blacks too well - weird since it's only a black and white printer.



Here is the resin with white pigment added to the one on the right. The left one is there just in case I need to mix more in a hurry.

Preparing for the Laps


Here is the lap line drawn out using that contraption magigi.

Masked the lap with some good 3M tape.



All Covered Up.

Ready to start glassing.!!!