Posted on

The ‘logo’ … applied as a stencil

I add a ‘logo’ to the boards I make … it’s painted (water based kids craft paint) on as a “stencil” which takes about 20 minutes. I usually just have a break while it dries, and then hit it with some clear acrylic spray paint (rattle can stuff from supa cheap auto) to stop any ‘bleeding’ into the resin when I glass.

I decided to start with this method of applying the logo because:

  1. It is cheaper than having logo’s printed onto rice paper, and
  2. I could not print my own onto rice paper because we don’t have a colour injet printer … we have a colour laser printer!
  3. Using UV catalyst, I would have had to have a small batch of mekp catalysed resin to put under the rice paper logo …

So, the simple solution was a ‘stencil’ for painting the ‘logo’ onto the foam.

Posted on

The “Shaping Bay”

shaping bay
Shaping Bay

It all started with planning where I would inish the blanks, spray / paint them, glass and sand … Basically, I needed a shaping bay that I could use for spraying, glassing and sanding.

That’s ended up being in our garden shed … It’s a standard 3m x 3m metal garden shed; not a huge amount of room. With the work bench on one side and the mower, edge trimmer and wheel barrow on the other … it’s a start.

I had a clean up and put up some “walls” with blue tarps, and acquired a few key items needed for the process (i.e. sander, sanding pads, paper, sanding blocks, stringer plane, etc. ) … then put in some ‘adjustable’ lights … and ended up with a ‘peg board’ on the back wall to hang stuff, which I then painted blue for the ‘contrast’ color …

Here’s a couple of pic’s of ‘the bay’:

walls down in the backyard shaping bay
Shaping Bay with blue tarp walls down
the backyard shaping bay with light down and tarp wall rolled up
Shaping bay with lights down and blue tarp wall rolled up
Posted on

Using Technology

AKU Shaper

From my research, it seems computer design software and machine cutting have evolved to a fairly consistent standard. I have a few idea’s for boards (the side effect of being awake for 2 hours every night), and am looking at using AKU Shaper to design them, then get them machine cut before finishing myself. I am stupidly even thinking of doing the glassing myself in our garden shed.

I’m not a shaper, and never profess to be … as history serves my attempt years ago to mow foam happily convinced me to earn money at what I knew and spend $$$ to buy boards … I’m just a surfer with design idea’s looking for a process to bring them to life and think this computer design, machine cut process may just suit my skill … sure, there’s always the user error in the design process, and fuck knows, I’ll end up with a double concave up the nose, speed bump in the deck, or something …

I also kinda like the idea of being able to design a few for, and with, my gidget in years to come … she’s only 7 now, so I have a few years to get this all worked out.

Oh well, here goes … this is going to be some journey; a surfboard design and construction journey.