A Guided Tour Through Foam E-Z's Shop!

We put this video together to try to give everyone a better idea of what our shop looks and feels like. In addition, we wanted to put some faces with the voices and emails for the Guys at the shop (Grant and RadRob). Foam E-Z is housed in a 1200sq foot retail shop/warehouse here in North Orange County, Southern California.

Aloha Glassing is a large professional glass shop just adjacent to our shop that can meet all your glassing needs, if that's what you desire. There are a number of professional shapers (Minchinton, Bettis, Stamps, and more) making surfboards in our business complex and they are always more than courteous to give advice or answer some shaping questions. Ding Repair is another service available at our location.

So as you can see we are full service providing all the tools, materials, knowledge, and a professional shaping room to build your own board (B.Y.O.B.) all under one roof. For more information on the EZ Shaping Box view the video in the blog. If you decide that you only want to shape your own board (S.Y.O.B.) and want it professionally glassed we can provide that service for you right next door.

If you haven't been to our shop and are in the area please stop by and check us out. For all of you that haven't visited Foam E-Z, we hope the video tour gives you a good picture of our committment to providing the best in board building supplies that are available.

Look forward to seeing you soon-

Brad

Resin Research CE Surfboard Epoxy now in stock at Foam E-Z!

We have just added the Resin Research CE Surfboard Epoxy to our line. If you haven't heard of the CE Epoxy it is a new alternative to the RR 2000! The CE has a noticeable optical brightner (blueish color) similar to polyester resin and also has a UV inhibitor to help keep boards from yellowing. This Epoxy system was developed by Greg Loehr and has many benefits; is extremely easy to use, it dries harder than Polyester, it can be used on Polyurethane blanks, and is odorless.

Just like the RR 2000 you must mix at a 2 to 1 (epoxy to hardener) ratio, and mix thoroughly. The Resin Research 2100 Hardener is also used with the RR CE. The CE Epoxy comes in two sizes: quarts, gallons. Save money by buying Single Board Kits and Three Gallon Kits both come with enough Additive F.

Check it out. Let us know if you have any questions or feedback.

Thanks

The Guys at Foam E-Z

Video Footage of RadRob's board getting Glassed

After a couple of weeks of reorganization we all got together to finish RadRob's Quantum Quad that was shaped in the EZ Shaping Box by Tim Stamps . This time Tim invited us down to the Stamps Factory to do the glassing. Tim did the Future Fins installation, glassjob, and sanding while Brad from Foam E-Z did the Hot Coating. We wanted to crank the board out quick so we decided to use UV Resin to get this thing done. The UV Resin worked amazing and we got the board ready to sand within 2-1/2 hours!!! It was so cool, after each step of resin work we'd just walk outside and let it kick for 10-15 minutes and we were ready for the next step. The board came out amazing and light since the resin kicks so fast there isn't much time for the resin to soak in. Here's our YouTube version of the glassing and sanding experience from that afternoon.

Rob was stoked to get his new board and has been getting RAD on it ever since! Thanks again to Tim, RadRob and Kiri Kien from Perry's Pizza in Huntington Beach.

We Glassed RadRob's board!

We finally got our acts together and glassed the Quantum Quad Fish that was shaped in the EZ Shaping Box. The glassjob took place at Tim Stamps factory and we used UV catalyzed resin to do the board complete in 2-1/2 hours! It was a treat working with the UV resin but we almost ran out of sunlight. Here's what RadRob posted regarding the board:

"Recently Foam E-Z has been working on a project filming the shaping and glassing of a surfboard with Tim Stamps of Stamps Surfboards. The idea was to give everyone the unique opportunity to see a board shaped and glassed by a pro. The filming has gone great and we have already released the shaping video on YouTube, with the glassing video soon to come. There is another awesome result to all this; I got a radical new custom board from Stamps.The board is a 5'-8" x 20 3/4" x 2 1/4" Quantum- Quad Fish. I wanted to give a big thank you to Stamps, and everyone involved in the filming of the video. Stay tuned for the glassing video. "

We hope to have the glassing portion of the video out within a day or so. Stay tuned!

Thanks to Tim Stamps of www.SurfboardsbyStamps.com

NEW EZ CALIPER FOR 2009!!!!

We just received our order of the updated version of the EZ Caliper. It has been updated and improved for 2009! It is direct reading, resulting in one handed operation affording the shaper the opportunity to get a measurement instantly. Measure 0 to 7", the scales are computer generated to insure accuracy.

The EZ Caliper 09 is manufactured of high quality Baltic Birch plywood for lightweight, stability, and durability. The great thing is the new calipers didn't go up in price as a matter a fact they're 10% off while supplies last ($74.95).

Come by and check them out or call us with any questions.

Publish Post

Look forward to seeing you soon.

SHAPING BOX RENTAL PRICES

Here's the rates for renting "The BOX":

$30.00/board up to 3 hours *
$6.00 each additional 30 minutes *
$55.00 for entire day 11am-5pm (6 hours) *

*Starter Tool Kit included (David Top Plane, Spokeshave, 10.5" Surform, 5.5" Surform, Fred Tool, Hand Saw, HD Foam Shaping Block, C-Caliper, Tape Measure, Goggles)

Bring Your Own Tools or rent our Tool Kits! Rent the tools before you buy!

Available hours: Monday thru Friday 11am-5pm


Buy or Bring:
Dust Mask
Sand Screen
Sand Paper



Call 714.896.8233 or email Support@FoamEZ.com for for additional information or details.

Look forward to seeing you soon!

THE E-Z SHAPING BOX “Shape in the Box to think out of the box!”

We’re happy to announce that Foam E-Z is now offering a shaping facility to rent.

About two months ago, we purchased a 20ft high cube container with a shaping bay built inside of it. We completely refurbished the shape room with new electrical, paint, and added a Clark Foam Vacuum System that sits outside the bay. The room is equipped with 8ft fluorescent lights, shelves, vacuum system, fan ventilation, and professional style E-Z Shaping Racks (fixed to the floor). The room dimensions are 15'-5" long x 7’ wide x 8’ high. The Foam E-Z Shaping Box is a fully functional and professional shaping bay located directly behind Foam E-Z. It is completely insulated and ventilated helping it remain comfortable during your shaping experience.

We wanted to give the E-Z Shaping Box a good once over, so we invited Tim Stamps of www.SurfboardsbyStamps.com to give it a test drive. His goal was to hand shape RadRob, Foam E-Z star employee, a new 5-8 Quantum Quad Fish. “It’s the classic Twin Keel revved up a bit. I added more nose rocker, pulled the nose in, thinned out the rails, and of course added a Quad fin set up. Slight concave through the center with subtle double concaves running through the fins. This all adds up to a super fast, very positive board.”

Tim brought a few of his “special” tools and used some of ours in his attempt to make the room feel like home. He plugged his Skil 100 into our vacuum system and started mowing into a 6-2A US Blank (new red foam). After 2 hours of shaping and a 20 minute pizza break (thanks to Kiri at Perry’s Pizza) RadRob’s board was finished. Check out the video for the full experience.

Stamps says: “It was the next best thing to home! I give it a 5 out of 5 shakas.”

The shaping box is now available for anyone to rent. So if you’re sick of shaping in your garage, using your trash cans as racks, or if you’ve wanted to start shaping but don’t have a place to do it, we now have the answer for you. The “Box” is for rent by the board or by the day (Monday thru Friday 11-5pm) and comes complete with all the tools necessary to Shape Your Own Board (S.Y.O.B.). ***Additional tools available for rent. This is your chance to test out the tools before you buy them. Call 714.896.8233 or email Support@FoamEZ.com for more information. “Shape in the Box to think out of the box!”

Here's the rates for renting "The BOX":

$30.00/board up to 3 hours *

$6.00 each additional 30 minutes *

$55.00 for entire day 11am-5pm (6 hours) *

*Starter Tool Kit included (David Top Plane, Spokeshave, 10.5" Surform, 5.5" Surform, Fred Tool, Hand Saw, HD Foam Shaping Block, C-Caliper, Tape Measure, Goggles)

Bring Your Own Tools or rent our Tool Kits! Rent the tools before you buy!

Available hours: Monday thru Friday 11am-5pm

Buy or Bring:
Dust Mask
Sand Screen
Sand Paper

PaddleSurf.net Interview with Foam E-Z

We were totally stoked when the guys at PaddleSurf.net called us for an interview. Check it out below then go to their site to see what they're all about.

Are you harboring a secret shaper? Do you look at your board and just know you could do it better? Is there a radical, flying inverted vee-bottom, cross channel, static wing, stand up board that just needs the right hands to make it a reality?

What you need to do is get out there and make yourself your own board. And if you want to do it right- all you need to do is give the crew at Foam E-Z a call. We were able to corral Brad Nadell the ringleader at Foam E-Z for a little Q and A session. Here's what we got:

Paddlesurf.net: Hey Brad, introduce yourself to the folks out in cyberspace.

Brad Nadell: Hi, I'm Brad Nadell, owner/president of Foam E-Z the ORIGINAL One-Stop Surfboard Supply Shop!

P.net: I know you as part of the notorious HB/Seal crew- tell us about your surfing background.

B.N: I’ve been surfing on and off for more than thirty years (ouch). I grew up in Seal Beach, spending most of my early surfing years there.

P.net: Tell me about Foam E-Z, how did it come to be, what's the back story?

B.N: I started with a partner, Steve Adler, who owned the thriving glass shop The Surfboard Factory. Foam E-Z really happened out of necessity. Everyone in the HB (Huntington Beach) area needed foam and they needed to be able to get it quickly. Basically, they wanted to be able to drive up and buy blanks. Steve had both the space and the customers. He just needed someone to run the biz- that turned out to be me.

P.net: So was there a point when you got inspired to expand the business?

B.N: I wish I could say in 1993 I had one but I didn’t. At the time I was racing Mtn Bikes pretty seriously and the work schedule we set up fit perfectly with my race schedule. I was stoked. The early days were quite different than they are now though. Back then we sold foam primarily to professional board builders and had almost no tools for sale. As time went on we added tools, other materials, videos and books; the rest is history!

P.net: I assume you stock some products that are hard to get- specialized tools that you've got to hunt around for...

B.N: Probably the biggest logistical nightmare at Foam E-Z is trying to procure niche items- tools used only for shaping surfboards. A lot of our items are custom built for us so we have many different vendors that we have to coordinate with...

P.Net: So give me an example of something really cool that you guys stock that you basically can't get anywhere else...

B.N: Hmm… I think it’s gotta be the CF03Planer. That thing was specifically designed to build surfboards. There’s really no other place to get it.

P.net: So you started by selling foam only to professional shapers- things have changed now haven't they?

B.N: We definitely cater to the “home-builder” and first time hobbyist more now. We sell less foam but more of the peripheral stuff. The death of Clark foam affected us a little... about a difference of TEN THOUSAND blanks per year! I don’t know if we’ll ever get back to that number but we’ve reshaped our business plan to adapt with the ever changing situation in the surf industry.

P.Net: So let's get back to your customers. How would you describe your "standard customer"?

B.N: We sell to all ages, 12 to 75; pros to beginners; carpenters to chemists; so as you can see we don’t have a standard customer! There are guys that came to us way back in 1995 who were just learning to build boards. Some are still doing it, a few make them professionally. Here's a good one, in 1996 we were approached by a maximum security federal prison to buy product so their prisoners could make boards. I still to this day don’t understand how they let some of the tools we sent past the bars. More on this story in the future…

P.net: Have you ever sold supplies to an amateur shaper who later went big time?

B.N: Yeah, we’ve had a few guys go “big time”. It’s hard to define “big time” nowadays since it seems the only guys that are really “big time” are Merrick, Rusty, and Lost. But we have a number of guys decide to build boards for a living and I think that’s “big time”.

P.net: Any pro surfers come in for supplies?

B.N: Yeah, we get that all the time. Even pro surfers want to build their own boards now and then.

P.net: So what about us- the dark-side guys, the janitors, the sweepers. Do you sell stuff for stand up paddlers?

B.N: The only thing different about a stand up board is its shear size. We have specific stand up blanks, extra wide cloth, and all the other tools and supplies you need to make your own stand up board. The shaping tools you'll need are standard inventory at our shop.

P.net: So if I was interested in jumping in and shaping up my own board, what would be a good starting point?

B.N: Come down or call to get solid information. If you're just starting, ask a lot of questions from someone who knows what they're talking about- that's us. There is a ton of information on the web but not all of it is good. You can sift through it and you’ll probably come out with a decent understanding of the process.

P.net: What's the most common mistake you see backyard builders make the first time they decide to make a board?

B.N: Sometimes people jump right in and get all the “pro” tools. Really, you don’t need them unless you are going to stay with the hobby- and build lots of boards.

P.net: How about this one: A big concern with stand up paddlers is how to repair molded, Surftech style, boards when they get dings- do you have anything that specifically addresses that problem?

B.N: That’s tough since we try not to promote boards made overseas. We support boards made over here. So we don’t stock products to repair molded boards. Probably a bad business move- but we have to make a stand somewhere?!

P.net: Fair enough- when are we going to get you on a stand up board?

B.N: That’s a tough one. Actually I’ve been on one a few times but I can’t see myself owning one for a while. I have to make some room to house it. Luckily I know a few people who can loan me their prototypes!

P.Net: Alright Brad, thanks a bunch for your time. Why don't you give us your contact information- you never know, there might be some future SUP kingpins out there.

B.N: No problem- we've got everything you need to build it your own way. You can find us on the web at www.FoamEZ.com the physical location of our shop is 6455 Industry Way Westminster, Ca. 92683. Thanks a lot. Also, I want to mention the boys at the shop: Grant, Rob, and Mark are “The Guys” that make Foam E-Z do it’s thing- thanks guys!

P.net: Right on Brad- talk more soon!

Sheldrake's Cardboard Surfboard Cores!

Pretty cool stuff that Mike Sheldrake's up to. He's created a computer program that designs the surfboard cores out of cardboard. The CNC machine cuts the cardboard and it's all numbered and put together like a jigsaw puzzle. The trick now is to glass the board so the cloth doesn't droop between the hexagonal holes. Resin Research Epoxy has been used in the prototyping of these boards. We're stoked Mike purchases his resin and supplies from Foam E-Z. It's cool to be involved in such cutting edge technology. Check out his site for more cool information http://www.sheldrake.net/cardboards/ .

Cool Surfboard Shaping Video with Tim Stamps

Tim Stamps grew up in Seal Beach and learned his skills under the legendary Rich Harbour of Harbour Surfboards. Tim worked almost every job at Harbour until he finally became Rich's right hand man. After years of shaping at Harbour, Stamps moved on to work on his own label. Designing and customizing is Tim's specialty, shaping all types of surfboards is his niche. Since he is a one man operation, working out of Westminster (down the street from Foam E-Z), Tim is able to have the utmost of quality control. Tim has shaped boards for some of the best surfers in the world. Check out his website for more information www.surfboardsbystamps.com

A view from above San Onofre

Can you believe this? A model airplane shooting an aerial assault on the famous surf spot San-O. The video footage was shot by the aerial genius known as Warz earlier this week. The surf was pretty small, the conditions were nice, and the crowd was at a minimum. This gives a great view of the lay of the land and the water that makes up San Onofre. Check out Church's and Lowers in the distance to the north. If you look close you can see the nuke plant south of Dogpatch. Stay tuned for more views in the near future.

Seal Beach Surfing Championships 09

The 2009 Seal Beach Surfing Championships was held this past weekend. The two day affair was hosted by the Seal Beach Lifeguards, and headline sponsored by Katin Surf Shop and Vintage Cotton. The contest brought together surfers from all walks of life; Seal Beach locals, to contest pro's, and groms surfing in there first contest. There were plenty of cool booths to check out as well. Harbour Surfboards was there showing off their FIFTY Year Anniversary Surfboard, Matt Bettis (Bettis surfboards) and Aloha Glassing had a large selection of boards to check out. Jeremy Labreau, who got started at Foam E-Z a few years ago, also had a variety of boards on display and he surfed in the men's open longboard and open shortboard competition. Of course we (Foam E-Z) were there with a booth filled with blanks and products for people to peruse. Some lucky people also won stuff from our free raffle. It was a great time filled with cool people and great surfing!

Dale Velzy's Shaping Shack at the Surfing Heritage Museum!

Check out this awesome virtual tour of the reproduction of Dale Velzy's Shape Shack at the Surfing Heritage Museum in San Clemente California. You'll need to have the plugin to view the tour which you can get at http://photosynth.net

Let us know what you think.

Drew Brophy Pen Painting Video

Check out this cool clip of Drew Brophy's Paint Pen Techniques video.The clip gives you a brief idea of what the video offers, and what it takes to create radical artwork on your own.You can purchase the video from us here at Foam E-Z for $29.95 http://www.foamezjavascript:void(0).com/paint-pen-techniques-dvd-with-drew-brophy-p-695.html

Guy Okazaki is at it again!

Guy Okazaki always seems to find himsself on the silver screen or at least You Tubes version. This is a groovy little video with some shaping footage by a true Venice legend. Guy has a been a great customer at Foam E-Z for over ten years. Spending time between Californina and Hawaii for many decades has contributed to Guys evolution of shaping from the beginning of the shortboard era in the late 60's. Check out his website
http://www.guyokazaki.com/ for more info.

Twitter Aflutter With Toll Road Talk

Twitter aflutter with toll road talk 

Here’s a sampling of what people were saying on Twitter yesterday about the toll road decision:

@dodgemedlin: A win for surfers, environmentalists - federal agency rejects plan for toll road through San Onofre State Beach. http://is.gd/cnGr (12:26:06 p.m.)

@chriscote: We Won!! the fight to Save Trestles is over. Check transworldsurf.net in a few for the whole story. (11:58:13 a.m.)

@Steve_watkins: Awesome! The toll road expansion that threatened Trestles has been killed - http://tinyurl.com/4pbwz5. (
11:54:18 a.m.)

@klenlaundry: is amped on the Trestles Victory! (11:53:25 a.m.)

@sdradio: @hilahil @andrewwp This is a good day: closing Guantanamo prison; and Trestles SAVED.
(11:49:38 a.m.)

@lkilpatrick: @SaveTrestles your going to need to change your name to Saved Trestles!  (11:46:49 a.m.)

@JonathanDuarte: Congrats. Surfrider… another success. Toll road Dead!http://ff.im/kFA9 (11:39:13 a.m.)

@lkilpatrick: WOOT TRESTLES SAVED!!! Finally something good from the credit crunch!http://tinyurl.com/3fm6zv (11:37:50 a.m.)

@UkuleleJammin: Toll road through Trestles DENIED!!! http://tinyurl.com/4bmdfu (via @10News) (11:32:38 a.m.)

@chris949: Trestles has been saved! thank you Dept. of Commerce & Ca. Coastal Commission! http://tinyurl.com/3l7m82 (11:23:24 a.m.)

@degroodt: Totally stoked to see the “people” getting their way finally. Toll Road has run rough shod over OC for years. http://snurl.com/8ud5w (11:15:15 a.m.)

@brianschoening: The Toll Road is dead! Trestles lives to be surfed another day!!http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2008/12/tollroad.html (11:14:46 a.m.)

@tierranet: RT SaveTrestles http://cli.gs/241 South Toll Road Extension STOPPED! WE SAVED TRESTLES!!! Nice work everyone (11:10:00 a.m.)

@nique22: YAY!!! RT @swelldotcom: TRESTLES SAVED! THE HIGHWAY TO HELL CRASHES!: The Trestles toll road crashes today . http://tinyurl.com/3g6lyg (11:08:50 a.m.)

@formatted_dad: @NeonSurfer . Great news. Lets hope this is the end of the toll road plans. (11:07:53 a.m.)

@locustfist: RT @SaveTrestles: http://cli.gs/241 South Toll Road Extension STOPPED! WE SAVED TRESTLES!!! Nice work everyone! (11:07:35 a.m.)

@SaveTrestles: http://cli.gs/241 South Toll Road Extension STOPPED! WE SAVED TRESTLES!!! Nice work everyone! (11:06:07 a.m.)

@scorpusmaximus: WOOT! We saved Trestles! (for now): http://tinyurl.com/4pbwz5(10:55:15 a.m.)

@NeonSurfer: WE SAVED SANO!!! http://cli.gs/241 Toll Road Extension KILLED!!! (10:52:31 a.m.)

@Foa.m.EZ: [What the blank???] Trestles Saved! 241 South Toll Road Extentsion Killed (10:50:42 a.m.)

Trestles Saved! 241 South Toll Road Extentsion Killed

Department of Commerce Rules on Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency Consistency Appeal


The Department of Commerce today upheld the California Coastal Commission’s objection to a proposal to construct a 16-mile toll road connecting California state Route 241 to Interstate 5 in southern Orange and northern San Diego counties.

The commission objected to the proposed project under the federal Coastal Zone Management Act on the grounds that the toll road was not consistent with the state’s coastal zone management program. Under the CZMA, federal agencies may not issue any permits required for a project if a state has objected, unless the Department of Commerce, on appeal, overrides the objection.

The Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency appealed the commission’s objection to the Department of Commerce in February, triggering an administrative review process that involved written briefs and arguments by the parties, input from interested federal agencies, tens of thousands of written comments from the public, and a 10-hour public hearing in San Diego County.

Under the CZMA, the department may override an objection only if no reasonable alternative to the project exists and the proposal is consistent with the objectives of the CZMA, or if the project is necessary in the interest of national security. The department determined that there is at least one reasonable alternative to the project. The department also found that the project is not necessary in the interest of national security.

TCA may pursue another route for its proposed toll road that the commission determines is consistent with California’s coastal zone management program, and TCA is not limited to the alternative proposal described in the department’s decision.

Since the enactment of the CZMA in 1972, the department has acted on 43 appeals, upholding 29 objections by state agencies and overriding 14.

From NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.

WOULD YOU SPEND 15 MINUTES, IF IT MEANT SURFING THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?

Despite being a 1000-year-old sport with a $7 billion industry, surfing has failed to produce the demographic and economic studies to show who we are, where we live, and what we spend. So while other interest groups bolster their arguments with impressive numbers to prove their positions, all-too often, surfers get blindsided and bowled over, unable to offer a single hard number to support their cases or save their breaks.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE SURVEY!

Custom Blanks!!!

U.S Blanks dropped off a really cool custom blank this week. Newport shaper Mino Suzuki ordered a 9-9B with a angled T-band stringer ( 1/2 colored foam sandwidched between (2) 1/8" dark cedar stringers, and black glue lines). This is just another great example of the awesome things U.S. blanks can do with custom blanks. Custom blanks can be ordered over the phone or in the shop here at Foam E-Z and usually have a 1-2 week turn around time.

Look forward to seeing you soon. Happy holiday shopping!

Dingy Thingy - Fixing Your Stick the Right Way!

Dingy Thingy – Fixing Your Stick the right way
by Adam Wright www.socalsurf.com

If you are like me then you probably have at least attempted to repair your board at some point during your surfing lifetime. It seems so easy...just mix a little of this, a little of that, a little sanding and viola you are ready to get back in the water. Riiiiiight, things are never that easy...I don't know about you but when I was first starting to fix dings I would generally turn my board into a total cluster-f*@k of a sticky, itchy mess that has very little to do with being watertight and is more about making your board more ugly than it was before, as well as ruining your clothes at the same time.

I am not sure where the breakdown usually occurs in the process...maybe it is the sudden time crunch you feel when you drop the catalyst into the resin and everything starts to heat up...maybe it is just the fact that none of the materials seem to work well together until they bond up in the final product...maybe it is just the pure stickiness of the resin that seems to get on everything. All I know is that if there is a way for something to go wrong it probably will.


magic potion

Anyway enough about my incompetency (actually I am not too bad at ding-repairs now that I have been doing them for 15 or so years)...I figured that there a lot of you out there interested
trying it for yourself or at least learning what is the proper way to make a repair. I probably could have walked you through some sort of retarded fix myself but I figured that it we should probably talk to an expert who has done this for a living. So I went to Brad Nadell over at Foamez.com to see if he could help walk us through a ding-repair.

There are a lot of different places you can accidentally munch your board, some of which are pretty difficult to fix...so in the interest of everyone's sanity (and our outer layer of skin that we can potentially lose) we thought it would be best if we start with a relatively simple repair.

So here is the scenario...you have been out surfing at Lowers, ripping (like you usually do), and after a long session you head to the beach to hang out with your hot swimsuit model girlfriend (or boyfriend...if you swing that way). As you belly across the inside cobbles at low tide you feel that gut-wrenching crunch as your board bottoms out on a particularly sharp rock. After doing the ankle-snap dance to the beach you see a nice big hole in your bottom deck. You being the handi-capable person that you are decide to fix the board yourself.

I actually let Brad smack a hole in the bottom deck of my board so that we could walk through the repair...though I think he got a bit of evil satisfaction taking the hammer to my thruster.


Hmm...that rock was surprisingly shaped like a hammer.


So here are the steps...they break down into three stages that sound easier than they actually are: Prep, Glassing, and Sanding

Stage 1 - Prep

1. Set up your workplace - Having a large enough area to work is important since you may need to walk around the board to get at it from different angles. Ideally your workspace will have some shade and will be well ventilated. Also remember that the resin can make a horrible mess so make sure you are either doing the repair over some sort of floor covering or an area that you don’t mind trashing. (like next to your beat up Camaro that you have on blocks in the dead grass of your front yard).

2. Plan out the repair in your head - It is good to have a battle plan thought out before you actually put the tools on the board or activate the resin. Think about the steps you need for the repair...will you need to fill the hole with q-cell? Will you need to have a couple of sheets of glass?
What sort of finish do you want the board to have when you are done? Do you need pigment for the resin? These are the sorts of questions that you need to address before starting.

3. Lay out your tools and materials - Get out everything that you will need for your repair. Make sure you have enough.

For this repair we actually were doing the repair in a glassing/painting/shaping bay at Tim Stamps factory. Below is a list of the materials that we used...(if you click the links you can actually order these products from the Foamez.com online store...see isn't that handy!)...actually I hope this doesn’t come off like an advertorial, Brad and the gang were super cool to donate their time, expertise, and materials for this story…and since I am a big fan of supporting surfer-labor I thought that linking up their products would be a nice way to thank them. Show 'em some love if you need a board fixed.

a. Q-Cell (hollow microspheres, you mix it with the resin to create filler)
b. Squeegee
c.Laminating Resin
d. Surfacing Agent (turns lam-resin into sanding resin)
e. UV Activated Catalyst
f. Mixing Buckets
h. Tacky Glue (for sticking sanding pads on the sander)
i. Resin Brushes
j. White Pigment
k. Sandpaper (80-100 grit for prep/repair...then 220-300+ for the final sanding)
l. Mixing Sticks
m. Rubber Gloves (please turn your head and cough)
n. Fiberglass cloth (not pictured)
o. Mask/Respirator (not pictured)

p. FlexPad sanding pad (not pictured)

4. Prepping the Ding - Once you have your workstation, tools and materials in place you can finally get to work. First thing is that you want to get the ding in shape so that the repair materials will bond properly with your board. You start by sanding the area with 80-100 grit paper. You need to be a little gentle in this process so you don't end up sanding away healthy parts of your board. Ideally you are going to want to sand a slightly concave bowl around the ding...so the ding is the deepest section of the bowl and it gets progressively more level to the deck of the board as you move further away from the ding. (This will let us layer in fiberglass for the repair...so the patch will hold and we can get the bottom deck to be flush when we are done sanding.) It is best to take this part slowly...you can make the mistake of sanding too much...or not sanding enough...both can be problematic.

Once the sanding is done you pull out any broken fiberglass so that you can get the filler to actually touch the foam core.



5. Cutting Fiberglass Cloth - Next you want to measure out some fiberglass so that you can properly cover the hole and the slight depression that you just sanded into the board. 4oz cloth is usually enough for a repair...particularly if you are going to be layering extra-cloth to create the patch.



We actually used three circles...each one bigger than the next...to create the patch that we would be glassing over the filled hole.





Stage 2 - Glassing (AKA sticking to things)

A few notes on this stage of the ding-repair

For this repair we used a cool product that Brad had brought along...I don't know the specific name... but basically it is a UV activated catalyst...sort of like what you would see in other solar-ding-repair kits but you can drop this catalyst into standard laminating resin and as long as you stay out of the sunlight it won't trigger the chemical reaction that causes resin to set. This is particularly sweet because it gives you time to work with the resin...getting the ding or glass job properly set before setting off the catalyst. Naturally this might not be the best set up if you don't have a shady place to fix your board...if that is the case you will want to stick with the standard resin/catalyst that activates shortly after the two chemicals are mixed.
*** There are a few catches with the UV Catalyst; when using it with Q-Cell filler, pigmented resin, or under lams you must add a bit of regular MEKP Catalyst since the UV rays cannot adequately reach the resin to activate it entirely.

Also...Brad pointed out that you want to know the difference between Laminating Resin and
Sanding Resin. So here is a quick little definition of the two resin types.

Laminating Resin - Lam resin is the "pure" stuff you want to use when you are trying to get the resin to stick to either the surfboard foam core, ding-filler, or to other patches of rough sanded, already set, fiberglass. This stuff will eventually dry out and harden but it doesn't really lose the tacky, slightly rubbery feel. It also doesn't sand very well...you will always see the "cross hatching" of the fiberglass cloth as you rough-sand it.

Sanding Resin - Sanding Resin is actually almost like the Lam Resin but it has a few other chemicals, including paraffin wax & Styrene Monomer, that hardens into a smoother and
more ridged surface that is much more suited to the fine sanding that you need to do in order to do the final smooth-out of the ding-repair.

Ok with that out of the way...on to the repair.

1. Filling the hole - A big deep gouge, like the one that we put in my board, required us to use a little filler to create a plug that will stick to the foam of the surfboard and at the same time provide a stable sticky platform for the fiberglass cloth that we will use to patch the hole later.

You might be able to get away with just dribbling laminate resin in a smaller ding or crack but when the ding is big enough that the patching glass can bend or dip it is a good idea to paste in some filler before starting the glass work.

To fill this ding we used Q-cell which you mix into the laminating resin.



2. Mixing the Q-Cell - Creating the resin/q-cell mix is sort of an art...there is no hard and fast mixing ratio. You start by mixing the resin and catalyst together and then adding q-cell until it gets to the thickness/tackiness that you need for it to stay in the ding (similar thickness to preschool paste). You may also want to add some pigment so that the filler plug doesn't look bright green/see-through. We added a touch of white to this repair.




The filler should be malleable enough to spread around but it shouldn't drip a ton. For a ding like the one in the flat part of the bottom deck the filler can be a little thin...but a repair on the rail or
the nose you might need the filler to be almost like super soft play-dough. Or that gummy bear that has been in my pocket all afternoon and it nice and squishy.

3. Filling the hole (didn't I have a section titled that already?)

This part is pretty easy. Take filler. Fill hole.



Smooth filler to the top of the foam.



4. Placing the Patch

Ok now that you have the filler in place you take the lovely fiberglass circles that we cut out earlier and place them on top of the filler...ideally before the filler has set.



Start with the smallest circle of cloth (the size of the hole)...then follow with the next biggest size until all of them are placed.



5. Apply the Lam Resin (without the q-cell filler)

Now you apply the lam resin...we already had ours mixed with the UV filler...but if you are working without the UV component you will mix a separate cup of Lam Resin and drop in the catalyst to set it off.

Once mixed pour a fairly liberal amount onto the cloth patches.



And then take your squeegee and smooth the resin over the cloth...making sure that it saturates all of the cloth, and that you smooth out any air bubbles that might have formed.



6. Let the resin set (drink a beer, take a nap, or something)

For our repair we actually took the board out into the sun and let the UV light set off the catalyst. This UV technique actually really sped up the hardening process and the board was ready to be rough sanded in just a few minutes.



The hardened laminating resin will look something like this.




Stage 3 - Sanding (and some more glassing, then more sanding...damn are we done yet?)

1. Sanding the Lam Resin - Ok we are in the home stretch now. We start the sanding process by rough sanding the laminate resin and our patch.



Ideally you should use something like 100-150 grit paper to do this part. Don't get trigger happy though...just sand enough to take some of the rough parts off the lam resin. If you sand too much you might end up having to do some another patch job (I am speaking from my own
dumb-ass experience here).

2. Applying Sanding Resin - once you have the lam resin sanded then you mix up a batch of sanding resin to paint on over the repair. For our repair we used the same laminating resin that we had been using (the stuff with UV catalyst). We added a touch more catalyst and some surfacing agent which is basically the chemical cocktail that is mixed into Lam Resin to turn
it into Sanding Resin.



Using a brush, put on a thin coat that covers all of the repair area and laminating resin. Then let it harden (or in our case take it back out into the sun to cure).

3. Final Sanding - Once the sanding resin has set...bust out the sander again but this time use
increasing finer grit until you achieve the smoothness that your board originally had.



You should probably move up into the 220-320 grit paper fairly fast...andif you are looking for a super smooth finish...try and hit up some wet-sanding paper (generally above 800-grit) and hand sand it for the final polish.


Final Stage - Go Surf

Once the board is sanded, and water-tight, it is ready...though it is always good to give the patch a couple of extra days out of the water so that it can cure properly. Have fun shredding on your newly healed stick.
Adam Wright http://www.socalsurf.com/

NOW STOCKING US BLANKS "SECONDS" LOW PRICES!

We are now offering a full selection of US Blank “Seconds”. We have the full range from 5-9 on up - shortboard, fish, and longboard blanks. Of course the selection will vary based on availability. The prices range from $35.00 for shorties to $85.00 for ten footers. Great deals and rock bottom prices to get you through the winter!!

These blanks are downgraded to “second” quality for one or more of the following reasons:

- slant rails (from paper pinch in the mold)
- buckshot air
- inconsistent cell structure
- damage
- crooked stringer
- pukas – anything too large we through out.
- soft spot near rails or nose and tail from improper distribution

Anything US Blanks thinks might be off ratio / shrinker, large pukas, etc they trash and won’t sell.

*** BUY AT YOUR OWN RISK!

*** SECOND BLANKS CANNOT BE RETURNED OR EXCHANGED.

Call or come on down to check them out.

The 5-10RP Fish Blank by US Blanks

We've been waiting for this one since Clark Foam went out of business in December 2005! The 5'10"RP by US Blanks just arrived in our shop and we're stoked to have it. This polyurethane fish plug was shaped by San Diego legend Rich Pavel. He is one of the experts and innovators in the revolution of the Fish board. Rich has been deeply involved in the "Fish Fry" events around the world which are his inspiration for this blank. The blank is versatile enough to be able to shape short high performance fish as well as traditional fish boards up to 5'10". This blank is thick enough to yield 2-3/4" if you're trying to recreate an old school design.

Come in the shop and check them out.

See you soon-

Brad

Posca Pens back in stock!

It's been a long time but we have the original Posca Pens back in stock. They've always been difficult to get since they come from Japan. We now have a great source that will help us to keep them in stock at all times. See how creative you can be with these pens and feel free to send us pics of your color job and we'll post them on our site. Have fun!

US BLANKS NEW RED FOAM!!!

US Blanks Goes High Performance!

US Blanks, is proud to announce the release of their new high performance polyurethane foam formulation effective immediately. In responding to the growing demand for a light density, high performance surfboard blank, US Blanks has responded with what will be named their new Red density.The new red foam is the same weight as the old red foam, is more dense (to result in less pressure dents and a longer life of your board), and has better recoil than there old red foam. Feed back from local shapers has been very positive, with everyone saying it shapes and glasses well.

We are currently stocking all short boards and short fishes in the new Red Foam. If you need a different size with Red Foam feel free to custom order it, they're only a week away. Please stop in and press your thumb into a Red blank and compare it to the Blues.

Happy Voting Day!

Today is that day every four years when you should get out and let your voice heard. The problem is that for most of us allot of the propositions are to hard to decipher. It seems they are written in some type of legal mumbo jumbo to make it hard for the public to make heads or tales of. My theory is to keep it simple and vote on what you know and what you really believe in don't try to vote on everything on the ballot. It's kind of like a scantron test and you're shooting for a "B".

Have fun and enjoy the day.

Rob Machado and Pat O'Connell Shape a surfboard at Sacred Craft!

Pro surfers Rob Machado and Pat O'Connell came out to the Sacred Craft Show to shape a surfboard in front of hundreds of people. The two surfers/shapers were mic'ed up and placed inside a fishbowl type shaping bay for everyone to watch and listen. Machado shaped a Channel Island stub and O'Connell shaped a Timmy Patterson style thruster. It was fun to watch these guys handle the tools and blanks and hear what they had to say during the shaping process. A good time was had by all.

FCS FUSION PLUGS!

We just got the Fusion Plugs in and they seem to be a nice alternative to the usual FCS Plugs. The Fusion Install Kit makes it extra easy to install teh plugs the correct way. Here is a link to the FCS Fusion Install Manual http://www.foamez.com/pdfs/Fusion_Manual_Final_Rev3.pdf

FCS created the Fusion because of a need for a high quality, easy to install system, that can be installed under the fiberglass (as preferred by boards using new technologies such as EPS). This also provides the consumer a higher performing fin system that fits the worlds largest range of premium fins.

The insert provides a base of high density foam. This helps disperse any forces on the plug. It provides a solid base so the plug does not rotate or sink into the foam. This is especially evident in EPS blanks of low densities.

The slots in the Fusion plugs are slightly elongated which allows slight fore and aft movement of the fins, this is great for fine tuning the performance of the board.

The FCS Fusion offers 3 different cant angles (0º, 5º, 9º): This makes the system easy to install and minimizes the chance of error in fin angles.

We appreciate any feedback you can give us on new products.