Author Topic: Questions about shaping, spackling, and coloring 1.5 lb (or lighter) foam...  (Read 20152 times)

55NSup

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over here that spackel is really expensive, 50 bucks for a bucket that works for 1-2 boards, it drys out in the bucket if you dont use it all, and i have to run around to a special painters store to find it.
Epoxy and micro ballons is cheaper and you mix what you need, you know whats in it, you know the materials are compatible,  same epoxy im using for lamination, glass ballons ordered from same epoxy supplier.
Thats reason enough to use epoxy + micro ballons.

magentawave

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55NSup - Maybe you think about importing it and setting up distribution at all the hardware stores because spackle is cheap in the US.  ;)
Pluto Platter: 7-10 x 29.25 x 4.25 x 114.5 liters

newleafsup

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We use Red devil and like Greg Loehr says in his videos, mix it to a heavy whipping cream consistency. It is important to remember that you only want a thin layer on the blank so that you are only filling in the voids (air) in between the round spheres of the beaded foam. A lot of people just starting out think they have to have a "skin" of spackle over the entire board. That is not the case. As far as paint, all of our production foam spray is done with a cheap Valspar latex paint from Lowes. Go pick out the color you want and have them mix it up! Make sure you get an interior grade and  a flat sheen. Gloss or semi gloss is not good!! Mix in a bit of distilled water and spray with a hvlp automotive gun. Harbor freight has them all day for $15. Been doing this practice for 2 years now and no complaints of fading color, even in our brutal Florida sun.
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magentawave

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newleafsup - Whoa! I am one of those schmucks that assumed I was supposed to create a skin of spackle over the entire blank so thanks for telling me that I'm not supposed to do that and thanks for the tip about using regular old interior flat latex paint.

I doubt interior house paints come in fluorescent colors, so what would you use if you wanted to spray the blank with a bright fluorescent paint?

Why does the color on many boards with painted blanks look splotchy? (I don't want to name names but these are all professionally glassed boards I'm talking about here.) Is there anyway to avoid that funky splotchy look?

I have noticed that bright fluorescent colors tend to be more transparent than solid colors. If I want to paint my blank with a bright yellow fluorescent paint, should I paint it with white first? And if so, how much do you think that extra coat of white paint would add to the weight of a 7' to 8' board?

Could I roll the paint on or would rolling add too much paint and thus make the board heavier?

If I wanted to paint small areas of the blank with different colors, would it be okay to brush it on?

Thanks again.




We use Red devil and like Greg Loehr says in his videos, mix it to a heavy whipping cream consistency. It is important to remember that you only want a thin layer on the blank so that you are only filling in the voids (air) in between the round spheres of the beaded foam. A lot of people just starting out think they have to have a "skin" of spackle over the entire board. That is not the case. As far as paint, all of our production foam spray is done with a cheap Valspar latex paint from Lowes. Go pick out the color you want and have them mix it up! Make sure you get an interior grade and  a flat sheen. Gloss or semi gloss is not good!! Mix in a bit of distilled water and spray with a hvlp automotive gun. Harbor freight has them all day for $15. Been doing this practice for 2 years now and no complaints of fading color, even in our brutal Florida sun.
Pluto Platter: 7-10 x 29.25 x 4.25 x 114.5 liters

PonoBill

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HVLP guns are spectacularly easy to use. Rolling on paint would do exactly what you suspect--make your board heavy.

Lots of pros use spackle, because it's cheap, light and it works. You can add water to a thickened can, the only time it won't revive is if it's completely set. After I take a little out to use it I add water and a little vinegar. I'm not sure why I add the vinegar, I think someone told me to, but it seems to help the water mix better and not separate. If you add a little water every time you open the can it won't dry out. I opened a can I have here in Maui that's been sitting half empty for a year and it's like thick cream.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

supuk

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I have to admit I have had problems with fluro colours some are worse than others both with paint and pigment. Pink and yellow booth seam to fade, it was the best stuff I could get but will try some other brands at some point. The sploces are were you get the gaps in the foam and the spackle which absorbs more paint so the better the finish on the foam the better the paint. A sanded Finnish to the board helps a lot to defuse the light. Infinity boards always look great from what I see mainly on the net though and not in real life I believe they are sprayed? 

magentawave

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Just asking for clarification here...  Are you saying that images of Infinity boards look great online but look funky when you see them for real?

I have to admit I have had problems with fluro colours some are worse than others both with paint and pigment. Pink and yellow booth seam to fade, it was the best stuff I could get but will try some other brands at some point. The sploces are were you get the gaps in the foam and the spackle which absorbs more paint so the better the finish on the foam the better the paint. A sanded Finnish to the board helps a lot to defuse the light. Infinity boards always look great from what I see mainly on the net though and not in real life I believe they are sprayed?
Pluto Platter: 7-10 x 29.25 x 4.25 x 114.5 liters

supuk

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No I have only seen them in real life a few years ago and I didn't look closely but I expect they are very good. I admire there boards a lot, unfortunately there are none in the uk.

 
Just asking for clarification here...  Are you saying that images of Infinity boards look great online but look funky when you see them for real?o

I have to admit I have had problems with fluro colours some are worse than others both with paint and pigment. Pink and yellow booth seam to fade, it was the best stuff I could get but will try some other brands at some point. The sploces are were you get the gaps in the foam and the spackle which absorbs more paint so the better the finish on the foam the better the paint. A sanded Finnish to the board helps a lot to defuse the light. Infinity boards always look great from what I see mainly on the net though and not in real life I believe they are sprayed?

supuk

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No I have only seen them in real life a few years ago and I didn't look closely but I expect they are very good. I admire there boards a lot, unfortunately there are none in the uk.

 
Just asking for clarification here...  Are you saying that images of Infinity boards look great online but look funky when you see them for real?o

I have to admit I have had problems with fluro colours some are worse than others both with paint and pigment. Pink and yellow booth seam to fade, it was the best stuff I could get but will try some other brands at some point. The sploces are were you get the gaps in the foam and the spackle which absorbs more paint so the better the finish on the foam the better the paint. A sanded Finnish to the board helps a lot to defuse the light. Infinity boards always look great from what I see mainly on the net though and not in real life I believe they are sprayed?

magentawave

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A shaper told me they spray white paint on the foam before spraying fluorescent paint so the color will look even. The thing is that I've seen a lot of sups with paint sprayed on the foam that were not fluorescent colors and they still looked splotchy and uneven.

Do you guys spray the foam with white paint before spraying colored paint?

Is there any downside to doing that?

Will it make the board heavier?
Pluto Platter: 7-10 x 29.25 x 4.25 x 114.5 liters

PonoBill

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Most of the colored epoxy boards you see are sprayed just like a car. If they are done in a mold, they're gelcoat, if they're eps layups it's just paint. Colored foam with clear glass over it is just a bitch. always was, always will be. Tinted glass is even worse--hard to control. You're trying to get as much of the epoxy off as you can. Are you really going to add one more bit of complexity to the problem?

Nice to see people doing it, it's an artform, but like any art, there's that, and then there's going surfing.

All of my boards, every single one of them (and I have no idea how many that is other than way too many), is either gelcoat or painted. I'd say you can build a lighter board painting it than tinting it, for the simple reason that you can focus on making the build light and strong instead of consistently colored.
« Last Edit: December 06, 2014, 08:08:58 PM by PonoBill »
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

surfcowboy

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Just shackled handplane test #2 and it fixed 90% of the color issues that I had on the first one.

I'm going to paint the sparkled blank white (maybe some color stripes even) and then glass it. Didn't even go crazy with the spackle, you can still see some of the beads through it and it's so light.

One question for the guys who use epoxy and micro balloons, how much epoxy are you using? That seems like it would be expensive, though I know a lot of shapers buy in bulk. Is it the same as doing a gloss coat basically or less?

magentawave

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Were the "color issues" you were having before make the paint on the foam look uneven after glassing with clear resin?

Just shackled handplane test #2 and it fixed 90% of the color issues that I had on the first one.

Pluto Platter: 7-10 x 29.25 x 4.25 x 114.5 liters

magentawave

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I just started a thread here about the advantages and disadvantages of painting foam verses spraying opaque paint after the glassings done. Please feel free to chime in.  :)

http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,25885.0.html



Most of the colored epoxy boards you see are sprayed just like a car. If they are done in a mold, they're gelcoat, if they're eps layups it's just paint. Colored foam with clear glass over it is just a bitch. always was, always will be. Tinted glass is even worse--hard to control. You're trying to get as much of the epoxy off as you can. Are you really going to add one more bit of complexity to the problem?

Nice to see people doing it, it's an artform, but like any art, there's that, and then there's going surfing.

All of my boards, every single one of them (and I have no idea how many that is other than way too many), is either gelcoat or painted. I'd say you can build a lighter board painting it than tinting it, for the simple reason that you can focus on making the build light and strong instead of consistently colored.
Pluto Platter: 7-10 x 29.25 x 4.25 x 114.5 liters

surfcowboy

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First, just left a True Value store and they have a white, light spackle to replace fast and final.

I forgot to mention that my first handplane was pink xps, I did a spackle test but only on the middle to fill a divot and then just glassed it. Worst way possible but I was wanting to see what it looked like. So it was blue tinted resin over pink foam with a white blotch lol.

This one is eps, spackled and painted white with acrylic and ill glass that. 1000% better. But thanks for asking.

 


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