"HARBOUR CHRONICLES, A Life in Surfboard Culture" Book Signing & Auction

Honolua Surf Co. Presents "Harbour Chronicles: A Life in Surfboard Culture" Book Signing & Auction, Thursday April 8th from 5-8pm.





Inspired by the life and work of master surfboard shaper, Rich Harbour, this 144 page, full color hard cover book includes essays by Mike Marshall (RIP), C.R. Stecyk III, Steve Pezman and Mitchell De Jarnett. Rich Harbour and many of the other contributors to the book will be here signing copies so don't miss this opportunity! A limited quantity of books will be available at this event for the retail price of $29.95. The publication includes many heretofore unpublished, historic photographs by Rich Harbour, Peter Brouillet, Leo Hetzel, Leroy Grannis, and Sean Collins. There will be a number of special guests present to sign books!

At this event, a silent auction will be held for the special quiver of 'Museum Edition' Surfboards designed by Rich Harbour especially for this show. In addition, a Limited Edition (#3 of an edition of a only five! ) 50th Anniversary Harbour Surfboard made of Curly Redwood / Balsa will be included in this charity auction. The Surfrider Foundation and OCC Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavilion will benefit from the proceeds of this auction so please come bid on a piece of surfing history, support responsible stewardship of our coastal resources, and the arts at OCC as well. Rich Harbour has been shaping since 1959 and has crafted more than 29,000 surfboards. Vintage Harbours are sought by collectors around the world who are eager to own a board handcrafted by one of surfing's greatest living board builders. Rich still works every day, sculpting these exquisitely crafted surfboards in the oldest continuously operating shape room at 329 Main St. in Seal Beach, CA. After 50 years of shaping, he remains a vital influence on the art and design of the modern surfboard.

I have briefly seen the book and it looks awesome. There are incredible pictures and stories throughout this hardbound book. I've heard quite a few of the classic stories over the years and were involved in a number of them when I was grom. Hope to see you there I know it will be a great event. Brad

PRO SHAPER INTERVIEW with Mike Minchinton by Grant Ramey

Recently I had the privilege to sit down with long time Huntington Beach shaper Mike Minchinton. Mike is a pretty legendary dude who has worked with some notable guys like the late Chris Hawk, Carl Hayward, and Robert August just to name a few. I remember being eleven years old and going into the old Roberts August shop on the corner of 5th st. in Huntington Beach and seeing the Minchinton Model board. At that time I had a beat up old mini long board that paled in comparison to a gloss polished, air brushed beauty. I had a little ritual that lasted about a year that went like this, surf, go to Robert August Surf Shop, stare at boards, eat, surf, and then go back to R.A. to look at the Minchinton Model. That's my little bit of history in regards to Mike. I'm sure it's a familiar story, just insert your name and the shaper's name and you have your own experience.

Listen to the interview:

Nice Article in the Daily Pilot - Newport Beach newspaper

Dawn Patrol: Foam E-Z eases shaping experience

By John Burton

Updated: Friday, January 8, 2010 12:10 AM PST
My friend Kathy Escher has a teenage son, Kole, who surfs and she tells me about interesting things like a place where you can shape your own surfboard.

Foam E-Z near the Westminster Mall is a one-stop shop for any and all materials needed to make or repair surfboards. For professionals or do-it-yourselfers they have everything, including a shaping bay with all the tools, accessories, and help required to make your own board.

I had to check that out so I dropped by and was greeted by Grant Ramey. I introduced myself and explained why I was there.

“So, do you want to shape a board and write about it? he asked.

“Err, uh, me? Shape a surfboard?” I stuttered.

I hadn’t considered that. There are some things you inherently know just aren’t your strong suit and for me that includes making things with tools.

“Yeah, that would be cool,” I heard myself say.

So the game was on. It’s a busy place and Grant had customers so I cruised around the shop. A few minutes later, Foam E-Z’s proprietor, Brad Nadell, arrived and we talked for a while.

He started the business in 1993 as an alternative source of foam blanks for shops that had a hard time meeting the minimum orders required by Clark Foam, which for many years held a virtual monopoly.

Clark’s stunning decision to abruptly close up shop, and the repercussions still felt throughout the surfing industry is a story in itself, but Nadell had to adapt and change the business dynamic. Today their focus is more toward the hobbyist and outstanding customer service is their edge.

Brad helped me pick out a blank for my first effort. He steered me toward a “second” which works just fine but has a cosmetic flaw. They cost a lot less and are a good idea for novices.

He and Grant told me that coming up with a template for drawing the outline on the blank is an important first step. I went home and flailed unsuccessfully, so when I returned for my shaping session I used one of my boards and their templates to make the outline.

Then I had to cut out the shape with a hand saw. I did an OK job although there were a couple of wrinkles.

The next step was truing things up using a Surform plane. Luckily I had Grant as a consultant or it would have been a disaster.

I started removing material from the top and bottom using a planer. None of this is easy if you’re not used to it and the planer can do some damage so I went back to the Surform and some heavy sand paper.

That’s as far as I got during my first session. I came away with something that looks more like a surfboard than a coffee table so I’m calling it a success. There’s a lot more shaping to be done so we’ll see how it turns out.

I have a new appreciation for the skill that went into my custom made boards. My Foam E-Z experience was great — drop by or look up www.foamez.com.

Daily Pilot article

A Fly on the Wall, by Jeremy Lynch!

"A Fly on the Wall" Jeremy Asher Lynch from Modus Films on Vimeo.

Jeremy is a local HB guy, home board builder (Foam E-Z customer), artist, and film director. He is going to be featured at an art opening this Friday night November 13th from 7-10pm. The location is LeBasse Projects, 6032 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA.

Here's what he's been up to:

"I just finished the first installment of a new videos series we are doing at Modus Films.

It is gonna be a short abstract series called, "A Fly on the Wall".
In this series we are taking a voyeuristic approach to the everyday life of people we know and are influenced by.

The first video is on me as I prepare for my show this Friday. I have 6 new pieces in the show!"

The show is open to the public, hope to see you there!

Go to www.lebasseprojects.com for more info

Board Building in Prison!!!

One of my favorite things about being involved in the surf industry/working at Foam E-Z is meeting and getting to know new people, all kinds of people, from all different walks of life. Recently we have been selling board building supplies to an inmate at Pilot Rock State Prison in Crestline, California named Tony “Neptune” Stearns. This guy has gone through some rough times and made some poor decisions and has been in prison since 2001. One good decision he made was to turn his life around and do something positive with his time in prison and try to actively get involved in his rehabilitation. I have spoken to Tony a few times on the phone and the guy sounds amped about board building and his rehabilitation. I’m looking forward to more updates from “Neptune” and even meeting him soon in person to discuss his boards and board building in general. If anyone would like to contact him I know he would be stoked. You can send letters to him at:

Tony Stearns T-43417
P.O. Box 10
Crestline, CA 92325

This isn't the first time Foam E-Z has supplied prisoners with the supplies to build the board of their dreams. In the mid-nineties we were contacted by three Hawaiian inmates that were doing hard time in a Federal Penitentiary in Minnesota. We have pics and letters from them which we will elaborate on in a future post.

Keep up the good work Neptune. We're here for you!

Grizzley

FLEXPAD INTRODUCES NEW SANDING PAD FOR 2009!

FLEXPAD INTRODUCES NEW SANDING PAD FOR 2009!
POWERS, OR (July 27, 2009) –FLEXPAD INTRODUCES NEWSANDING PAD FOR 2009!

With the introduction of this new FLEXPAD comes a change in surfboard sanding tools for 2009. If you've
sanded using a FLEXPAD in the past, you know how true they run. The challenge has been to make them last longer
under heavier workloads and varying RPM levels.



Last winter, I developed a multi-layer foam combination. Using high pressure molding and a new hard shell
foam that I formulated, to solve that issue. The hard shell white foam on top of the Orange Hard and the
Red Medium FLEXPAD transfers the cutting edge and the flex point more towards the outside of the pad.
This results in less stress on the center area and it extends the life of the pad. After 7 months of testing in
all kinds of applications, it's ready to go! With very positive feedback, I guarantee you won't be disappointed
with it's performance.

“As with all my FLEXPAD products they are tested with experience and constructed with quality. KEEP SANDING.”-
Jerry Mowe.

All FlexPad products are available exclusively here at Foam E-Z http://www.foamez.com/glassing-surfboards-sanding-pads-c-3_74.html

Legendary Hobie Shaper, Terry Martin Shapes it up on video!

TSJ | POV - "Terry Martin and the perfect 40-minute board" from The Surfer's Journal on Vimeo.

This is a great viewing of legendary Hobie shaper Terry Martin shaping up a traditional longboard. He starts with a US Blanks 9-3Y as his canvas and works his Skil 100 planer over the blank. Those old planers just eat up the foam like no other.

Having started shaping wood as a lad in '50s San Diego, on through to shaping sleek Phil Edwards Models, to the now - where he finds himself an in-demand builder of boards of all denominations for Hobie- Terry Martin is the consummate craftsman. In this short video, Terry shapes a perfect traditional noserider, talking us through his philosophy and technique as he works.

Enjoy the video, we hope it provides some insight to your shaping experience.

Brad

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

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

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

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.

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/

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.

Seal Beach and Long Beach Surfing Pioneers

What an awesome night in the history of Seal beach! Thursday September 25th at 7:30pm some of Seal Beach and Long Beach's earliest surf pioneers got together for a Q & A session. Some of the panel members included Harold Walker, Bob "Ole" Olson, Harry Schurch.

Harold Walker of Walker Foam was one of the pioneers in making polyurethane foam cores back in the early sixties. He competed with Clark Foam for forty plus years until finally going out of business in 2007. He is now working with Ice Nine to try to perfect their foam formulas.


Ole is famous as an early master craftsman of surfboards in the beginning foam era. He still makes surfboards in Maui under the Ole name. Ole flew out to Seal Beach to join his old buddies to talk about Seal Beach surfing days.

Another of the legendary crew is Harry Schurch. He was involved in that first attempt at surfing Waimea Nov of 1957 with Greg Noll, Micky Munoz, and Mike Stange. They all paddled out in 15 to 18 foot Waimea Bay on 40 pound planks in an attempt to survive the massive drop.

Shaping and Seal beach legend Rich Harbour attended the discussion that included many hilarious stories from the boys. Of course everyone had something to say about the notorious and ever present Sphinx. It stood on top of Blackie Augusts (Robert Augusts' Dad) house for some forty plus years. They told about how they would show up at the beach to go surfing and there wouldn't be anyone else in the water so they would have to wait until a buddy arrived to adventure out. There were endless classic stories from this eventful Seal Beach night. Unfortunately two guys from the main crew ,Jack Haley Sr. and Lloyd Murray, were not present (having passed away in recent years) but they were memorialized in the many stories.

The ultimate shaping block is here!

Just in, FlexPad has made the E-Z Shaping Block exclusively for us. This Shaping Block is a multi functional shaping tool. Use the balsa side with 40grit sandpaper for hard sanding, use the Soft Yellow Pad side with sandpaper or screen for smoothing out bumps, or change out to the Blue Softie Pad with screen for finish sanding. The block is made of balsa wood and comes stock with a Velcro Soft Yellow Replaceable Foam Pad. Stop by and check one out.

ProBox is in full force here at Foam E-Z!

If you're looking for ProBox fins, boxes, install kits etc... we now have it all in stock and can be found on our website under Fins & Fin Systems. If you can't find the fins you're looking for call or email us and we can have them here for you usually within two days.

ProBox addresses many of the shortcomings of existing systems in the surfboard marketplace. Adjustments can be made to the fin position forward and backward and the cant [fin angle]. These adjustments allow the performance of a surfboard to be tuned to the conditions, type of surfboard or rider. The fin cant is adjusted through a revolutionary patented insert mechanism that provides controlled angles, initially 4 different inserts are provided 0°, 4°, 6°, and 8°.

This fin system is very easy to install with a minimum of tooling. A single reusable jig is used to handle the alignment, routing, and anchoring of the box during the installation process. No fin is required to install the box as the jig correctly locates the box on the board while suspending it over the routed hole. These jigs are extremely inexpensive and reusable!

Glassing Supplies 15% Off Sale at Foam E-Z!!!

In celebration of our 15 years in business we are having a month long sale! Each week a different product category will be highlighted and all customers will be able to save fifteen percent (15%) on that category. This week, from Sunday May 18th thru Saturday May 24th, the sale category is GLASSING SUPPLIES. Customers can either come into the shop to make the purchase or you can purchase online with the redemption code 15YRGLASS3. Look for a new category and redemption code next Sunday May 18th. Stay tuned, it’s gonna be a great month!

Don't forget our 15 Year Anniversary Party Event from 11-3pm on Saturday May 31st. It will take place behind our shop and will include: Giveaways, Raffles, Food/Drinks, Board Building Demos, and a Storewide 15% off Sale.

The Guys at www.FoamEZ.com
THE ORIGINAL ONE-STOP SURFBOARD SUPPLY SHOP!
www.FoamEZ.com
Foam E-Z, Inc.
ph.714.896.8233
fax.714.896.0001
Support@FoamEZ.com

Since 1993

Shaping Supplies 15% Off Sale

In celebration of our 15 years in business we are having a month long sale! Each week a different product category will be highlighted and all customers will be able to save fifteen percent (15%) on that category. This week, from Sunday May 11th thru Saturday May 17th, the sale category is SHAPING SUPPLIES. Customers can either come into the shop to make the purchase or you can purchase online with the redemption code 15YRSHAPE2. Look for a new category and redemption code next Sunday May 18th. Stay tuned, it’s gonna be a great month!



The Guys at www.FoamEZ.com

Foam E-Z's Q&A with Surfer Mag's Scott Bass

Posted on Surfermag.com May 7, 2008

The good folks at FOAM E-Z have been servicing the Southern California marketplace with board building equipment for 15 years. Brad Nadell is the man behind the machine that is FOAM E-Z and what better time to catch up with the hard-goods retailer than during his month long 15-year Anniversary celebration.

Q: So, 15 years in the surfboard products biz; how did you get started?

Brad Nadell: I started working at Harbour Surfboards doing everything, and eventually ended up spraying boards mostly. Then a friend came to me, he had owned the big glass shop in Westminster; he came to me with the idea of providing professional shapers with foam blanks. In '93 there was a large amount of shapers in the region and we figured instead of driving to San Clemente for blanks we could provide the HB area with product.

Q: And the store evolved from there.

Brad Nadell: Yeah, I bought out my friend and ran with it from there. I slowly added more and more tools and resources for shapers. As time went on I realized there was a market for the home hobbyist builder, and that led me to bring in more stuff like fin systems, books, and resin and all the necessary requirements for the home builder.

Q: How many blanks have you pushed out the door in the last 15 years?

Brad Nadell: Gosh, I don't know upwards of over 100K blanks. It fluctuates each year or cycle.
Q: What other stuff is available at FOAM E-Z?
Brad Nadell: Logo paper; safety equipment, respiratory systems, how-to videos. If you want to build a board we have it all, and we'll help you understand the process. It's all pretty simple but it can also be intimidating. It doesn't need to be. We try to put the fun into the equation.

Q: Do you get a newbie customers?

Brad Nadell: We get hobbyists all the time. I try to pound into our sales staff all the time that it's crucial to welcome the new hobbyist. It can intimidating to walk in and be new to the concepts of board building. Some times our industry doesn't understand customer service. I make sure our people are helpful and service oriented. It sounds simple but customer service is what makes or breaks businesses.

Q: What types of customers do you get?

Brad Nadell: We get all different levels from your professional shapers to your garage builders, to the hobbyist guy who just loves to build stuff. You know, the father and son types stop by or guys doing senior projects for school. It's really sort of cool. Everyone loves the idea of surfboards and building your own magic board. The neat thing is, it is totally do-able.

Q: You've got a big celebration all month long?

Brad Nadell: We are having a month long sale through the end of May, each week we are spotlighting a different section of the store. On May 31st we're having a big party and event at the store with tents and product and demos. So everyone should come by.

For more info on FOAM E-Z check out their website - www.foamez.com.

MONTH LONG 15% Off Aniversary Sale at Foam E-Z!!!

In celebration of our 15 years in business we are having a month long sale! Each week a different product category will be highlighted and all customers will be able to save fifteen percent (15%) on that category. This week, from Sunday May 4th thru Saturday May 10^th, the sale category is Blanks. Customers can either come into the shop to make the purchase or you can purchase online with the redemption code 15YRBLANK1. Look for a new category and redemption code next Sunday May 11^th. Stay tuned, it’s gonna be a great month!

Foam E-Z 15 YR Anniversary Party!!!

Come join us at our 15 Year Anniversary Party Event from 11-3pm on Saturday May 31st. It will take place behind our shop and will include: Giveaways, Raffles, Food/Drinks, Board Building Demos, and a Storewide 15% off Sale. All of our vendors will be present to answer questions and chat about anything you have in mind. Future Fins will be installing boxes into a shaped blank which then will be glassed with Composite Resource UV Polyester Resin and the board will ready to sand with in an hour and a half. Ocean & Earth will be raffling off pads, leashes, and more. US Blanks will have a van full of Seconds (blanks) for sale at a reduced price. Sol Sunguard will be giving away lots of killer sunscreen and lip balm. Many “pro” shapers will be present including Tim Stamps (Stamps Surfboards). ProBox Larry has graciously donated a variety of fin and box setups for the raffle. The raffle will also include Epoxy donated from Resin Research. This list will be growing as the month goes on so stay tuned.

You won’t want to miss this. It will be a great opportunity to talk shop, get some free shwag, and eat some free grub.

See you there!

The Guys at Foam E-Z

The Newest HULL Creation From The Guys @ Foam E-Z

Inspired by all the Hull craze these days, we at Foam E-Z decided to try our hand at building one. We decided to make a 6 foot stubby, based on the Greenough Velo and the Fineline Geebee. The bottom of the board is hulled out with a slight V in the tail. The board is glassed with double 4oz BGF cloth on top and single 4oz BGF cloth on bottom. It has a 10.5" Fin Box 10" up from the tip of the tail. The final dimensions of the board are 6' 20" nose x 23" wide x 18". We're currently testing it and will report back.
RadRob

The NEW Foam E-Z Fin section!

In an effort to carry a wide selection of fins, we have dedicated a large section of Foam E-Z (shop) that has everything from a 6" cutaway to a 10" Velzy pivot fin. Each fin is selected by us here at Foam E-Z with the idea that everyone surfs differently, and has a different idea of what fin they want to run in their board. We recently received some new L-Flex fins to add to our selection, and keep up with the Hull craze that seems to be sweeping over Southern California. Feel free to stop on by, call, or email and our knowledgeable staff will be happy to help you select your next fin.

The Guys at Foam E-Z

BYOB Build Your Own Board!

SOS SURFIN U$A Art Show - Gato Heroi

This past Saturday April 5th marked the opening of the "SOS" SURFIN' U$A art show, presented by Gato Heroi Surrfboards. Robin Kegal did a wonderful job of telling a story of the rise and fall of surfers through his original surf art. Robin (a regular customer at Foam E-Z), is known for his unique style of turning surfboards and surfboard material into great artwork. The evening also had live music performed by Mattson 2, and lead singer Alex Knost's band capped off the night. The art will continue to be displayed for the month of April at Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana.
Reported by RadRob

HOW TO MAKE A SURFBOARD IN THE 70'S

Check this classic footage....HOW TO MAKE A SURFBOARD IN THE 70'S...GET RAD!!!! Check out this clip, but be careful!! Sideburns and bowl cuts are required!!

Happy New Year, and a short recap of 2007!

2007 was an interesting and exciting year in the surfboard building business world as it was the second year without Clark Foam. This past year was very different from 2006 in that instead of there being a foam shortage there was a glut of foam.

A lot of foam startups came and went in the two years since the Clark empire shut down. Here is a list of some of the larger manufacturers that served the USA in 2007. US Blanks, Walker Foam, and Just Foam are the only the Polyurethane TDI foam companies manufactured in the US (California). King Mac, Bennett Foam USA, and Surfblanks America are produced in Baja Mexico. As MDI Polyurethane goes, HomeBlown US has risen to the top with their cutting edge BioFoam product and Ice 9 is gaining steam as time goes on. It's hard to track all the EPS foam companies in 07 since you could find EPS just about anywhere. Marko was the dominant Molded EPS creating a great product for the hand shaper. The best billet EPS we've found is White Hot.

As the year 2007 came to an end we are sad to report that Walker Foam has closed their doors. It's hard to believe that they are gone after all these years. Harold and the Walker people were a huge part of our scene after Clark Foam shut down. Instead of us going overseas for blanks like most of our competitors, Walker Foam stepped up and serviced us to the best of their abilities. It was an extremely tough time for all and they made the best with what they had. We want to really thank Walker Foam for all that they did for us after Clark Foam closed. They are a great group of people.

This past year saw Foam E-Z adding new foam companies to our line of foam blanks. First, we picked up Marko to fill our "molded Eps" void. Then, we brought in BioFoam as our "green alternative" MDI PU foam. Both companies produce a great product and have helped us round out our blank selection.

That's the short scoop on 07. We're looking forward to servicing all your board building needs in 2008. Who knows what lies ahead but it should be fun.

Happy New Year from the Guys at Foam E-Z! :-)

Biofoam Shaping Video of Tom Nielson

Great footage of a Biofoam blank being shaped by Tom Nielson! This quote from www.phoresia.org explains why the video was created. Phoresia.org is an organization to provide a consumer resource about environmentally and socially responsible surf related products and lifestyle choices."As part of the initial Biofoam project ideas we wanted to show some video footage of one of the blanks being shaped. Partly because it’s cool to see a shaper at work and partly because a visual of a Biofoam blank coming to life under a the planer of a skilled craftsman speaks volumes about the viability of the product."

Enjoy the video.

BioFoam Surfboard Blanks in our House!

In an attempt to carry the best range of surfboard blanks available we recently added HomeBlown's BioFoam to our line. Foam E-Z prides ourselves on having the best materials available for our customers, therefore BioFoam was a no brainer to fill our MDI void. These blanks are considered to be "green" by surfboard standards. Homeblown US manufactures the Biofoam blanks in which nearly 50% of the core ingredients are from agricultural products. Biofoam is produced by replacing the polyol component of the foam with materials converted from natural plant oils.

Shaping Tips
The Biofoam surfblanks are slightly harder to plane because of their cross-linked properties. Planer blades need to be sharp and/or you need to mow the blank a little slower than typical TDI foam. If the blank is cut on the computer there is no problem. The tight cell structure and properties of MDI allow it to machine very cleanly.

Finish shaping the Biofoam surfblank is very easy to finish with the normal the shaping process used. It may feel a little on the soft side when finished but let the blank sit overnight before glassing and it will harden up tons.

GLASSING TIPS
Glassing the Biofoam surfblank takes a little extra care. While Biofoam surf blanks make great surfboards, some issues have come up as to the way they take color, airbrush in particular. While color in the laminate works great, or of course, art on the hot coat, much airbrush color on the foam crystallizes. Clear boards or those done with resin tints have been working well. If using polyester resin squeegee on a cheater coat of resin to seal the blank before you laminate. Then proceed as normal. If epoxy is used, consider the airbrush notes above, then glass as normal.

* NOTE from Homeblown: Please realize that Biofoam surfblanks are a new product and although they have been tested and make beautiful functional surfboards, all variations of color layup and airbrush have not been tried yet. We have done opaques and tints and some airbrush that have all come out well but we simply have not hit all the color range.

Epoxy 101 Shaping Video Clip

Enjoy this clip of the Epoxy Shaping 101 with Greg Loehr. It has great insight into shaping EPS foam. Greg goes through the process and shows all the tricks you need to work with the beaded foam. The actual DVD is 97 minutes in length which can be purchased at http://www.foamez.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=7_53 .

Foam EZ for all Your do it yourself surfboard shaping needs

Foam EZ for all Your do it yourself surfboard shaping needs!

FINGERPRINTS- Great video with Shaping, Surfing, and Music

This video is really well done. It has some awesome footage of Guy Okazaki (one of Foam E-Z's long time customers) shaping a polyurethane foam blank. Check out his website http://www.guyokazaki.com/ for more info about him. You'll also find some fun looking surf in Hawaii and quality music to cap it off.

Check it out and let us know what you think.

A SHORT HISTORY OF THE VARIOUS SURFBOARD TYPES

Here are great short descriptions and historys of the various styles of surfboards by Dave Parmenter:

LONGBOARDS: The garden-variety longboard shape is indisputably the most resilient design in surfing history. A lot of people forget that if the Polynesians hadn't finally migrated to an island with big enough trees to make their olo boards, we'd probably all still be riding prone on paipo boards. The ancient Hawaiian longboards literally created the sport we know today. The papa nui went on to bridge the ancient and modern eras, and is the only design archetype to have been built with every conceivable material, from koa to redwood to balsa, foam and even sponge. Today, the longboard is back in a big way and more versatile than ever. Often debunked for its "old guy" stigma or "unfair" paddling superiority, the longboard has endured for a millennia for the same reason we all surf - we love the "glide."

BIG-WAVE GUNS: The big-wave gun is the "warbird" of the surfboard design kingdom. Let the other boards strut down the catwalk with their garish frills and fashions -- the gun is as lethal and purely functional as the rhino-stoppers they're named for. The big-wave gun has changed the least over the years of any type of surfboard because the mission has never changed: build up a head of steam with three strokes, bust through the ledge, skitter down the face, reconnect and worry about the rest later. You really want to learn about surfboard design? Look at a gun. Its design components are the simplest and purest of any board because they're not made for Quasimodos, roundhouses or 540-to-out-of-its. They're shaped strictly for two things: paddle-power and survival.

SHORTBOARDS: We call them "shortboards," but today's state-of-the-art high-performance surfing isn't happening because the boards are "short." The ultra-radical surfing you see on shortboards is more due to an amazingly deft balancing of design features that seem contradictory. Curves and flats, torque and drag are all combined into the most complex, temperamental and volatile surfboard design ever built, then fused to the power plant of the power-hungry Thruster fin array - and heaven help you if you're a sloth-foot or over 30.

THE HYBRID: Since all forward motion in surfboard design stems from combining established ideas into new combinations, then technically the "hybrid" surfboard should be granted the status of being the most progressive surfboard type of them all. What?! You mean those bulbous, hideous "funboards" are more progressive than my Merrick, dude? Well, take a fresh peek into the "hybrid" skunkworks: these aren't yuppie-doofus eggs anymore. The hybrid design family is burgeoning into fresh new fields and is robbing the shortboard blind of its edges, flats and rockers. Now, they're faster, more forgiving and more versatile than anything the "hotties" are riding - why else would all the pros consider riding them in contests as "cheating"?

Now you know the background behind the board you're riding, even if you've built it or want to build it.

In upcoming posts we will be showing examples of each type of board with detailed descriptions and dimensions. Keep an eye out for this cool and informative content.

"SHAPED" A Shaping Documentary

Shaped
This documentary film pays tribute to the men and women of the surf world that were there in the 1960s, working in the trenches, creating and un-knowingly shaping the future of surfing as we know it today.This handful of influential innovators had no idea at the time how their work would change the lives of millions of people through their innovative thinking and commitment to their craft. Internationally known world class surfer Robert Weaver "Wingnut" will interview these men and women candidly at the beach, at work and in their homes. This film will also feature interviews with people whose lives have been touched and forever changed by the sport of surfing...