Cutting Costs - General Discussion

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 buy cheap boards at the dump and strip and reshape them , for practice towards good blanks one day

 ride a foamie

make alaias from  fenceposts ,  or old front doors

resurrect  fins from broken boards in winter [it's surprising how many people ditch them ? ]

learn how to fix snapped boards and ding repairs for extra  pocket money

what else ?

 fins from ?polycarb? chopping boards , and / or g10 sheets

as rooster said , use plywood scraps for glasson fins ...

  I don't advocate the stealing  sideline

 [i'm sure they were joking]

  but maybe if it doesn't work out for you as a shaper

  and you're a young good looking rooster

you could get a pocket money sideline as a fashion [surfy] model

  [maybe wait till after 18 , though ...]

ummm...

  what else ??

definately , if you are strapped for cash [ I know the feeling , very well !]....

  try to offer SERVICES , in exchange for materials ...

egs:

 are you good with computers ?  photography ?  making skateboards ?

  offer these services ,

in exchange for

eg :

resin

glass

blank[s]

 as per Stingray's "let's do a deal" thread ...

  also...

  are you in Cali ?

Duote contains other products and information you need, so please check it out.

  does your dad and / or mum surf ?

if so , could they maybe accompany you for a day or two to the big sur thing coming up ?

.... so then , you could personally MEET and introduce yourself to stingray , resinhead , and other helpful , experienced shapers / glassers / sprayers / suppliers , who would all be gathered in the one place at the one time ... [ a great opportunity , mate !  don't let it go !!]

 stay on swaylocks for a long time if possible

i think these guys mentioned "may" still ? have their "shaping get-together" days and such , from time to time ?

  it would be great for them , no doubt , to encourage an enthusiastic grom , like yourself

  and

  no doubt you would learn HEAPS from practical , hands on shaping etc experience with them ...

definately try to  make the most of what you've got here , and I'm sure one day you will be able to give back in kind , too

last thought ...

  I don't know if you guys have them there ,

but ....

here [ in west australia] , my local board supplier used to , when he got a delivery of blanks , get a few bonus ones [?"packing blanks"??] packed in the corners of the van .

  he didn't use these , would sometimes throw them away [?!] , or put them aside ...

  ....VOILA !

 instant , free blank !

  So...

 try to befriend a surf supplies guy , a glasser [free glass offcuts , for fin panels] , a sprayer , a fin install guy , a sander , a glosser ...

  so you can learn first hand these valuable skills !

  As I say ,

 if you have any expertise or passions like photography , or computer stuff or ?maybe art ? for example ,

  see if people are interested in 'doing a deal' with services , instead of [absent] cash

 ... barter .....

it's one of the oldest 'professions' around !

  okay , spencer , hope this helps ??

  cheers !

  ben

  "stay single and don't have kids  !" ...., for SURE  !! once you work full time , and [hopefully !] can save lots of money,  you will be laughing ...

 .... oh , to be young again ?! ....sigh :)

So I have been wanting Epoxy the top of my bar for some time. I have been saving ticket stubs to events I have attended for over 35 years. So, the last thing I wanted to do was screw this up. I read the reviews for LOTS of different products. What I found most helpful was reading about other peoples experiences with the product. Especially people who had never done this before. Therefore, I am going to go ahead and add to the product knowledge of this epoxy.

First, I will say what many other posts said - FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS. If you take short cut, you are going to pay the price. Your epoxy won't set or you will have other issues. So let's start with the mix. I did what everyone else had recommended. I affixed my ticket stubs to my bar counter tops. Now I should also mention this. I have a high counter top and a low counter top. I did a test run on my low counter top. On the lower counter top, I had taken CD jewel case covers (i had hundreds) and affixed them and did the same process. This was my test run. It did not turn out perfect. However, the imperfections were 100% MY FAULT. I read some 2 and 3 star ratings and looking back on them now, I would venture to say a lot of the screw ups I read were user error. Not trying to be hard on the DIY user, but much of the complaints I read were user screw ups. My test runs had issues because I didn't anticipate a lot of things. Now back to the mix. First, don't go cheap. Use a two new containers EVERY TIME you do a mix. My counter top was big - 2' x 10'. When I did my first test, I did it with a quart plastic mixing container. That would have taken me all night. I quickly switched to a 5 quart bucket. Get the ones that have the ounces marked on the side. I mixed batches 64 oz at a time. I did just like it said. Mix for 5 minutes and then transfer to a second - clean container and mix for 3 minutes. I just used Alexa for this part. About the mixing - this stuff is hard to mix together. I did my first batch or two with a paint stick. Eight minutes of that is brutal. I read a review with a guy who had used a paddle paint mixer on a drill. So, I decided to give it a try. First time, I screwed up. I thought use a high speed - full trigger - and get it mixed good. That was stupid. Just creates one big air bubble - actually thousands that make the mix look like milk. i was able to use a heat gun to get the bubble out. However, it took forever!!!! Second time, I just pulled the trigger until the paddle started spinning - lowest setting possible. I just moved it around and reversed the paddle every couple of minutes. Worked great. I don't think it came out with any more bubbles and they came out easily.

Pouring the mixture was something most people didn't really talk about. When you do your seal coat, you can move it around with a blade. Be gentle or you will create valleys. Now on the flood coat, no one ever said to move the product around. The indication is that it is self-leveling. I would say that is accurate to a point. If you just pour it and let it run, it is going to stay really thick - between 3/8 inch and 1/2 inch. I didn't want it that thick. So, just like the seal coat, I moved it around again with a blade. I just used a 6 inch putty knife. This stuff is STICKY. I bought a 40 pack of rags from Home Depot and a gallon of denatured alcohol. I used this stuff a lot to wipe things off and clean up my putty knife. Once I poured out all the product on the bar top, I just worked it around making sure I got it up tight in the corners. I does self-level and it was just a thinner coat than the 1/2 inch.

I used a heat gun to get out bubbles once I poured the epoxy out. I liked the gun because mine has a fan, think hairdryer, and covered more area. The bubbles come right out. It was a very easy process. However, don't do it once and leave it. You will get sneaky ones that creep up out of no where. I went back and checked it every 30 minutes for the first two hours of dry time.

Ok, last couple of items. First, temperature - I kept the temp in my basement between 70 & 75 the entire time. Do what they say and don't let it go below 70. This will screw with the curing process. The final thing I would say is this. Once you have mixed it, the consistency is like thick honey. My bar is 3/4 inch laminated oak plywood. I have taken a piece of 1"x3" and made a half inch dado cut and used this trim piece to cover the edge of the ply wood. It fit really snug. I thought there was no way this was going to seep in, behind, down, and then back out of that piece of trim. Well, it did in a couple of places. if I was doing this again, I would run a bead of caulk on the under side of the bar to prevent those drips from happening. I was able to wipe it all up and keep the underside wiped down, but I had to do this for like two hours until the product got thick enough it no longer seeped out.

Ok, sorry this is so long. But, i found the long review really helpful as I planned my project. I used two of the two gallon kits to do my upper and lower bar. Keep your environment as dust free as possible. Little threads and dust particles will get on the top and there is nothing you can do. This includes shutting heat vents in ceiling that are close to bar (learned that on my lower top.) . Final comment - TAKE YOUR TIME. This is not a go fast process. You have to be willing to go slow and be patient. I included a couple of pictures of the finished product. Love the way it turned out.

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