Gday folks! I realise that this video and subject is very niche within what is already quite a niche subject my channel covers as a whole. I really always wanted my channel to cover the important aspects of surfboard repairs. It's really hard to make a video/subject like this fun, energetic and captivating so apologies if it's a little class room like. I do hope it helps those who have asked about these things though and I'll work on trying to mix "fun" videos in with these more "fact of the matter" ones. I'm sure there's a balance to be found and I am working on trying to lock it down. REALLY appreciate all the feedback I have been getting from emails, instagrsm, Facebook and here on RUclips. It really makes my day to hear how these videos have been of help! 🤙 🤙 🤙
Thank you sooo much! I am one of the many who asked you these very questions. I will treasure this video. Amazingly useful content! Thank you again. Cheers!
Cheers here from Brazil! Very nice tips!! To get a "flat" repair, i like to sand the damaged/repair area until i see the fiberglass, so it is like " 1 mm" bellow the hotcoat. Then a lay the filler/fiber glass, and hotcoat. And to prevent fiber showing up, if necessary i usualy gloss coat it. Aloha
This is crazy. I have been doing repairs for almost two years now. I guess I figured most of this by practice but its great you puting the ideas into real methods and words it really solidifies everything! Thanks for the content man!
I know exactly what you mean! Even while making this video I had to kind of think through what I have just kind of learnt through practice and turned into muscle memory. It helped me to think about what I do at a deeper level too!
Two Years!? I fixed my first ding about 1969 (I'm 70) and I even made 20 or so boards when I was younger and I still learned a bit from this video. He has a gift for clear explanation. Well done.
Thank you for the insight! I had the same discussion with my son in law about blending wallboard repair. I'm just a dad who occasionally repairs my own boards or more recently my daughters. I found using what I call a "multi tool" or "oscillating tool" with the sanding attachment with an interface pad works really well on small repairs. Plus you can use it for all sorts of repairs around the house too LOL. Thanks again!
The multi tools are gold, you actually reminded me that I left mine at a buddies house like year ago! The cutting blade on them are really good for removing longbosrd boxes too!
Really really appreciate this video, I always struggle with getting the hot coat perfect and despite it being a really important step in terms of getting an aesthetically satisfying finish, I feel no one else really talks about it or gives actual in-depth advice on how to go about it. This answered heaps of my questions, so cheers!
Stoked it answered some questions! It's a tricky and frustrating step for sure, some makes of boards are worse than other too (especially some EPS boards) because they have such thin glass jobs to start with!
Great content. You are really good. One tip I would offer is that you get a decent lapel Microphone to improve the audio. A small detail but it would really help with the echo in your work room. Other than that, 5 stars from Seattle Washington USA.
Haha yes pretty niche but i loved the level of detail and got some valuable tips! I wish my friends whose boards i fix appreciated how much i think about sanding dings 😂
Super helpful content! You know it is going to be great when the whiteboard comes in, it is so much easier to visualize. Beginner surfer here and fixed my first ever surfboard following your tips recently, but the more I watch your videos the more mistakes I realize I made :) Will get better next time tho!
I have two questions for you kind of the same question in both but I am curious. 1: Why do you use a random orbit sander rather than the larger polisher types that are used to sand a brand new board? 2: Do you use the random orbit sander on brand new boards being sanded? I do quite a few ding repairs (slowly trying to turn it into a business) and I personally prefer the larger polisher and just hand sand rails and more sensative parts.
I expected this question 😂 I almost left that part in the video but it was getting a bit lengthy! I use the MIRKA for everything. I do own a couple of polish sanders but I find the benefits of the orbital makes it the superior tool. The reasons I've stuck with the orbitals are 1. Connects to the vacuum keeping my workshop, customers boards and my lungs clean(er). 2. I came from an automotive painting background (as far as sanding goes) so have a lot of practice with palm driven orbitals. I can do incredibly finicky sanding and shaping of repairs very quickly and easily with my hand so close to the board and such easy speed control. I'm not nearly as capable with the polish sanders. 3. I only ever need one hand to operate it leaving me free to drink coffee while I sand (or move the board around while I sand). I think the polish sanders are an outdated bit if kit now. Orbitals have gotten so good, and that's not to say there aren't incredible sanders out there who are probably much better than me when it comes to sanding boards but the way I look at it, if an orbital is good enough for a $50,000+ saturn black vehicle, it's good enough for a $200 - $3000 surfboard.
Thank you very much for this video!! Could you please share what kind of grinder you are using, I'm currently hesitating between eccentric and a rotative one....
@@smallkinedings thanks 🙏🏽. Also I got a question: on my last repair, using poly resin and fiberglass, I scored on purpose the old hot coat with some scratches with a Stanley knife, to make sure it stick as strongly as with epoxy. Is it unnecessary?
@@SToRMoOoRiDeR sanding should be sufficient. I generally laminate over 120 grit, sometimes 80 grit, that should be plenty for the resin and cloth to adhere to. As long as you’re not putting poly over epoxy because that will cause adhesion issues but otherwise , sanding should suffice 🤙
Nice explanation! I use a random orbital sander but find due to the lowest rpms of around 3000pm it’s still a little aggressive at times and certainly on the rails, does the Mirka sander go as low as some of the polishers I see a lot of builders use? I’m a long term windsurfer and have done quite a few repairs but over the last couple of years have started to build a few wing foil boards for myself and some friends. Cheers
The Mirka is unreal because of the palm paddle. I can run it (and usually do) with very little pressure coming from my hand so very slow revolutions! With no buttons or wheels needed to adjust the speed, it really becomes an extension of your arm just like hand sanding
How do you know when to stop sanding with each grit on a ding? My repairs are structurally strong and look pretty good but sometimes I rub too much and see the cloth like you said? Wondering when to stop, even when wetsanding, and goto next grit.
Mostly it’s just a muscle memory thing. It’s reasonably easy to see when dry sanding and you can just check for areas of deeper scratches vs what grit you’re currently using. When it come to wet sanding it’s a bit trickier as everything looks perfect when it’s wet. You could try some automotive guide coat powder. Apply it, it sits in your scratches, you then sand all the powder away (you can even mist some black spray paint for a similar effect) knowing it will all only disappear when the scratches it sits within have gone. Also remember that you can skip grits so it’s not the end of the world if there’s still some 400grit scratches remaining when you’re done with your 600 as the next 800 grit should be capable of finishing off those last few, now shallow 400 scratches
dude i've watched this like 10 times and gets better everytime. one question i have a mouse / detail sander at the moment, no interface pad def no bueno but for somene tryin to keep costs as low as possible (free repairs for mates only) how much of a game changer would a variable speed orbital be, even a cheap one? cheers always apppreciate the insight
Gday bud! Interesting question. I don't know tonbe honest. I would say the orbital would certainly speed things up, especially if you're doing large creases, delams or just over all munted boards that require full sanding nose to tail. I imagine you're pretty comfortable with the mouse now so you might find that if you get an orbital you'll probably continue to use the mouse and only the orbital for specific things. Mo tool options, mo betta in my opinion.
I got my current project sanded/feathered to visually flat.....but I feel the "proud" repair, with my hands when I touch it. Do you consider the repair complete / acceptable quality if it appears flat but you can feel the slight protrusion? (on this repair Im working on the top of the board soo the repair will also be covered in wax when complete)
Good question, So it depends on the board really. For an old dunga with limited life left, it's not a concern. Brand new custom damaged in transit to the owner, maybe i add some more resin. The farther you can spread your resin coat, the ''flatter'' your repair will feel. A benefit for sure being on the deck side under wax!
I (eventually) came to the same conclusion. After doing final polish the protrusion was visible in so I will be re-sanding / polishing that area as this is a custom made board (although heavily used) its only 2.5 yrs old....sooo a bit more work to do.
Does the same sanding principles apply for doing resin panels? I haven’t tried panels or pinlining yet and wasn’t sure about what stage you do them and whether they need blend sanding before any hot coats?
@@smallkinedings decorative colour panels either on top or bottom of the board, to my understanding you tape off the area you want to colour and then paint or squeegee the pigmented resin into that area and once it’s kicked and starting to cloud over you remove the tape. I assumed this would leave a lip but sanding it down would change your colour density so wasn’t sure how to get round that. I have been wanting to use them in board building process but I know they can be a good repair technique too (I assume for that it is saturated cloth patch rather than resin pour?)
@@seth_tinsley_ ahh yup, I had a thought that might be what you were referring to. I'm assuming you are referring to adding panels to a board that's already glassed, say durung a repair? For colour panels I would use cloth, so you mask say a square, lay cloth with your coloured resin and then cut the square out in the same fashion as if you were doing a cut lap. Cloth holds tint much better than resin does and being able to remove all your excess resin once the cloth is wet out means your panels are all going to be a consistent height/thickness. Once they've kicked you can add a clear resin coat over the top and only sand the clear resin, not your coloured cloth beneath. You could do it with coloured resin only but I would still be putting clear resin over that to give you something to sand. For poly, no sanding will be required until all cloth and resin is laid and cured. For epoxy, you will need to sand your coloured cloth (or resin) before resin coating but, you don't want to feather your edges as it will ruin the shape of your panel. In the case of epoxy I would quickly buzz the flat of the cloth (or coloured resin) with the sander and then only hand sand to scuff the edges so the next resin coat sticks. Then you can feather the edges of your clear resin which will be a long way away from the edges of your coloured square. If you were doing resin panels on a freshly shaped blank, you would lay a clear laminate over all of your patches and I wouldn't dare do it with epoxy as the sanding stage would likely ruin foam. Hope that makes sense?!
@@seth_tinsley_ sorry, I re read your question and you said you want to try it in board building. In that case, definitely do coloured cloth panels and then once they are all done, do a standard full clear lamination over the top of them all
@@seth_tinsley_ bro, took me a bloody decade to find this but... this is the best example I have seen anywhere and the post should be a bit clearer than my writing 😂 instagram.com/p/ClPLBHoupv6/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
![Every Basic Glassing and Sanding Tool [for Making Surfboards]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wdkTX3A1cjY/mqdefault.jpg)
Gday folks! I realise that this video and subject is very niche within what is already quite a niche subject my channel covers as a whole.
I really always wanted my channel to cover the important aspects of surfboard repairs. It's really hard to make a video/subject like this fun, energetic and captivating so apologies if it's a little class room like. I do hope it helps those who have asked about these things though and I'll work on trying to mix "fun" videos in with these more "fact of the matter" ones. I'm sure there's a balance to be found and I am working on trying to lock it down.
REALLY appreciate all the feedback I have been getting from emails, instagrsm, Facebook and here on RUclips. It really makes my day to hear how these videos have been of help! 🤙 🤙 🤙
Very good video my friend!!!
You are the best
As techy and educational as possible please 🙏 🤙🤙🤙
@@marcshaper77 many thanks, glad you're enjoying !
@@happydayz549 lucky that's all I know how to do 😂
Thank you sooo much! I am one of the many who asked you these very questions. I will treasure this video. Amazingly useful content! Thank you again. Cheers!
Stoked it’s helpful!!
Cheers here from Brazil! Very nice tips!!
To get a "flat" repair, i like to sand the damaged/repair area until i see the fiberglass, so it is like " 1 mm" bellow the hotcoat.
Then a lay the filler/fiber glass, and hotcoat.
And to prevent fiber showing up, if necessary i usualy gloss coat it.
Aloha
Exposing the cloth weave before starting the repair is a good technique to use, I should have put that in 😅 chur to you!
This is pure gold for me as a DIY-warrior
Glad it was helpful!
This is crazy. I have been doing repairs for almost two years now. I guess I figured most of this by practice but its great you puting the ideas into real methods and words it really solidifies everything! Thanks for the content man!
I know exactly what you mean! Even while making this video I had to kind of think through what I have just kind of learnt through practice and turned into muscle memory. It helped me to think about what I do at a deeper level too!
Two Years!? I fixed my first ding about 1969 (I'm 70) and I even made 20 or so boards when I was younger and I still learned a bit from this video. He has a gift for clear explanation. Well done.
perfect detail, depth and also timing! off to catalyse some resin on a fin plug!
Happy days, good luck!!
Very clear with the diagrams and to the point. And this is coming from a high school teacher.
I’m always nervous when I have to draw 😂 glad it made some sense!
Thank you for the insight! I had the same discussion with my son in law about blending wallboard repair. I'm just a dad who occasionally repairs my own boards or more recently my daughters. I found using what I call a "multi tool" or "oscillating tool" with the sanding attachment with an interface pad works really well on small repairs. Plus you can use it for all sorts of repairs around the house too LOL. Thanks again!
The multi tools are gold, you actually reminded me that I left mine at a buddies house like year ago! The cutting blade on them are really good for removing longbosrd boxes too!
Amazing knowledge given freely. Bravo
Nope, your invoice is in the mail 😉
Thank you for another stunning Video. And thank you so much for Sharing your experience. Helpful und very pleasing, as usual
Pleasure, thank YOU for watching!
Super helpful. This is what i have been needing!
So stoked that it was helpful!
Really really appreciate this video, I always struggle with getting the hot coat perfect and despite it being a really important step in terms of getting an aesthetically satisfying finish, I feel no one else really talks about it or gives actual in-depth advice on how to go about it. This answered heaps of my questions, so cheers!
Stoked it answered some questions! It's a tricky and frustrating step for sure, some makes of boards are worse than other too (especially some EPS boards) because they have such thin glass jobs to start with!
This information is so valuable. Thank you!
My pleasure!
Super helpful, cheers mate!
thanks a bunch!
I'm going to do my first repair on the nose of a windsurfboard (catapult/mast damage), your videos make it clear how to do that.
Glad it's of use, good luck with your repairs!
thanks for all the details and explanation. This video is dope !!! 🔥
My pleasure, glad you enjoyed it!
very useful information, thank you!
My pleasure!
Love the name!!😀 Get plenty that's why
Great content. You are really good. One tip I would offer is that you get a decent lapel Microphone to improve the audio. A small detail but it would really help with the echo in your work room. Other than that, 5 stars from Seattle Washington USA.
100% agree, that will be the next youtube purchase for sure! It will help with my editing process as well I think! Appreciate it!
Haha yes pretty niche but i loved the level of detail and got some valuable tips! I wish my friends whose boards i fix appreciated how much i think about sanding dings 😂
Haha, I’ve lost some great knowledge trying to make room in my brain for sanding information. So sad 😂🤣😅
Super helpful content! You know it is going to be great when the whiteboard comes in, it is so much easier to visualize. Beginner surfer here and fixed my first ever surfboard following your tips recently, but the more I watch your videos the more mistakes I realize I made :) Will get better next time tho!
Unreal man, like I say I’m the video it can always be sanded and started again so there’s really no going wrong only learning from mistakes!
Fkn mint bro cheers
I have two questions for you kind of the same question in both but I am curious. 1: Why do you use a random orbit sander rather than the larger polisher types that are used to sand a brand new board? 2: Do you use the random orbit sander on brand new boards being sanded?
I do quite a few ding repairs (slowly trying to turn it into a business) and I personally prefer the larger polisher and just hand sand rails and more sensative parts.
I expected this question 😂 I almost left that part in the video but it was getting a bit lengthy!
I use the MIRKA for everything. I do own a couple of polish sanders but I find the benefits of the orbital makes it the superior tool. The reasons I've stuck with the orbitals are
1. Connects to the vacuum keeping my workshop, customers boards and my lungs clean(er).
2. I came from an automotive painting background (as far as sanding goes) so have a lot of practice with palm driven orbitals. I can do incredibly finicky sanding and shaping of repairs very quickly and easily with my hand so close to the board and such easy speed control. I'm not nearly as capable with the polish sanders.
3. I only ever need one hand to operate it leaving me free to drink coffee while I sand (or move the board around while I sand).
I think the polish sanders are an outdated bit if kit now. Orbitals have gotten so good, and that's not to say there aren't incredible sanders out there who are probably much better than me when it comes to sanding boards but the way I look at it, if an orbital is good enough for a $50,000+ saturn black vehicle, it's good enough for a $200 - $3000 surfboard.
Thank you very much for this video!! Could you please share what kind of grinder you are using, I'm currently hesitating between eccentric and a rotative one....
Hey hey, I'm using an orbital sander, 125 diameter, Mirka Deros 🤙🤙
Everything's so clear and consciously made! Do you jave a video of a pretty bad tail repair?
I'm actually sitting on some footage of a bad fish tail snap, thanks for reminding me. I'll try piece it together soon!
@@smallkinedings thanks 🙏🏽. Also I got a question: on my last repair, using poly resin and fiberglass, I scored on purpose the old hot coat with some scratches with a Stanley knife, to make sure it stick as strongly as with epoxy. Is it unnecessary?
@@SToRMoOoRiDeR sanding should be sufficient. I generally laminate over 120 grit, sometimes 80 grit, that should be plenty for the resin and cloth to adhere to. As long as you’re not putting poly over epoxy because that will cause adhesion issues but otherwise , sanding should suffice 🤙
@@smallkinedings best teacher ever ❤️
@@SToRMoOoRiDeR that’s what I tell everyone 😝
Another fantastic video 🤙🤙🤙
Mahalos!!
Nice explanation! I use a random orbital sander but find due to the lowest rpms of around 3000pm it’s still a little aggressive at times and certainly on the rails, does the Mirka sander go as low as some of the polishers I see a lot of builders use? I’m a long term windsurfer and have done quite a few repairs but over the last couple of years have started to build a few wing foil boards for myself and some friends. Cheers
The Mirka is unreal because of the palm paddle. I can run it (and usually do) with very little pressure coming from my hand so very slow revolutions! With no buttons or wheels needed to adjust the speed, it really becomes an extension of your arm just like hand sanding
Great tool but a heck of an investment. Is it better than the 3M??@@smallkinedings
Sounds good , so safe to sand the rails from 120 grit upwards ? I really like the dust extraction of these sanders.
How do you know when to stop sanding with each grit on a ding? My repairs are structurally strong and look pretty good but sometimes I rub too much and see the cloth like you said? Wondering when to stop, even when wetsanding, and goto next grit.
Mostly it’s just a muscle memory thing. It’s reasonably easy to see when dry sanding and you can just check for areas of deeper scratches vs what grit you’re currently using. When it come to wet sanding it’s a bit trickier as everything looks perfect when it’s wet. You could try some automotive guide coat powder. Apply it, it sits in your scratches, you then sand all the powder away (you can even mist some black spray paint for a similar effect) knowing it will all only disappear when the scratches it sits within have gone. Also remember that you can skip grits so it’s not the end of the world if there’s still some 400grit scratches remaining when you’re done with your 600 as the next 800 grit should be capable of finishing off those last few, now shallow 400 scratches
dude i've watched this like 10 times and gets better everytime. one question i have a mouse / detail sander at the moment, no interface pad def no bueno but for somene tryin to keep costs as low as possible (free repairs for mates only) how much of a game changer would a variable speed orbital be, even a cheap one? cheers always apppreciate the insight
Gday bud!
Interesting question. I don't know tonbe honest. I would say the orbital would certainly speed things up, especially if you're doing large creases, delams or just over all munted boards that require full sanding nose to tail.
I imagine you're pretty comfortable with the mouse now so you might find that if you get an orbital you'll probably continue to use the mouse and only the orbital for specific things. Mo tool options, mo betta in my opinion.
I got my current project sanded/feathered to visually flat.....but I feel the "proud" repair, with my hands when I touch it. Do you consider the repair complete / acceptable quality if it appears flat but you can feel the slight protrusion? (on this repair Im working on the top of the board soo the repair will also be covered in wax when complete)
Good question,
So it depends on the board really. For an old dunga with limited life left, it's not a concern. Brand new custom damaged in transit to the owner, maybe i add some more resin. The farther you can spread your resin coat, the ''flatter'' your repair will feel.
A benefit for sure being on the deck side under wax!
I (eventually) came to the same conclusion. After doing final polish the protrusion was visible in so I will be re-sanding / polishing that area as this is a custom made board (although heavily used) its only 2.5 yrs old....sooo a bit more work to do.
@ sometimes it’s gotta be done 🤙
Does the same sanding principles apply for doing resin panels? I haven’t tried panels or pinlining yet and wasn’t sure about what stage you do them and whether they need blend sanding before any hot coats?
Explain what you mean by resin panels if can?
@@smallkinedings decorative colour panels either on top or bottom of the board, to my understanding you tape off the area you want to colour and then paint or squeegee the pigmented resin into that area and once it’s kicked and starting to cloud over you remove the tape. I assumed this would leave a lip but sanding it down would change your colour density so wasn’t sure how to get round that. I have been wanting to use them in board building process but I know they can be a good repair technique too (I assume for that it is saturated cloth patch rather than resin pour?)
@@seth_tinsley_ ahh yup, I had a thought that might be what you were referring to. I'm assuming you are referring to adding panels to a board that's already glassed, say durung a repair?
For colour panels I would use cloth, so you mask say a square, lay cloth with your coloured resin and then cut the square out in the same fashion as if you were doing a cut lap. Cloth holds tint much better than resin does and being able to remove all your excess resin once the cloth is wet out means your panels are all going to be a consistent height/thickness. Once they've kicked you can add a clear resin coat over the top and only sand the clear resin, not your coloured cloth beneath. You could do it with coloured resin only but I would still be putting clear resin over that to give you something to sand.
For poly, no sanding will be required until all cloth and resin is laid and cured. For epoxy, you will need to sand your coloured cloth (or resin) before resin coating but, you don't want to feather your edges as it will ruin the shape of your panel. In the case of epoxy I would quickly buzz the flat of the cloth (or coloured resin) with the sander and then only hand sand to scuff the edges so the next resin coat sticks. Then you can feather the edges of your clear resin which will be a long way away from the edges of your coloured square.
If you were doing resin panels on a freshly shaped blank, you would lay a clear laminate over all of your patches and I wouldn't dare do it with epoxy as the sanding stage would likely ruin foam.
Hope that makes sense?!
@@seth_tinsley_ sorry, I re read your question and you said you want to try it in board building.
In that case, definitely do coloured cloth panels and then once they are all done, do a standard full clear lamination over the top of them all
@@seth_tinsley_ bro, took me a bloody decade to find this but... this is the best example I have seen anywhere and the post should be a bit clearer than my writing 😂
instagram.com/p/ClPLBHoupv6/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
First. lol. Seriously . Thank you all the advice.
Haha, man you're quick!!
Subscribed and notifications .. It was 4:20 here n Cocoa Beach Florida. Perfect timing. @@smallkinedings
@@chriscoralAloha haha, 4:20 and this video might be a recipe for an early night sleep 😂
chihooooooooo!
did you just write on a dry-erase board with a posca pen?? lol
The sacrifices I make for my loyal hoarde of youtube subscribers!!