High density foams

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Dicco
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High density foams

Post by Dicco » Tue Feb 10, 2004 8:08 pm

Does anyone have any opinions on whether using a higher density foam in a board really does contribute more strenght to a board - like would it
take a lot more to snap one than a regular density board ?
interested to hear opinions on this - I had a lecture on this topic the other day from a well known shaper that "if yu want a high(er) strength board yu just gotta use high(er) strength foam .....
Soiunded like a load of s**t to me
:?:

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the kalakau kid
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Post by the kalakau kid » Wed Feb 11, 2004 9:07 am

Dicco,

Your shaper was right - there is heaps to be gained by understanding what foam is being used.
High density is a foam that is not usually used in surfboards & does not come as a moulded blank. It is an industrial material which i have seen a couple of guys use as deck inlays to prevent boards from getting pressure dings/ depressions. It is definitely tougher and more resistant to crushing, not sure of its ability to withstand snapping as this is a different kind of force. Because it is expensive, not a moulded blank and an unusual color ( kind of a grey/brown) it tends to be ignored in surfing as regular blanks are that much more convenient.

However, even in the regular blanks that most manufacturers blow you will see a range of foams available. This is not bullshit ( generally) and most shapers i know will have their preferred foams for different kinds of boards. Durability usually brings weight which is percieved as the enemy of surfing performance and not many guys like their board to feel heavy, no matter how much commonsense the foam argument makes.

From my experience ( which includes some time working in different factories) the foam is a far greater indicator of the liklihood of breaking than the glassing is. This is the opposite of the common belief that glassin can make or break a board as far as durability goes. You can definitely glass boards with strong or weak glass but also the strength of the foam is vitally important. Shapers usually like to make boards that are as close as possible to the shape of the blank they use becuase the strongest foam is near the surface, not in the centre of the blank. If they have to shape right into the foam the resulting board is often more likely to break.

Anyway, I've raved enough. Let me know if this sort of answers your questions or post back some more. I'm not the authority on this but have been around board manufacturing for about 10 years and this is what I have learnt.

mahalo

Dicco
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Posts: 35
Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2004 2:35 pm

Post by Dicco » Wed Feb 11, 2004 11:44 am

Thanks for this reply - interesting to say the least !
I must mull it over for a while and talk to the shaper again
again, thanks for your effort
Dicco

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