What the blank???

Bali Trip is a life changer! Notes from a Foam E-Z Customer.

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:41:00 +0000

Here's a cool email we recieved from one of our happy customers. Sit back and relax!

Hey guys. Just wanted to thank you for all the info and supplies that you've made available. I'm mostly landlocked here in DC except for the few times a month that I make the two hour junket to the coast. Its a stark contrast with Bali, Indo where I'd been living 2008-2009. I went there with extremely limited funds and made my peregrinations at extremely low cost. Even still, by the time it was time to come home, I didn't even have the hundred some dollars necessary to ship my boards. As such, I sold two (both badly abused in epic surf), and left one with a friend. Not having a board when I arrived back in the states, I bummed around, borrowing boards here and there while I tried to scrape some money together to buy my own. A friend gave me an old 6'8 Clark Foam blank he had had sitting around for the past half a decade, in the hopes that it would help push me along to self-sufficiency. I felt apprehensive, as I had no experiencing shaping or glassing. In the mean time, I took a trip down to Avon, NC when a swell of superb caliber rolled through and promptly broke my buddies board in half. So now not only did I not have one for myself, I owed one to my buddy. I resolved to fix the one myself (with his permission), and shape the blank I had. I called around while in NC looking for some resin, but it seemed as if most distributors were bone dry, and most shops didn't sell by the gallon. In one last ditch effort I stopped at the store front of famed East Coast shaper, Tim Nolte, who put me off to a good start supplying me with a gallon of resin, 9 yards of glass, fins and fin boxes, catalyst, and styrene monomer, all at distributor prices. The man nearly singlehandedly restored my faith in the goodwill and common decency of American businessmen (but not quite corporations as a whole).

Returning home, I managed to piece the one board back together within about two weeks, but found my talent at glassing to by wanting. Nevertheless, I commenced to shape and glass the blank. Aside from nearly fatal errors, a waste of at least half a gallon of resin and about 4 yards of glass, a few ruined sets of cloths (and brain cells), I managed to shape something rideable. Ironically, the day that I applied the hot coat, my buddy from Bali called me up to inform me that my board had arrived in NYC, and that I should come up promptly. And so packed up my grip, hopped on the bus, and went for a surf out at Rockaway on my board that just made a 12,000 mile journey on an overseas shipping crate amongst a load of cheap plastic jewelry imports. I don't live a boring life, that's for sure. I couldn't have done it without all the beta and necessary supplementals you supply. You even supplied the Rasta keel fins I've got in that fishy while I was in Indo (its cheaper to have something shipped there from here than to deal with imported stuff there).

Thanks so much.
Jake

Photos: (In order from first to last) 1)Ed in Indo: epic, pumping, deserted waves right in front of malaria ridden camp sight. Only took 3 days on mopeds to get to. 2) Jake shaping Clark blank. 3) Ed pre-glassing. Should have followed the directions and put fins in after laminate coat. 4) Jake: Hot Coat. 5) Twin Fin Fish on left shipped from Indo, arrived same day board on right was finished. Board on right: 6'5" quad 20" wide. Who knows how thick.... Road map of Java in between.

PRO-SHAPER PROFILE- Jason Hoffman by Grizzly

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:39:00 +0000

Here I am with this month’s Pro Shaper Profile and I’m proud to say we have a video interview with Jason Hoffman. We are highlighting the artisan board builder which Jason and business partner Casey McCrystal truly define. Like many other shapers over the past five years, Jason has been building his boards from start to finish in house. He used to shape out of a room he rented at Foam E-Z and just crank them out and then drop them off at a glass shop. Since times are tough he made the move and bought the glass shop next door to the old Foam E-Z location and has been building his business even during this crazy time. As I mentioned before he has teamed up with Casey McCrystal to form a company called Ricochet. They are hands on and build each board from start to finish, that’s right, they take your order, shape it, glass it, and even hand it off to you when it’s done.

It’s been great knowing and working with Jason over the years so take a second to check out the conversation I had with him on this video. Check out their websites for more information.

Seal Beach - Big Waves, Friends, Crowds, and Chaos!

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:47:00 +0000

Yesterday Sunday February 28th 2010 was one of those days in Seal Beach history when everyone you know is out and about. The waves were the biggest of this winter, the weather was perfect and everyone was in a good mood! As usual when the waves get big and the tides are high all the local news vans show up and prepare for flooding etc... Sometimes it is a bit of a false alarm but yesterday didn't disappoint. The water flowed from NorthSide over to SouthSide and filled up the area between the berm and the houses, in some places it was up to four feet deep. Mitchy Dejarnet even got the opportunity to paddle from NorthSide down to his house at Twelfth street (check the pic in our slide show). On Saturday there was a Tsunami warning from the terrible earthquake in Chile. It obviously never arrived but the tidal surge along with the big surf, and high tide made for this flooding. These are days that remind me of my youth since they only happen about every five to ten years with the most exciting one being back in 1983. That was the year when the Pier came down along with Esther the oil Island. They say it's an El Nino Winter maybe it's true!?

The images for the slide show were given to us by Jim "J.B." Boswell. He takes some pretty amazing shots of the local surf, check out his site JB Photography.

BOARDROOM: LEGENDS OF SURFBOARD SHAPING

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:56:00 +0000

BOARDROOM: LEGENDS OF SURFBOARD SHAPING
Features the greatest legends of modern board shaping. We hear first hand on how they got started, who gave them a break and how they changed surfing history forever. We hear about the transition from balsa to foam , from long board to short board, from California to Hawaii. Get ready for a trip back in time to the beginning of modern day shaping.

Looks like it's gonna be a cool flick. Can't wait for it to come out!

Check out www.boardroomthemovie.com for more info.

Mike Marshall Long Time Harbour Shaper, RIP

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:13:00 +0000

We lost a a great member of the Harbour Surfboards extended family this past Saturday Feb 6th. I was lucky enough to meet Mike Marshall back in the early Eighties while I was starting my stint as an employee at the Harbour Shop. Mike would often stop in and heckle us guys in the back. He was one of Rich's original production shapers back in the sixties. One of my fondest memories of Mike was from the Harbour Surfboards 25th Anniversary party back in 1987. He was just the life of the party amongst the many surf characters from the Sixties and Seventies eras. It was always a pleasure to run into Mike and Sharon at various events and talk shop, I think he especially enjoyed talking education with my wife (she's a high school teacher) since he was a long time teacher himself.

It sounds like Mike's last days were as pleasant as can be expected. Here's what Rich Harbour emailed me:

As many already know Mike Marshall, my dear friend of more than four and half decades, had a stroke early Monday morning. After arriving at
emergency, they found he had a very aggressive form of leukemia.
Brain surgery was performed to relieve pressure and he remained in an unconscious state thereafter.
Later in the week the family was informed that he was not going to survive, so they decided to remove him from all life support and take him home to live his final days where he was most comfortable.
He was transported by ambulance Thursday, and on the way to his home they convinced the ambulance driver to take a lap around the parking lot at Blackies. With that done, they delivered him to his house where he rested in the "Museum Room" on a hospital bed, now in a Blackie's T-shirt in place of a hospital gown - much more appropriate. I visited Friday and Saturday. There were family and friends near him, all in a very positive mood, prepared for the final moments of his life that ended shortly after I left yesterday.
I wish his wife Sharon and family well. These are going to be tough times and my heart and thoughts are with them.
May he rest in peace.

I'm gonna miss bumping into Marshall at the various surf events.

Best wishes to Sharon and his family from the Harbour Surfboards extended family.

FEBRUARY'S RAFFLE; Three Sets of Future K1 Bamboo Keels

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 05:10:00 +0000

Up for grabs this month (February) is three sets of Future K1 Bamboo Keels. That's right, three winners this month!!! All you have to do to be entered is purchase at least $30 worth of stuff either online or in the shop. We'll announce the winners at the beginning of March.

January's winner of the Fusion Install Kit is Leroy Haight of Weirsdale, Florida. Here's what Leroy emailed us after finding out he was the lucky winner;
"I have never won anything this is great. I have to say it is so great being able to get materials here in the middle of nowhere. Being raised in San Diego and living there for 40 years where materials were so easy to get. I have been making surfboards for 35 years and there is nothing better than riding a board you designed and hand crafted. So I would like to say Foam E-Z has enabled me to continue to rip in the water. Thanks"

Check out our February Newsletter for more information.

It's that E-Z! Happy raffling!

PRO SHAPER INTERVIEW with Mike Minchinton by Grant Ramey

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:34:00 +0000

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:

An Update from Prison! BadFish Surfboards

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:24:00 +0000

Do you remember our customer from the Crestline Correctional Facility? If not you can look back in the archives of our blog. Well Tony "Neptune" Stearns is still building boards behind bars! I don't know if you got a chance to see his little write up in SurferMag and Transworld Surf but he's graced the pages of those two magazines. We just received an email from him and here's what he had to say:

Hello my friends, this is Tony Stearns, Badfish Surfboards. The only surfboards ever made in prison. I wanted to show you some photos of my current inventory and also let you know about my Facebook.com page called Badfish Surfboards. Please help me create a cyber snowball with this information. If you could forward this message and my photos to anyone you know who surfs it will help me get off the ground. I want to thank you all for your help and support. I'm trying to do the best I can while I am here in prison.

Love and respect to everyone!

Tony Stearns T-43417

P.O. Box 10

Crestline, CA 92325

Nice Article in the Daily Pilot - Newport Beach newspaper

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:19:00 +0000

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

Introducing the “Foam E-Z Monthly Raffle Extravaganza”

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:04:00 +0000

January's Raffle is the FCS FUSION INSTALL KIT w/ ROUTER BIT

We appreciate you, our customers, and to show it we have decided to do a monthly raffle to reward your loyalty. This is how it’s going to work. Entry for each month’s drawing will begin on the first of the month and will end on the last day of the month, simple eh? The only thing you need to do to enter is make a purchase of $20 or more online or in the store. Each time you do you will be entered into our raffle, that’s right, every time you purchase $20 or more worth of products. So if you come in on Monday and spend $100 then you get a ticket. If you come back on Thursday and spend $40, you get another ticket.

Now that we have that cleared up, let’s move on to when the drawing will take place. The drawing will happen on the first Monday of each new month. If the winner is local then he/she can pick up the loot, sing any song by Hall and Oates, and it’s a done deal (singing is optional, but encouraged). If the winner is an online customer, all they have to do is pay the shipping. We will announce each winner in our monthly newsletter so everyone knows who to be jealous of. This month’s raffle will be for the FCS Fusion Installation Kit with Router Bit, a $62.95 value! For information on how the FCS Fusion System is installed check out the Fusion Installation Manual.

Happy New Year and happy raffling… from us here at Foam E-Z

SkiSurfing???

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:45:00 +0000

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season. Since it's winter time and skiing/snowboarding is on peoples minds I thought we'd share this interesting?, goofy?, crazy?, video. Definitely an interesting take on blending skiing with surfing, without any snow. So if you can't make it to the snow this winter maybe you can give "Skisurfing" a try???? What's next as we go into the new year?

Happy New Year from us at Foam E-Z!

Surf Story, a book by Rob Havassy

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:46:00 +0000

Robb Havassy is celebrating the launch of SURF STORY this Friday, December 18 at the Hurley Headquarters "Town Hall", with proceeds from the evening benefiting the Surfrider Foundation.

SURF STORY is a 400+ page, hard-cover glossy collection of images and stories by the painters, photographers and writers that are embedded in today's surf culture, and is already receiving rave reviews for capturing the uniqueness and eclectic designs of the surfing community.

Friday night will feature an exhibition, book signing, concert and all-around good times.

HOLIDAY SHIPPING CALENDAR and Some X-mas Gift Giving Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:09:00 +0000

Every year we all have to think about what to get others for Christmas. I don’t know about you guys but I hate it! It takes up time and energy and usually I fail and the person is bummed anyways. So this year, we are going to help you out by offering Foam E-Z Gift Certificates. They can be purchased over the phone and can be used online or in the retail store. You can even use them to reserve some time in the world famous “E-Z Shaping Box” that has been getting rave reviews around the world…..of Westminster and Huntington Beach that is. Call us up, get a Foam E-Z Gift Certificate and show someone that you care enough to get them a unique gift of board building instead of something lame like socks or a coffee mug.

If you are thinking about purchasing gifts online check out the Foam E-Z Holiday Shipping Calendar to be sure everything arrives on time. If you have any questions about delivery time please be sure to call. We don't want that special one to end up with coal in their stocking because Fed Ex dropped the ball!

Grizz

Kwik Kick Epoxy Is Your Friend!!!

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:09:00 +0000

Let’s face it; you need to try epoxy resin. Don’t worry, I’ll be here to help you through it and now you can’t use that lame excuse that “it takes too long to cure.” That’s right; that old stand by is out the window because we now carry The Resin Research Kwik Kick epoxy. The name says it all, quicker cure time, flip time, and overall working time. I have had the opportunity to work with the stuff and it is great. Just like the RR CE the Kwik Kick has the optical brightener and UV inhibitor and even though it has a bluish color to it, the resin dries clear and actually finishes out with a brighter white due to the optical brightener. Back to the facts, the working time @ 75˚ is roughly that of polyester and the flip time is about 45 minutes which basically cuts the original flip time of 3-4 hours by a couple of hours. I was able to glass a board completely in 6 hours which is a vast improvement from the usual glassing schedule of laminate one day and hot coat the next day. The Kwik Kick is the same price as the other variations of Resin Research Epoxy systems, it saturates out the same, and it is a great product to work with. Call us up if you have any additional questions.

Grizzley

Kelly Slater talks on NPR!

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:23:00 +0000

This is actually a cool and entertaining interview! I'm not sure how Kelly Slater got picked to be on NPR but it turned out to be a a good choice. He doesn't have anything groundbreaking to say but the exchange between he and the interviewers is pretty darn funny. You know the stereotype Surfers have built over the years. Pot smokers, losers, uneducated, (you know the rest) but Kelly is on this NPR show to break down the stigma for us!

Enjoy!

Topless Mermaids, a funny Volcom cartoon!

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:12:00 +0000

Came across this Volcom ad the other day and thought I would share it. No real point but definitely a creative masterpiece! All surfers have been in search of or at least have dreamed of the Topless Mermaids. We're looking forward to part two!

Enjoy!

Black Friday: Shape ‘til you drop!

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:19:00 +0000

Attention!!!

Black Friday is near and we will be here so don’t fret!! Yes we will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, November 26^th but we'll be open on Black Friday November 27th, from 11-4pm. The shop will be stocked and ready to accommodate your surfboard building needs.

Word on the street is that there are going to be some in store specials on some luxurious items such as the E-Z Finish Shaping Pad regularly $8.95 will be on sale for only $5.00! Resin Research Epoxy single and three gallon board kits will be 10% off. We also have the world famous E-Z Square on sale right now for only $24.95 marked down from $33.95 as well as the E-Z Calipers with Gauge marked down to $74.95. In addition, the CF Planer will be on sale for $379.95 ($20 off). So cruise on by, take advantage of the savings, and stock up on goodies for yourself or for the board builder in the family.

Look forward to spending Black Friday with you!!!

Bobble Surf Camp, Free Iphone App

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:59:00 +0000

Bobble Surfer Free is an iPhone app from Lemur Software that will help you get your wave fix when you can’t make it out to the ocean. It’s built on the tilt sensitivity of the iPhone, so tilting the phone left will turn the little surfer dude left and tilting the phone right will turn the dude right. The real trick is starting with the phone flat as tilting the phone “up” will stall the surfer and get you caught on the lip of the wave. (This is one of the downfalls of the game. You can’t play it in bed while lying on your back.) Also the game has a pumpin’ surf track to help keep you stoked as you work to build up speed to launch crazed aerials. This game has a similar feel to the old T&C surf game for the original Nintendo…if you remember that one.

The full version (.99¢) is now available in the US iTunes store. It has:

-New learn to surf mode with interactive lessons

-Compete against friends with global ranking systems

-Four all new unlockable breaks for a total of eight

-Grab the rails for harder turns and to score higher

-Choose from four different style boards (shortboard, fish, longboard, and funboard)

-and much more!

Check it out and let us know what you think.

Have fun surfing in the cyberworld.

Gore Vent Plugs, A High Tech Epoxy/EPS Solution!

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:34:00 +0000

The newest high-tech product to the Foam E-Z family is the Gore Vent Plug. Now you can stop worrying about your EPS/Epoxy or Hollow Wood surfboard gassing and blowing up! It is the only vent on the market that is made entirely by W.L. Gore. The W.L. Gore design has the membrane bonded around the circumference using a very specialized process. This vent "breathes" constantly alleviating the need to open and close it. Or in worse case, your board soaking up water since you forgot to close it! The vent will flow 40 ml/minute max, and SUP's over 10' or hollow boards should use two (mid-board & near tail). Originally Gore designed this vent for sealed military electronics, so it meets very stringent spec's for a saltwater environment. This vent isn't an immunity to heat problem with EPS and Hollow Wood, and customers should understand that boards still cannot be left in the sun; especially upside down on your surf racks.

The Gore Vent Plugs come in two models:

Glass-In version is designed to be installed under the glass, directly into the foam.

Retro-Fit version is designed to be installed after the board has been glassed.

The Gore Vent Plugs are not cheap at $26.95, but are a great investment for your EPS/Epoxy or Hollow Wood surfboard especially if you want your board to last.

Check out the Gore Vent Plug Installation Manual for the correct directions on installing your Plug.

These plugs are another example of Foam E-Z's effort to carry the highest quality, made in the USA, surfboard building tools and products available. Feel free to let us know if you don't see something you're looking for on our site, most items are only a day away! We're open to all suggestions and comments so please let us know how we're doing.

Thanks for your support-

Brad

A Fly on the Wall, by Jeremy Lynch!

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:04:00 +0000

"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

Feel Good Saturday!

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:44:00 +0000

What a day at Foam E-Z this past Saturday was! It was great having Mark Bouvier in the shop again. Even with the short notice (via blog post), Foam E-Z customers came down to say hi to Mark and catch up with him. A big thanks to Nancy (Mark's mom) for chauffeuring him down and sticking by his side to be sure all was as it should be. The buzz in the shop was unreal not to mention the shaping going on in the Shaping Box and next door at Aloha Glassing. Only shaping his fifth board, Dan tried his hand at an "Old School Pig" 9'6" Nose Rider. He got really crazy and flipped the blank nose to tail to try get more tail rocker and less nose! Mark got dusty too as he walked Dan through the beginning stages of the shape process. The day wasn't without it's legends, as Robert August showed up to shape a 7'6" Seventies Gun for his nephew and Mike Minchinton shaped a five fin bonzer out of a neat two stringer wedge blank. It was cool seeing Robert August and Minch talking shop with Mark.

We're hoping to get Mark in the shop on upcoming Saturdays. We could surely use his help and good spirits. A big benefit party for Mark Bouvier, "Give some dough to a bro", is in the works. We'll be posting the details as they come up, please keep checking back.

Thanks for your support-

Brad/Grant/Mark

A Special Appearance this Saturday November 7th!!!

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:09:00 +0000

Foam E-Z super employee Mark Bouvier will be hanging out at the shop tomorrow, Saturday November 7th. Just in case you don’t know the history Mark has worked for us at Foam E-Z for about three years. He became our "Saturday" Guy and nurtured his own and new clientele making them laugh with his dry sense of humor. He is a shaper and an artist, the Evolution Tee Shirt that debuted at the Foam E-Z Fifteen Year Party is his creation. If you haven't seen him lately it's because he got into a terrible car accident on Thursday July 9th, 2009 http://www.ocregister.com/articles/police-beach-huntington-2488973-head-taken. Basically he got rear ended and the car came down on top of him, crushing one side of his head! After removing a portion of his skull to drain some fluid Mark had it replaced on September 25th and has since been sent home from the hospital to rehab. He's had to relearn to speak and is rehabbing the rest of his body at this time. It's absolutely amazing how far he has come in such a short time (although to him I'm sure it seems like it's been forever). In the car with him at the time of the accident was his girlfriend Sarah who was pregnant with their first child. Thank god she walked away with barely a scratch. They have since had healthy-happy baby Jack on October 7th.

We hope many of you can come down and say hello to Mark. He would be stoked to see his Foam E-Z friends both old and new to talk shop. If he's not in the front of the shop when you arrive he will be in the "Shaping Box" coaching his Friend Dan as he shapes a new board.

We're working on plans for a benefit party for Mark in the upcoming weeks so stay tuned. In the meantime you can check out Mark's MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/cheaterfives or email him board building questions or good wishes at surfddout@yahoo.com.

Hope to see you all-

Brad

UV Catalyst …Will Make You Taller, Stronger, and More Attractive

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:30:00 +0000

That may not be completely true, or true at all, but it does kind of rule if you are using polyester resin. I’m a huge fan of the UV catalyst and I’ve been using it for about 3 years now, on and off, and have been getting it pretty dialed. I did a board the other day with a resin tint bottom, some additional resin tint splashes on the tail. I then did a resin tinted seal on the foam with multiple tints on the deck as well as doing glass on fins and finished it off with a two 4oz clear deck. I did the usual paste on the bottom and deck before hot coating the board and went 100% UV catalyst. After it was all said and done I only used a total of 2 ¾ quarts of resin and it only took about 3 ½ hours. Another bonus of using the UV catalyst is that the overpowering polyester resin smell doesn’t linger since the resin kicks off as soon as it hits the sun or ultra violet lights leaving less of a chance that a neighbor or family member will complain about the “smell” coming from the garage. Don’t get me wrong, there is still a strong “smell” however, it doesn’t linger as long. So there you go, if you are still hesitant to try it out, call us up and we’ll be more than happy to answer any additional questions.

Grizzley

Board Building in Prison!!!

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:29:00 +0000

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

Japanese Curved Planers are BACK!!!

noreply@blogger.com (FOAM E-Z) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:37:00 +0000

Back by popular demand!!! The Japanese Curved Planer has not been around since Clark Foam went down in Dec 2005, but we've got them back in stock. Get them while they last!

Shapers love these little guys as they make it easy to cut the stringer in tight curved nose rockers. This plane fits perfect in the shapers hand and in the curve of the rocker. Extremely hard wood base with a high quality blade that can be sharpened many times. 1-1/8” X 3-3/4”; Imported from Japan.