Finishing

[Heinz]

I got a Stanly fat max hvlp gun for a pretty good price..... havent gotten a compressor yet though so cant really say how well it works yet, but I know Iv used similar guns that work really well.

[Eric...]

well my brother spray paints custom rc car bodies so we already have a compressor so im in luck there but ill go take a look at that stanly  gun

[Heinz]

That compressor is probably not gona be good enough to power an hvlp gun. You need a compressor that can put out a fairly high volume.

[morrow]

Just use a brush, and take your time lay on good coats and sand in between

With a gun you need a lot more cash, prep and tear down, which is fine if your doing 20 decks but for just a nice finish on a few decks brush is the answer, and it'll cost you less then the gun its self

[murdoch]

i forgot to add that i use a brush, not spray

[Eric...]

Yeah I did a little more research on them and you need like a $700 compressor with enough cfl so I think I'll stay with the brush

[AM Wood Skateboard Co.]

Yeah I did a little more research on them and you need like a $700 compressor with enough cfl so I think I'll stay with the brush

Nice toys do get expensive. Look into a hvlp turbine system if you want to spend the cash... well worth it.



I know this has been covered, a brush can work wonders. Sand between coats with 400, get a good base. Block sand with 400, throw one more coat down and block sand again (block sand = sandpaper wrapped around some hard-ish foam or rubber). Once you have a nice uniform base, wetsand with progressive grits up to 1500/2000 or so. If you have a car buffer, throw some compound on the board and fire it up.. mirror shine in minutes. Otherwise, elbow grease + car polish.

[Marcel]

i have the spary can varnish but its still not as smooth as i want it, maybe im just expecting to much for a homemade longboard im not sure is there a certain varnish that i should be using and is buffing something i should be doing or is that just over the top or useless.

I just saw this post and my reply has nothing to do with finish but I want to cut this statement off at the pass, as it were.

[/u]Never adopt the mindset that you can't get something as nice as commercial grade products just because it's handmade.[/u]

You can get your end results to be as nice and with enough effort and research even better that what you find in the stores. Big companies are likely using the exact same methods you are but can afford to automate the processes. A lot of these companies are also beholden to the bottom line which means that cutting corners and quality assurance can become big issues.


As for your finish, listen to AM Wood, he posted great advice. The secret to a nice finish is elbow grease

[Eric...]

to Marcel ^ im not im just trying to get mine as close as friken possible to commercial grade

[Marcel]

Word. Just trying to give you a little encouragement, is all You should expect even more out of a homemade board!