Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Irons vs. Slater documentary: A Fly in the Champagne


The Slater/Irons rivalry hits the big screen during the Santa Barbara premiere of
"A Fly in the Champagne".

More infos:
http://themountainandwave.com/?p=2497

Monday, February 23, 2009

70's skate photos


Surfing the net I came across these really stylish mid-seventies skate photos:
http://www.lifelounge.com/Hugh-Holland.aspx

As you can see "Locals Only" was already at place.

South Africa SurfTrip Links

Some useful links for planning a surfari in South Africa:

Camping
http://www.sa.caravanparks.com/
http://www.linx.co.za/camps/

Car hire

Maui Motorhomes
http://maui.co.za/2.Motorhomes.html

Britz 4x4
http://britz.co.za/5.Our_4_X_4_Vehicles.html

Bobo Campers
http://www.bobocampers.com/2.English/discoverer%202.htm

4x4 Camper
http://www.drivesouthafrica.co.za/camper-hire-4x4.php

Kea Campers
http://sa.keacampers.com/Rates.aspx?pageid=101&catid=30&lang=en

Camper Hire
http://www.camperhire.co.za/camperhire/showVehicles.do

http://www.sa-travel.de/discoverer2.html

Travel Reports
http://www.windgirls.com/southafrica.html

http://www.globalsurfers.com/read_thread.cfm?ForumID=South%20Africa&ThreadID=13870&Thread=3251

http://www.umdiewelt.de/Afrika/Suedliches-Afrika/Suedafrika/Reisebericht-2345/Kapitel-2.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?Surf-Travel-to-South-Africa&id=1919550

http://www.kapstadt.de/reise3/index.htm
(in German, 1997)

http://www.patrick-kaufhold.de/rsa_info.htm
(general information, German)

http://home.arcor.de/sirko.poehlmann/html/sudafrika.html

http://www.africansurfer.com/

http://www.the-daily-dose.com/travel-spotguides/travel3.htm

http://www.tideguide.org/tour/35.html

Surf Spots
http://www.salsa.co.za/Surf_Spots.htm
http://www.wannasurf.com
http://www.magicseaweed.com

(Surf) Travel Books
Surfing South Africa: Swells, Spots and Surf African Culture
South African Surf: The Swell Seekers' Guide
Am Kap der Guten Hoffnung: Mit dem Reisemobil durch Südafrika

Surf Shops
http://www.factory7.co.za/contact_us.php

http://www.oneshop.co.za/url/browser.html?catid=0&sobi2id=186
http://www.surf.co.za/catalog/index.php

Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCc9AF81RVI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EHB-iawjnE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sle0HmXnfY4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWauuX_1KH8

Sunday, February 15, 2009

DIY series: How to print on wood

While doing some research on how to transfer custom graphics on skateboard decks, I came across the so called "toner transfer method" which is used for creating custom PCBs:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Two-sided-PCB-using-toner-method/
http://joshuagalloway.com/pcb.html
Basic idea: Print a PCB layout with a laser printer on some sort of transfer material (e.g. magazine paper) and iron the layout on a platine. The heat "transfers" the toner onto the board.

So I thought, maybe this method can be altered for transferring graphics on wood.

Here's the how-to:
  1. Desing your favorite graphic
    Depending on your laser printer you can also choose colored graphics. Here is mine:


  2. Mirror your graphic.
    It's necessary to mirror the graphic as we will transfer it on the wood. Either mirror your source graphic directly or use your printer settings to mirror the print out.


  3. Printer setup
    Make sure your printer is set up with maximum density and contrast because not all toner will remain on the wood. Thefore we need all pigments the printer can give us.

  4. Print the graphic
    There are several options for choosing a transfer media for your graphic such as baking paper, magazine paper or special transfer paper. I experimented with the back of stickers or labels which worked out fine for me.


  5. Sand the wood Sand the wood with a fine grain sand paper (e.g. 240) so that we get a very fine and smooth surface. This is important because otherwise the toner might flow into the wood structure and graphic details will be lost or will look blurred.


  6. Clean the wood
    We have to make sure that no wood dust remains on the area we will need for our graphic. Some of the toner would be absored by the dust and contrast would be lost. Therfore use a wet piece of cloth to clean and remove all dust.


  7. Heat the wood
    Switch your iron to the 3/4 of the maximum heat and iron the area where the graphic will go. This will remove remaining moisture in the wood (coming from the previous cleaning step) and will heaten up the surface for transferring the toner.


  8. Apply the graphic print
    Place the graphic print on the wood surface. If possible try to fix the print with some sort of tape so that it won't move during iron.


  9. Iron
    Put a sheet of paper on the printed graphic and iron for about 2-3 minutes. Use the tip of the iron to put pressure on graphic details.



  10. Remove the transfer media
    Remove the transfer media immediately after the ironing. If you let it cool down, then the tranfer media will stick to the wood and removing it will take away some of the toner. This is one major difference compared to the PCB process.



  11. Fix your print
    As the toner is on the wood surface it can easily be scratched. Thefore use some finish or resin to conserve your graphic.

  12. Enjoy your work.
    Get a cold beer and enjoy your day's work.
General advice: Test, test, test. Depending on your setup (printer, toner, transfer media, wood, iron, ...) you will get different results. Therefore before using your final piece of wood work, experiment with different setup parameters.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Skateboard graphics: Burn my skateboard

While surfing the net looking for some skateboard graphics, I came across this blog entry about laser-etched skateboard designs. Nice!





Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Custom Skateboard Series: Episode #3

Meanwhile I finished my 3rd deck:
- Shape: Arbor Rocket
- 9mm Birch plywood (7 ply)
- 1 layer of fibreglass on top and bottom

With a thickness of 9mm and a wheel base of approx. 44cm it remains some flex which allows for smooth cruising turns.

Pics:











Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Pimp my skateboard

I had this old (last century) skate deck which I didn't use anymore and which was in a really bad condition. So I thought: Let's pimp it and transform it into a nice old school deck.

Here's the result:





Perfection in Portugal (I need to go)



Nice pictures of a pro surfer's trip to Portugal. Pretty much reminds me of our latest trips down there: Ericeira and Peniche.

Doesn't seem to be too cold there at the moment... I really need to get some surf soon!

Monday, February 2, 2009

Tijuana Straits in pictures

For those having read Kem Nunn's novel Tijuana Straits, here's what it looks like at the U.S. / Mexico boarder fence:





Check this out for more pics of the Tijuana River runoff.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Imagine Eco Split Boards



A friend told me to have a look at http://www.imaginesurfboards.com/eng/splitboards.html. Insteresting stuff: 3 boards in one, no excess baggage, shortboard shapes. Some pricing info would have been nice...
"Once at the destination, the two carbon shafts link the board back together, and the entire system is held into place with no more than 4 fin screws (so its the same key)."
I hope the're no using the FCS screws which can cause a lot of trouble once they're worn out.

This idea also reminds me of Pope Bisect Travelboards, which seem to be heavier but come with a sophisticated split system and start at a size of 8'2".