MyPaipoBoards Forums

My wife the nurse just informed me that the Itago looks like a modern day "slide board" for wheelchair transfers. They also come with one or two handles. Here's a two handled slider with sanded nose kick on each end.

Also...I can't really tell if varnish is too thick, and in need of thinning simply by looking at it. But I can judge it by feel, like I'm having to pull too hard on the brush. Also not getting a long stroke out of a brush load. Maybe that's not too helpful, but it's true. Don't thin the whole can of...

If the can says to stir well, then do so. A couple of times I've dealt with sticky topcoats by slathering on mineral spirits with a rag, and going over it lightly with 440 wet/dry paper....wear gloves. I think the evaporation of the solvent helps to oxygenate the sticky topcoat, or maybe it does som...

No actual measurements yet on the vintage boards in the photos. The painted rectangular boards with the nose handles, appear to have a length to width ratio of approximately 3.75 to 1. Plus the handle slot is about half the width of the board. If we let the material drive the width, like say a 1x2 s...

Ahoy, Mr. Mike. We need to build us some itagos...

http://www.nobbywoodsurfboards.com/webp ... itago.html

I forgot to mention cork in the middle. I've heard of snowboards and kiteboards using cork as a sandwich material. This morning I stumbled across this bellyboard on the interweb:

http://www.korduroy.tv/makers/jon-wegen ... board/1644

Bob, the Paipo Nui was of course a huge influence on the evolution of the paipo. It's other big influence...it was a thread about an old Paipo Nui article that kicked off the first of the "Paper Trail" threads in the "Your Wave" section of the old forum back in March of 2009. htt...

Here's a page from a magazine that shows the prices in 1965:

OK...now to get back on topic. I think there's still a lot of room for experimentation with cork. There's still a lot of fun left, like putting it on the bottom of the board. Handles, channels, strakes, tail skids, etc. If you don't like the way something works, then you can take it off with a big s...

The board isn't signed, but the logo appears to be an authentic Paipo Nui. Whether or not it's one of the kit boards (sold unfinished) is beyond me. It currently has clear resin on the deck, and red pigmented fiberglass on the bottom. The tail curve is the major difference in the template as compare...

It's fiberglass on foam...one of the burly HPD's. Behind the red board is an orange Paipo Nui...about 40 years older, but with a very similar nose and template angle. The little cork board in front of them is 30 inches long by 23 inches at the widest, 1/2 inch cork on 3/8 inch birch ply. It's a smal...

Something else to experiment with...sealing the rails and tail of the cork deck with hot paraffin.

It comes with a free board sock.

Hey, Mr. Mike. Next time you see John, let him know about this name-dropper and the alleged email authentification.

I bought some slighly used half sheets 2 x 3 foot on ebay. They supposedly were used in some sort of retail display. I got full sheets of 3 x 4 foot underlayment from Arizona Tile on Morena Boulevard. I don't remember the cost. At the time they carried three thicknesses, 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 inch. I li...

The cork cuts pretty clean with a router. I usually rough shape the rails with a 3/4 inch roundover bit. Final sanding is minimal, unless I'm messing around with the profile thickness.

I've made several plywood boards with 1/2 inch cork on the deck. The first was glued with contact cement, because I was putting the cork on a used skimboard without sanding the varnish off the skimmer. It wasn't just a cork experiment, it was an experiment in making a quickie board in a day or two. ...

If you're using a rattle can spray, then maybe buy a quart of the same stuff. Brush on at least two more coats. I would do four. I sometimes prime the wood with one or two coats of a drying oil, like linseed or hemp. You have to be patient, and respect the drying times. For example, I think Watco re...

Here's some more sanding blocks. The Rockler hook and loop hand sanders look interesting...

http://americanwoodworker.com/blogs/too ... block.aspx

A number of situations will make you want to sand something quiely or without using electricity. This cordless belt sander was made from a scrap of 1 X 4 (3.5 inches actual width) for use with 3 X 21 inch sanding belts. It allows me to use very coarse belts for rough sanding and shaping. Or I can ea...

Boiled linseed oil is not a non toxic choice. Your oil most likely contains metal salts to make it polymerize faster. That can include compounds made from Cobalt. The solvents in the oil are also something to consider. I think an oil finish is something best done outdoors under a patio or porch cove...