{"id":6964,"date":"2010-12-07T08:18:03","date_gmt":"2010-12-07T07:18:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/driftsurfingmagazine.driftdigital.co.uk\/?p=6964"},"modified":"2010-12-07T08:55:50","modified_gmt":"2010-12-07T07:55:50","slug":"the-vanity-project-part-iv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/driftsurfingmagazine.driftdigital.co.uk\/index.php\/archives\/6964","title":{"rendered":"The Vanity Project: Part IV"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a> The snow may have been causing havoc outside, but it’s the white stuff inside that’s more of an issue for Clare Howdle, as her vanity project enters the final stages…<\/p>\n


<\/p>\n

I never really thought about how much dust one surfboard creates. I suppose I\u2019d never needed to. But standing here in Seed\u2019s workshop, watching as the final resin lap of my little vanity project gets sanded down, I am amazed at how much of the stuff is flying around. It\u2019s everywhere. Coating the surfaces, the posters, the floor, me, Mikey \u2013there\u2019s no escape from the continuous flurry of microscopic powder that\u2019s pluming from the board\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s funny,\u201d Mikey talks as he sands vigorously, \u201csurfers have this reputation for being environmentally aware. I think a lot of us try our hardest to be green but then surfing itself is a pretty polluting activity, what with the boards, the wetsuits, the sunscreen, wax…\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a frustrating truth. Stood here, brushing the white from my sleeves it\u2019s hard to ignore the toxic edge to surfboard making. Mikey points out that in essence the process and materials haven\u2019t changed much since the \u201870s when significant quanitities of foam boards started coming out of shaping rooms. Which means four decades of foam filled bin bags, vicious chemical resins, and snowdrift upon snowdrift of dust.<\/p>\n

Of course, there\u2019s guys like Tom Wegener <\/a>and companies like Patagonia <\/a>doing their best to lift the eco-credentials of the sport one paulownia board and merino-lined wetsuit at a time, but it\u2019s still elitist; only for those with enough pounds in their pocket to go green. When it comes to the rest of us, for the time being it\u2019s a case of trying to forget the bad stuff and focus on the good (while making sure we recycle properly, use the car less and buy Fairtrade to counterbalance our wave habit).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

So to focus on the good for a moment, I can see that in amongst all this dust there’s a beautiful board almost ready to take flight. Since my last visit, Mikey\u2019s managed to take her from a resin-dripping, crazy cloth covered wannabe, to a striking, bespoke piece of craftsmanship; so close to being surf ready I can almost see the saltwater rolling off her rails.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He continues to scour the resin leash loop into shape as we talk fin boxes, pinlines and other finishing touches \u2013 the excitement is back in his eyes after last time when solving the board\u2019s challenges weighed heavy. He\u2019s found the solutions, resolved any issues and come up trumps. I can see he\u2019s pleased with the board; we both are.<\/p>\n

The end is in sight and if what I see right now is anything to go by, I\u2019d have to say it looks like it\u2019s going to be a mighty pretty one.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Check out how we got here, with the earlier instalments of The Vanity Project, Part I<\/a>, II<\/a> and III<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The snow may have been causing havoc outside, but it’s the white stuff inside that’s more of an issue for Clare Howdle, as her vanity project enters the final stages…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[117],"tags":[1168],"class_list":["post-6964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-clare-howdle","tag-vanity-project"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t