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BLENDING THE RAILS

Things You’ll Need:

• Shaping stand
• Sanding pad
• Sanding gauze

Step 1:

• Decide on the base type of rail you want. If you are building a long board, go with the soft rail shape and if you are building a short board, go with the hard rail shape.

Step 2:

• Gather your materials. Before you begin to blend the rails on a surfboard, you need a sanding pad and sanding screens (the black screens used for sanding drywall).
• Step 3:Place the surfboard on its side in the shaping stall. A shaping stall is a must for blending rails because it allows you to adequately gauge your progress, which can't be done if the board is lying flat on a table.
• Step 4:Begin sanding. Put the sanding pad over the screen. Hold the sanding screen at a slight angle so the screen only touches either the top or bottom of the surfboard.
• Step 5:Make long even strokes. Run your sanding screen from nose to tail in one smooth stroke to avoid hollows or bumps on the rails.

TIPS & WARNINGS

• Always alternate sides frequently. After you do two or three passes on one rail, move to the other side and do the same, to make sure you shape both sides evenly.
• Never apply a lot of pressure to the sanding screen when blending the rails on a surfboard. This shapes the rail unevenly and leaves bumps.