Dilbert Funny-ness

In the world of bad news and disaster, Dilbert is pumping out some gold.  We've got 20 of these starred in our mail, so here we go. OVERLOAD!

This © Dilbert, so yada yada, we swiped this to make you laugh.

What does this have to do with Heresy? Absolutely NOTHING. This is the Chewbacca defence (google it).

Australia 5th Worst Environmental Footprint

As if the constant stream of news about the Earth isn't bad enough, along comes this WWF Report Rating Environmental Exploitation.

Frighteningly, have a look at the countries above Australia: the UAE, USA, Kuwait and Denmark. Esteemed company indeed (apologies to the Danes).

Tellingly, our cropping and agricultural practices use more water than any industry in the country (hello cotton).

Personally, I don't really have too many doubts anymore about climate change:

• C02 levels increasing YoY (Year on Year) since 1955
  
• Huge amounts of methane potentially released from Arctic Permafrost (creating a positive feedback loop)
  
• Arctic sea ice on the brink
  

Even farmers are convinced now. I don't know what the defensible position is for being a skeptic but it looks more and more shaky now.


"The current financial crisis, like all those before it, will pass but the threats presented by global warming will continue to grow if we do nothing," said Mr Bourne said.

"We must act now to reduce our emissions by 25 per cent by 2020, so that our children and grandchildren won't pay a grim cost for the waste of this generation as it continues to overdraw on the environment."


Please take the time to read this report, it makes sobering reading. It's times like these where it would be simple to sit back and throw your hands up in the air, but we are more determined than ever to bring about change; our 3degrees initiative is further strengthened by this.

So when you're buying "stuff", particularly in the snow industry, think about where your dollar is going. With Heresy joining 1% For the Planet, we're putting our money where our mouth is.

Stay tuned for a resource page we're building for this knowledge, so that you can arm yourself with this reading.

The WWF report is downloadable in pdf format here.

How to Make a Snowboard - Part 4

How to Make a Snowboard - Part 4
This is part 4 in our series showing how to make a snowboard from start to finish.

In Part 1 we learned about the printing of the base and topsheet graphic and the transfer onto the actual base and topsheet material.

In Part 2 we cut the base in preparation for the next steps - attaching the rails and cutting the core and attaching the sidewalls.

In Part 3 we attached the rails (step 4) and prepped the core with the inserts, tipfill and attached the sidewalls (step 5).

In part 4, we'll cut the fibre glass, prepare the topsheet and see how the board is actually layed up - the guts of the board that goes together to create the magic!

Step 6: Cutting the fibreglass
Here we cut two lengths of triaxial fibreglass for use above and below the core.  Triaxial glass is stiffer than biaxial and gives better edge hold and flex performance.  Two sheets of glass offer a good compromise between absolute indestructibility of say 4 layers (with hugely increased weight and stiffness), and the softness of 2 layers of biax (very soft).  We'll be looking at introducing quadrax very soon in some incarnation to slightly increase the stiffness of some of our boards.  Currently Heresy uses carbon stringers in some boards to add stiffness, but this also adds weight.


Step 7: Prepping the Topsheet
In this step, we take the printed topsheet, and apply a layer of thick masking tape to it as a protector from scratches in the press.  The heat in the press will not affect the topsheet now that through the transfer process it has permanently taken on the print.


Step 8: Layup
Although all the work up until now has been fun, and important, this is where we have to pay really careful attention.

This step must be completed efficiently, accurately and quickly.  The resin used when activated, starts warming up by dint of a chemical reaction, and we must get the board layed up and into the press reasonably quickly.  So, let's see what happens inside the board!

First we can see the mold base.  This is cleaned before every press to ensure freedom from foreign particles and residue from the last press.

First up, we put the base+rails in, applying a layer of resin.

We then apply the vibration dampening foils.  These are applied along the contact edges and under the bindings, to help reduce vibration through the board.


Next, we lay up our first layer of fibreglass, pouring some more resin on, and spreading evenly, ensuring the glass soaks the resin up equally to ensure an even distribution in bonding throughout the board and a uniform flex characteristic.


Next, the core is layed up, with a dash of resin applied.

We apply another layer of fibreglass and resin, again making sure we coat the glass with resin equally.

Lastly, we lay down the topsheet.

The board is now ready for pressing and curing which is part 5 of our series, so stay tuned and check in for the next series.  You can always subscribe to the blog feed to ensure you get the latest info to your RSS reader.

Someone asked in the last part if we would show the core creation.  This is done external to the factory, but involves sections of poplar and beech which are then milled according to the board shape we want.  So, generally speaking, we maintain cores for specific board lengths, but can alter them slightly, i.e. make a 163 wider for power, without affecting the performance or structural integrity.

In the meantime, you can check the boards out at our online store.

Technorati Tags: How to make a snowboard, Heresy Snowboards, Heresy Snowboarding, Snowboard Construction

News Weekly publishes our letter

So, my letter to News Weekly got published. Read our post here.

Unfortunately, Mr Westmore does a very good job at failing to address my central point re: the use of statistics in the proper fashion.

He also mentions two Danish physicists. Quelle horreure! TWO!! Well ok, he does mention 31,000 thousand more (source, please), but my point remains.

Andrew Glickson - Earth paleo-climate scientist at the ANU - has written this article here which pretty much refutes Westmore's claims. I could link hundreds more articles, but I won't. They're pretty easy to find.

Besides, plenty of people thought the Earth was flat and the Sun revolved around the Earth. Hmm, that old chestnut. A prescient quote from John Maynard Keynes: "When the facts change, I change my opinion. What do you do, sir?"

He also missed my point that if he didn't wish people to link Arctic Ice Levels to his article, or to the point of it, perhaps using those on the front cover with "Global Cooling?" wasn't the smartest move. Readers making links between headings and images.

He also makes the emotional connection between the poor and the current efforts to mitigate carbon pollution; a long, long bow to draw. If we don't act on this long term issue, there might not be any poor. There might no be any anyone. And despite what we do, there'll probably always be rich, and always be poor. As long as there's a power dynamic in the world this will most likely exist.

So to say we should be focusing on the poor instead of the environment, that's a poor argument. How about we do both?

10 day Green Sale

Today marks the start of our Summer and Environmental Sale. 20% off everything in our store plus we will donate 10% from all sales to either to GreeningAustralia.org.au, Cleanocean.org or Oxfam - you choose whether to help people, water or the environment. Just tell us in the order notes which one you'd prefer. There is a minimum order of AUD$35.

Please note that our Anti Whaling tees, whilst discounted, will have the 10% go to Sea Shepherd as per our current arrangement.

Although this offer is only open to our Mailing List members and Facebook Friends/Heresy group members, feel free pass this on to all your friends. The only catch? We want you to encourage them to sign up to our mailing list at heresysnowboarding.com, or join our Facebook groups (Heresy and 3degrees) from our FB page or follow our blog via RSS.

This sale will strictly only run until October 22. It is an international sale and applies to every item in stock. Simply enter "2010SES" at checkout in the coupon redemption box on our online store.

Rock!

How to Make a Snowboard - Part 3

How to Make a Snowboard - Part 3
This is part 3 in our series showing how to make a snowboard from start to finish.

In Part 1 we learned about the printing of the base and topsheet graphic and the transfer onto the actual base and topsheet material.

In Part 2 we cut the base in preparation for the next steps - attaching the rails (step 4) and cutting the core and attaching the sidewalls (step 5).

Now we're ready to attach the rails to the base and get the core ready.

Step 4: Attaching the rails
The rails are shaped and formed according to the shape of the board we are making. It is therefore possible to have many different rail shapes in the factory, but sometimes we can re-shape one shape to fit another mold.

Below we can see some rails hanging up in preparation for use.

As our boards are handmade, great attention to detail is paid to ensure the highest quality boards. Attaching the rail is a crucial part of the process, where we need to ensure the rail is as flush as possible to the edge of the base material (Sintered 7500 for 2008). The edges are Rockwell 48 steel. Basically, we attach them flush to the base, using small amounts of an adhesive to hold it in place in preparation for the press.


Below we can see an almost-complete base, ready for layup.


Step 5: Prepping the Core
In this step we take our milled core, which is made specifically for a board length and shape, and is a full wood core. We attach our sidewalls (more timber, MUCH better memory and flex characteristics than ABS sidewalls, and significantly lighter) and extend the tips, recycling some offcut base material.

In the step below, the sidewalls are being glued on.

Here, the tip fill is attached.

And here we can see Tim and Sean have had some Dr Pepper and gone sugar crazy by personalising this board. This board ending going up to someone in Western Australia. This is how personalised we get with the boards. We really care about the little things.


In Part 4, we will be checking out the fibreglass prep and the layup process, so stay tuned. In the meantime, you can check the boards out at our online store, where they will be on sale very shortly (we're about to announce a special sale).