DIY: tank top and singlet

Posted on by floatcaptain

So until we manage to produce singlets and tank top, this will have to do! We’ve outlined a couple of simple steps to transform a normal t-shirt into a fresh new tank top or singlet. Its usually recommended to use an old t-shirt thats a little bit larger than you would usually wear just so there is some room for error.

DIY Tank Singlet

The first step is lay the tshirt flat onto a table and mark where you want to cut the sleeves.

– before you cut make sure both sides are even and aligned

– now go ahead and cut! but try to avoid making small cuts.

– once you have cut both sides you can grab both ends of the new “sleeve” and give it a few good tugs and stretch the fabric a bit. This should give a nice uniform curl in the sleeve (kind of creating a hem…maybe)

– now mark out the collar cut. This is optional of course as you can keep it the same as it was originally. However there are also many ways to do the collar so go nuts!

– After cutting you can do the tugging again so you have the same look as the sleeves.

– you can always tie the spare cuts of fabric around the shoulders or back to refine the shape/cut a bit.

DIY: Handmade organic surfwax

Posted on by floatcaptain

One of the things ive often though about adding into the Float Captain product line was a simple bar of surf wax. It seemed logical that a surf related brand should at least try and make surf wax since its something that every surfer needs to use.  After researching and talking to factories it seemed like the most hassle free option was to make it ourselves by hand using organic and readily available materials rather than using weird chemicals that we couldn’t even pronounce.

Organic wax is essentially made up of 2 – 3 materials, which are beeswax, coconut oil and sometimes tree sap (for cold water wax). Most recipes seem to revolve around 2 parts beeswax and 1 part coconut oil. However after some trial and error i wanted a more exact method of measuring so its easier to repeat at least. i found a great blog by Crafty Surf who did just that (using the density of the beeswax and the equivalent liquid measurement in grams).

So what do you need?

– 160 grams of beeswax

– 2 US tablespoons of coconut oil ( 29.5ml)

– kitchen scale

– old pot for mixing

– moulds (we use silicone soap moulds after an epic fail using yoghurt cups…longstory short, the cup melted)

You can start by melting the beeswax in the pot first, don’t forget to use low heat or you’ll be in for a unpleasant surprise. Once the beeswax has melted you can add in the coconut oil and keep stirring until both are mixed well.  Once that is done you just pour into your moulds and let it set! Depending on the material of your moulds the setting time can vary, but i usually just leave it overnight.  The whole process (minus the setting) is  just measuring, melting and pouring so its relatively quick and easy.

It may not smell as nice as normal wax, or maybe there is something wrong with ours haha! But its good fun to try yourself.  Alternatively if you don’t want to go through the hassle of finding slabs of beeswax, tubs of coconut oil and fancy tree sap (which im still trying to find that special blend) then you can get some from our shop here!

 

Enjoy x Float Captain handplane

Posted on by floatcaptain

handplane enjoy floatcaptain

Just got these pics back from Ed & Kipp at Enjoy Hanpdlanes who have been working on a collaboration model for us! Enjoy products are all made from recycled surfboard foam and old wetsuits (for the handles), even the glassing is made from bio epoxy. So if you guys have some old wetties or a broken board that needs a new home send them over to Enjoy in San Diego so they can keep doing great work!

Our model is based on out Made by the Sea tee and we cant wait to see the final product!