The long and the short of it

White powdery flecks swirled in the air around Tom Nesbit’s face as he sanded the tiniest imperfections out of a rough piece of foam. By the time Nesbit finished he would slap a signature to the bottom, a large “N” on the deck, and mark it as one of his handmade surfboards, ready for clear coating and then for sale.

All of this was done from a portable setup in front of hundreds of passersby at the 2007 Orange County Fair Sunday. The founder and owner of Oceanside-based Nezzy Surfboards was personally invited by the Orange County Fair Organizers to demonstrate board shaping as part of the fair’s Cowabunga theme this year.

While fair visitors peered into see the crafter at work, Nesbit worked on and off shaping a six foot short board which would then be sent off to his shop in Oceanside for a final fiberglass layer and clear coating.

The crowds took a little bit of getting used to at first, but not too much, he said.

“Being a shaper usually you’re in a quiet environment, not like this,” Nesbit said. “I thought it was going to be more grueling than it was.”

Florescent bulbs placed underneath shelving along each of the side walls at just about waist level had the lighting set up so that rays bounced off the white of the board almost perfectly, illuminating it without sending a shine back in his eyes.

Shaping boards for the last two decades, Nesbit knows what he is looking for in design, and materials.

Depending on the board, he’ll use either cedar, bass, or laminate stringers — the thin piece of wood down the center of a board that helps keep a board’s shape.

For a longboard a thicker strip of cedar is used to give more durability. On boards used in team competitions laminate still provides some support while remaining flexible and lighter, which is much better for pulling off the tricks it takes to win, Nesbit said.

A variety of tools go into rounding out the rough edges of every board, Nesbit said. Over the last 20 years of shaping Nesbit has crafted as many hand-made tools as he has boards, he said. A finely-grained piece of sandpaper glued to the bottom of a soft-foam egg crate pad allowed for both a forgiving sander and comfortable-to-use tool.

Top priority is to “get the edge just right so it’s the right shaped board,” Nesbit said.

“The first board I shaped probably took me three days,” Nesbit said. “Now I can pound them out in about one hour.”

Sales have been slow here in California, but back east things are really picking up, Nesbit said. So he and the fair cooked up a deal for anyone looking for a new board.

From now until the end of the fair short boards will start at $420 a piece and long boards will go for $795. Fair guests can come in and pick out a board they like before it has been shaped and can even add some custom artwork for an extra charge.

Nesbit plans on bringing in professional airbrush artists for the custom designing.

CALENDAR:

PSYCHEDELIC FURS

The well-known ‘80s pop band will be performing at 7 p.m. in the Pacific Amphitheatre with The Alarm and The Fixx. Admission is separate from the fair. Tickets are available at www.ocfair.com/pacificamphitheatre.

“WEIRD AL” YANKOVIC

The famed musical comedian is back with “Straight out of Lynwood” Into the O.C. Performing at 8 p.m. in the O.C. Register Arena. Seating is free and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. A limited number of reserved seating is available for purchase for $19.99. Visit the fair website for more information.

GLASSBLOWING DEMONSTRATIONS

Watch these crafters make sand into works of art at 1:30, 3:30, and 6:30 p.m. at the Crafters Village in the Park Plaza area near the Green gate.