Losing My Grip (Tape)

I’ll share a skateboard story in honor of this morning's groundbreaking of the $3.5 million Lauridsen Skatepark in downtown Des Moines. 

This has to be one of the wettest Octobers that I can remember. But when the sidewalks are actually dry, Char and I have been having fun with our skateboards.

Not one to leave things alone, I've been updating our short-longboards with used parts found on eBay. We both got a "new" set of longboard wheels from this package deal.

I also bought these Randal longboard trucks for my board.

I spotted this Sector 9 longboard while searching for "used longboard trucks." These pictures were taken from the seller's eBay listing.

This small section of exposed wood made me suspect that there might be a nice skateboard lurking underneath the filthy grip tape. I started to smell a project.

The bottom of the deck didn't have too much road rash.

Those smudges appear to be paint that could be cleaned off.

The Gull Wing Sidewinder trucks tipped the scales. They were worth the money even if the deck was a bust. I made an offer that was $10 lower than the asking price, and it was accepted. The longboard arrived from California on Saturday, and I got right to work.

The grimy grip tape slowly peeled off after heating it in sections with a hair dryer. Yes, I have a hair dryer in my garage. Doesn't everyone? I then had to remove all the adhesive left on the board. It was a sticky mess. Time to get the Goo Gone.

I'd like to say that the glue came off with a quick wipe, but that wasn't the case. It took over an hour to get the goo gone. But it was worth all that elbow grease.

A Magic Eraser pad dipped in isopropyl alcohol removed a lot of junk from the bottom and sides of the deck. You have use a light touch when using the magic eraser. You can remove the artwork if you press too hard or work in one area too long.  

It's not perfect, but the bottom does look nicer.

I smoothed out some of the pavement scratches on the trucks' hangers with 400 grit sandpaper and metal polish. That wasn't necessary, but I already had the sandpaper and polish, so why not? My labor is free. I also swapped the original wheels with the ones I just replaced on my other skateboard. 

Before:

After:

There is quite a contast between the old grip tape and the cleaned deck.

The board is now too slick for Char to ride as it is. She would slide right off while going around a corner. I have some new, clear grip tape arriving in the mail today, so I will see how that goes.

Projects like this are so much fun.