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TALKIN' SHOP with
DEL*13, SKATE
MECHANIC
HEY DUDES, D-13 here with a new
column concerning the mechanical
aspects of skateboarding. First off, a brief
background statement, then, on to the
topic of the month.
I started skating in 1964 after moving to
California from the cold and wet climes of
Seatte, Washington. I saw some photos
of some guys skating in a surfing magazine
and decided to check it out. I found it to
be a great form of release from the
personal anguish I was experiencing at
that time in my life. As time went on and
my ability increased, I noticed that some
of the products I was using were of an
inferior quality. I began to modify and
experiment, hand-hewing my own decks
to suit my needs, and figuring out what
worked best with what and so on. I was
there in the beginning, I am here now,
and I'll probably be there later on.
Now, about this column. My task here is
to explain simple skateboard mechanics.
The whys and how-to's. I'll start with the
basics and move on to more exotic topics
in the months to come. This month's
topic:
GRIP TAPE
Ever ride a board without Grip Tape? I
have and it's no fun, lemme tell ya. Back
in the old days we rode with no grippy
surface of any kind. We also shunned the
use of shoes to achieve the total "surf
experience. As we progressed we
realized that shoes were a must if you
wanted to keep some kind of toe-nail
attached to your toes. We also searched
for ways to improve traction, desperately
needed for the new era we were breaking
into. We tried hammering small nails
through the bottom of our decks so that
the tips protruded on the riding surface.
We tried stapling the entire surface. We
even mixed small pebbles or glass chips
in with resin and coated our boards with it.
All these trials led to the eventual discovery
of Grip Tape as we, modern man, have
come to know it.
Grip Tape is simply what the name
implies: a sand paper-like tape with a
peel-off paper backing that sticks to just
about any surface where foot traction is
necessary. It comes in a variety of widths,
from 1 to 12 inches and everywhere in
between. The coarseness is determined
by a numbering system in which the
amount of particles in one square inch of
tape is known as the "grade." Therefore,
20 grade would be extremely coarse
(what we call gnarly tape), and 120 grade
is more like the common black tape that is
widely used today. Grip Tape also comes
in just about every color, even clear,
enabling you to put stickers or custom
paint jobs on your deck and get traction
with a cool lookin' skate to boot. Some of
the more innovative types (like myself)
use airbrushes on plain black tape to
achieve a very dramatic effect.
Grip Tape may be purchased at a
number of different locations, namely
skateboard shops, hardware stores, and
equipment rental establishments. The
latter two being the least expensive.
However, the skate shop is more likely to
have the widest variety.
APPLICATION
First, decide how much and what kind
of Grip Tape you need. I recommend total
coverage with basic black (3M is a good
brand) as it offers excellent traction, is
easy to cut out, and is also the easiest to
remove later on. (Clear is nearly impossible
to get off.) Buy your tape 1 or 2 inches
longer than is needed to allow for error. If
your board is brand new, wipe it off with a
clean rag and some kind of spray cleaner
like 409. If you are re-taping an old board,
remove all of the old components first,
then all of the old tape. In either case, old
board or new, make sure the surface is
completely clean and dirt free. Now you're
ready.
Peel off the paper backing and tack one
end of the tape to one end of the board.
Lay the tape down over the rest of the
surface, making sure that it covers the
entire board. Now press it down real good
or put it on the floor and jump around on
it. Next, find an old file, preferably a round
one, and file an outline of the board right
onto the tape itself (see photos 1 & 2).
You don't have to file all the way through
the tape, just remove most of the grit. You
are now ready to trim the excess tape off.
Get a knife (any kind works) and, holding
the blade at a 45° angle to the board (see
photo), work your way slowly around the
line you made with the file until VOILA!
You have a new tape job and your board
is now ready for mounting trucks and and
any other hardware you so desire. You
might want to save the scraps and give
them to a needy skater as they can be
randomly placed on his board and work
pretty good.
If you want logos to show, lay some
tracing paper on the board and trace
around the design. Cut out the tracing and
lay it on the paper backing of the Grip
Tape before peeling, making sure that the
tracing is upside down. Now, simply draw
a line around the tracing and cut out the
pattern. Apply the tape the same way as
described above but make sure the tape
is aligned around the logo. If you want to
avoid all of this or are just plain lazy, you
can pay someone like me who makes a
living doing it or ask a friend who has
done it before to help you out.
Well, that about "covers" the subject of
Grip Tape. I'll be back next month when
our topic will be: "All About Trucks."
Remember: "Skate safe today, Skate
again tomorrow."
'Til then,
Del 13, Skate Mechanic
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