WA
93 posts
I am just about to attempt to re-grip my board at home. Has anyone done this before? I have my pot of Estapol matt, I am just unsure whether to use sugar (raw or white?) or salt granules to achieve the impressions in the finish.
Can anyone provide some insight into how to best do this job?
Thanks in advance,
shadow
NSW
1282 posts
I used fine white sugar on a slalom board I built many years ago. It felt fine standing on it but took off plenty of bark if I fell and came into contact with the deck.
WA
93 posts
I was wondering if a larger granule like raw sugar might improve the grip.
QLD
546 posts
if you are really hardcore buy 2 meters of skateboard grip!
it really separates the men from the boys...
QLD
546 posts
damn it... for some reason I keep posting under Junior Freestyles login???
VIC
3527 posts
skateboard tape works really well and its quick to put on.Sand it first with a brick to take some bite out of it.
WA
265 posts
Castor sugar is the go.
Raw sugar is for Masochists only.
Be careful with Estapol as it usually dries with a yellow tint which makes your board look like someone has given it a golden shower....!
Go for Speedclear.
AB...
WA
517 posts
Ground nutmeg with a pinch of black pepper does the trick
QLD
16 posts
Big Al's right. I thought that the raw sugar would provide much better grip, and it did, it was great.
Fortunately I didnt come into heavy contact with the board but it looked like you could grate cheese with it. So when it came to selling I ended up redoing it with the white sugar cause I figured it might put people off buying it.
WA
887 posts
go the castor sugar mixed with white sugar i've done numerous boards with it. works a treat.
never use salt it doesnt work just ask firiebob,, he'll never listen to another frenchman.
WA
12872 posts
Yes Castor sugar's the stuff, I've made a sprinkler out of an old milo can, punched a pile of holes in the lid with a nail. Sprinkle it on till the sugar stays dry. If it stays wet there's a chance it'll be slippery, (resin forms a smooth surface over the top of the granules)
The trick is to get the resin/estapol the right thickness and even, if it's too thin the granules don't stick, too thick and it takes too much sugar making it thick heavy. Think I use about 150gm to do a waveboard deck.
WA
93 posts
thankyou all, I'll let you know how it works out and hopefully I can kiss those booties goodbye!
WA
93 posts
Well that it didn't work out as well as I'd hoped.
I painted the deck with estapol, waited a moment for it to get tacky then sprinkled the whole damn thing with sugar.
A few hours later I rinsed the excess sugar off the board and.....voila! One super slippery deck!
What the hell went wrong? Was it too dry when I applied the sugar? Or was the estapol not thick enough?
With only one day remaining before leaving for Corro's I am getting nervous. Tomorrow I am going to follow Greenleader's advice and get some intergrip and UV stabilised Epoxy and try the whole thing again.
WA
12872 posts
So what does it look like??? There should be tightly packed grains on the surface.
Waiting for it to go tacky isn't a good idea, the sugar needs to sink in and be solidly held, if it's tacky the sugar might just sit on the surface and come off with use.
Did I suggest doing a small trial run on something else, before attempting the whole board??
If not sorry, it may have saved you some pain.
QLD
5283 posts
shads, the important thing is to always do a test patch and let dry and rince/scrub.
whatever method you choose. remember 500g resin = half a kilo of extra board weight.
and let dry for 24 hours in a warm dry ventilated environment before touching it in any way.
QLD
1109 posts
Gravel......throw a handfull of gravel on the resin.
WA
93 posts
Just an update on the re-gripping.
I got some intergrip for about $10 and sprinkled it onto the estapol which was painted onto the deck. The test patch seemed pretty good but I was worried that the intergrip might rub off easily so I improvised and thinned the estapol a bit and painted over the intergrip very lightly on half of the test patch.
This seems to have done the trick. The grip feels about right, and sturdy enough to last a while, but I won't know how it performs until the conditions are right to use the board.
Total cost of the regripping was about $25 and 30mins of time.
My only complaint is the slightly yellow hue of the estapol, but this does not bother me much since the board only cost $350, and the deck is grey and yellow already (it is a 2002 JP FS/W).
Next time I will spend more time hunting down a clear epoxy or such stuff. Thanks for the advice guys.
WA
93 posts
By the way for the weight conscious, I reckon there would only be about 100-150g of estapol used. The intergrip weighs next to nothing.
WA
4169 posts
Ladder grip is also quick to apply, probably similar to skateboard grip. It comes in rolls of various widths, black or yellow, Clark rubber or Magnet mart. I used strips of 50 mm. Rounded the corners to minimise lifting. You'll need to borrow some scissors. Seems waterproof so far, haven't lost any bark so far - you certainly don't slip on it.
21 posts
my favourite is 2part eurethane with castor sugar for bare feet or white sugar for booties.
dont worry about the weight, its still going to be faster than sliding off mid gybe due to lack of grip
surf wax still works too.
QLD
1598 posts
I have found polyester resin mixed with 4% catalyst then thinned with styrene. Apply to a sanded surface in a thin film then sprinkle on castor sugar. Tends to hold up better than epoxy as it sets rock hard. Doesn't brown in the sun and doesn't effect future repairs. It is also easy and cheap to do.
