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The Online Skateboarding School
"No Skateboarder Left Behind"
The Skateboard Equipment Class 101
CHAPTER 2
The Skateboard Deck and Grip Tape
Section Two
The Grip Tape
The Grip Tape
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The grip tape is delivered to skate shops in rolls like toilet paper. Than it's stretched out over a deck to make sure it covers the length of it and is cut with a razor blade into a single sheet. The most commonly used grip tape is the color black from either the company Jessup or Shorty's Magic Grip Tape.
Grip tape allows the skaters feet to grip the board without sliding off. It is rough on shoes, and is one reason you should use specially designed skate shoes to skate with.
You can buy grip tape with designs on it for example like fire or a logo of the company. You can also make your own designs by spray painting stencils or cutting out a section of the grip tape using the top color of the deck for its background color.
Pre-Designed Grip Tape
Custom Designed Grip Tape
Today's project is to customize your own grip tape. Remember that in most cases the bigger the area that you customize the less grip you will have in that area. We recommend that you do only a small section less than 6" by 3". A good benefit of having some type of simple design in your grip tape is to be able to easily distinguish between the nose and tail of the skateboard.
A simple way to customize a board is to find a small picture or words on the internet that means something to you.
1) Print it out on a thick piece of paper.
2) Use scissors or an exacto blade to cut out the picture to make it into the stencil. (If you are under 18 have parent supervision)
3)Spray paint the stencil onto your skateboard grip tape.
The 2 pictures below are there for a couple of different designs that you could use. Cutting out letters is time consuming, but they allow for a clearer message.
1) Print it out on a thick piece of paper.
2) Use scissors or an exacto blade to cut out the picture to make it into the stencil. (If you are under 18 have parent supervision)
3)Spray paint the stencil onto your skateboard grip tape.
The 2 pictures below are there for a couple of different designs that you could use. Cutting out letters is time consuming, but they allow for a clearer message.
Right click on any of these images and hit save image as and pick a destination that you will remember. Then go to the destination on the your computer, open it up and hit the print button!
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It takes time to carve out your design. Once you have the letters carved, test your homemade stencil by placing it on cardboard. Do this outside on the grass, because of the fumes and to avoid a stain on the ground. Tape it so that it doesn't move. Than by using a can of spray paint, spray over the stencil holding the can about three inches away.
If you are not feeling so artistic today or if you’re running short on time - another common method is to simply take a silver or gold sharpie marker and draw on your grip tape. Once you have completed it, take a picture and email it to us! We will post it on our site with your name next to it!
If you are not feeling so artistic today or if you’re running short on time - another common method is to simply take a silver or gold sharpie marker and draw on your grip tape. Once you have completed it, take a picture and email it to us! We will post it on our site with your name next to it!
Watch this Video to Learn How to Put Grip Tape on a Deck
Other Ways To Design your Board!
You can enlarge the picture above by clicking on them to see the steps I took to do the homework. If you wish to cut the design into your Grip then it should be done before you put the Grip Tape onto your skateboard.
