for my first build I initially planned on using a cheap ebay plastic deck (size and weight seemed really nice). However once it arrived it had these ugly and impractical reinforcement bars on the bottom. I removed parts of them and now the board is too flexy to even stand on.
The shape seems to fit the 5" skike pneumatics I ordered quite well so I would love to finally use this deck.
I thought that I should be able to use glass fibre and epoxy to fill the “chambers” and while I am at it make myself an enclosure. However I have never done anything with epoxy and hope that someone might be able to help me.
How much do i need (1kg, 2kg)? What sort of Epoxy is necessary (there are like thousands of different variants)?
I wanted to just pour it into the chambers then sand it and once I have a smooth bottom board put a layer of unidirectional glass fibre sheet there to make it stiff.
If anyone has recommendations for where to buy this stuff cheap in Germany please tell me.
not sure if it isnt a lot easier and probably not much more expensive to buy one of those blank wood decks instead.
youd have to fill a lot of volume, so probably 1kg resin needed overall (and there goes your light deck …), and its problematic to fill larger volumes, at least with epoxy resins that might really heat up a lot under these conditions (curing is an exothermic reaction, I once had to run outside with a boiling resin mix). and then there is this other issue that Im not sure what needs to be used to bond with plastic (would be good to know specifics). the usual foil/film materials dont bond for example …
I would go for another board
for materials in germany, there is really ONE adress: www.r-g.de they are very knowledgable and will gladly help you with your questions!
You will possibly find that any resin or polyester type paste will not stick well enough to the plastic.
Wth any pressure it’ll probably just pop off.
You could use the board as a template and use the money to buy some good 18mm birch ply?
Won’t the glass fibre sheet when mounted between trucks and deck make the deck stiffer even when the epoxy does not stick to the plastic? Basically instead of filling everything with epoxy could I make several fibre stripes that get mounted on top of each other between truck baseplate and deck?
Hi @Maxid, cheap, plastic and ESK8 don’t go together. Skateboarddeluxe.de has more than 200 decks available, sickboards even more. Or check out your local skates shop, they might have a fitting board, maybe with a slight fault and a good price.
Have a look at the Madrid Pop, similar size and shape and not too expensive…
Agreed. There are a lot of decks out there with that shape, and something around 30" shouldn’t be hard to find. If the wheel cutouts are not enough, just cut them larger or mount your trucks farther out. If it’s a little to long, you can cut the nose and tail down. A good blank deck will most likely be a lot cheaper than trying to reinforce that deck. At the end of the day, a good wood deck will probably be lighter too.
Throw that thing away and get yourself a real deck. It will save you a lot of time, money, and pain.
they are very knowledgable and will gladly help you with your questions!