I am 17. This is my first semester at OSF. For my first skate deck I made a pool board shape with my own design influenced by the classic Powell Peralta “Ripper deck”. The graphic is also influenced by the “Ripper” featuring black and white horizontal lines and a dead center image. I wanted to keep my graphic simple and only use black and white which also encompasses my brand's style. My brand is called Looner and is dedicated to producing affordable high quality goods for skateboarders. Looner is minimal in its frills as it focuses more on function. Urban skateboarding and art also inspire my brand.
I made my first board by measuring the “Ripper” deck and looking at its specs then creating my shape template. I then chose my seven 100% Canadian maple plys and pressed a deck. After the glue had dried my shape was jig sawed out and I proceeded to scrape and sand the shape until it was how I wanted. After that I sealed the board to avoid warping and drilled the truck holes. Then I worked on developing the graphics. I did this in my notebook and turned it into a full sized graphic template. My image is done in black and white so it was very simple to apply. I first sprayed the deck white then once it had dried I covered it in strips of tape and cut out the areas that I wanted the black to cover. When all painting was finally done I sprayed the board with gloss finish, gripped it and set it up to skate.
I feel happy with the way my board turned out and learned a lot in making it. The board rides really well and is great for vert and cruising. An issue I had with the deck is that it’s heavy and the tail is long making it difficult to pop very high. So for my next deck I will contemplate using less plys and/or using some bamboo as it is lighter than the maple. All in all, I am very happy with how my first deck turned out and I am looking forward to making more.
