[beyeriii]

Hello,

I have a skateboard deck from the 1980s which I would like to restore.

It is probably made of 7 ply maple, and I suspect it has dry rot on the bottom.

Attached are some photos of bottom of the deck.

My current plan is to
1. Remove all hardware, grip tape, etc
2. Sand the deck
3. Treat the deck for dry rot using Minwax Wood Hardener
4. Fill holes using Minwax Wood Filler
4. Paint the deck using acrylic paint

This is my first time attempting this, any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

 

[John Smith_inFL]

what are your plans for it once it is restored ?

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[GeorgeC]

what are your plans for it once it is restored ?

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Very good question. Makes a very big impact on what to use. I cannot imagine that anyone would ever have used maple plywood for an outdoor deck for skateboards.


George

 

[Tool Agnostic]

Very good question. Makes a very big impact on what to use. I cannot imagine that anyone would ever have used maple plywood for an outdoor deck for skateboards.
George

The popular "Roller Derby" metal-wheeled skateboard had a red painted plywood top. I do not remember the type of plywood. I was only a kid back then, and it is long gone.

 

[beyeriii]

It is a ply of some sort, nowadays they use maple, I think it might be an early one that used maple.

I would like to ride it again and lend it to my cousins to ride when they visit.

More background... I read some info about using propylene or ethylene glycol to stop dry rot, but not much info about if wood restorer or paint would stick well to wood treated with glycol.

It is sad because the wood looks so dried out, like it needs some glycol or oil.

 

[John Smith_inFL]

any kind of oil, stop-rot and other wood-hardener chemicals
will not restore the structural integrity of the wood itself.
my personal suggestion is to make another one if you want
to use the same trucks.
the amount of weight and force applied to that skateboard will be
more than it can handle and will fail. it is not a life threatening
issue such as a tablesaw kickback. . . . it will just break and everyone
will stand around and have a good laugh at it and carry on about your day.
your board = your call.
good luck in your project. (let us know how it goes).

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[AwesomeOpossum74]

Sounds like you want to refurb the board for your own nostalgia, which I totally get. I'm conjecturing, but most boards I've seen in that condition were subjected to the elements, or at least a garage. I don't think I'd trust my weight on it.

Refurbish those old trucks; get some new rubber bushings and wheel bearings. Put them on a new 7-ply board, and roll on!

 

[GeorgeC]

The popular "Roller Derby" metal-wheeled skateboard had a red painted plywood top. I do not remember the type of plywood. I was only a kid back then, and it is long gone.

The top of a skateboard and the surface it skates on are two very different things.


George

 

[Kerrys]

The top of a skateboard and the surface it skates on are two very different things.


George

George, I think you might have things confused a bit. The top of the skateboard is made of Maple plywood. The op is not talking about the surface they will be using the skateboard on.

 

[John Smith_inFL]

Beyeriii - after reading your post again, you do not say anything
about the history of this board.
how long have you had it ?
when was the last time it was used ? has it been in storage for a long time ?
how big are your cousins ?? I have a couple of cousins that are over the 300# mark.
have you ridden it yourself in its present condition ?
I would put it through its paces now with some aggressive maneuvers
to see how it holds up before putting a lot of time and effort into refinishing it.
unless - you just want to make it a static display somewhere.
let us know how it goes.

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