Skate spots are exciting, but a simple crack can ruin them. Unfortunately, many spots have no one to maintain them, and it can take a long time for anything to happen. If you want to repair the area to return to your adventures, it’s possible with patience, work, and investment in a few materials.
If you’re interested in learning more about DIY spot maintenance, you’ve come to the right place. Read on to learn more about the steps necessary to repair a skate spot. Today, we’ll focus on using body filler and hardener to repair a problematic crack or hole and transform it back into an incredible skating opportunity.
Gather Your Supplies
The first thing you need to do is gather supplies. It’s a good idea to take these with you when heading to a skate spot, as you’ll be able to act right away if you notice something off about the skating surface.
Here are a few supplies you’ll need:
- Body filler and hardener
- Broom
- Spreader
- Gloves
- Sandpaper
- Mixing stick
- Mixing palette
- Duct or masking tape
- Water
Optional items include a bucket with water, clear lacquer, and a coloring paste.
If you notice trouble at your skating spot, bring all these items to the break. Once you have them, you’re ready to improve the state of the skate spot.
Clean the Area
Before adding any material, clean the area as best as possible to ensure there’s a valid surface for the product to bond to. Use the broom to sweep anything from the damage, like debris or dirt. Anything you don’t want in there, use the broom to move it out.
Of course, the cleaning process doesn’t have to be perfect. However, it is crucial to note that the more dirt and debris are left inside the crack, the easier it will be for the filler product to peel up in the long term.
Make a Border for Filling
Once you have the crack clean, it’s time to make a border for the filling. You can use masking tape, but duct tape is ideal for the process thanks to its width and ability to deal with a little more of the product spilling over if you’re heavy with the process.
Use the tape to create a border around the area you want to cover. Be as precise as possible and press it firmly to ensure everything goes as planned.
Pour Mixer
With the border in place, it’s time to create the mixer. Pour it onto the area you’ve designated as a mixing palette, and then mix the hardener inside. Typically, you want to make the ratio more on the side of the bonder than the hardener to most effectively fill the break.
Read the instructions on the package before doing anything to avoid wasting it. Be careful not to add too much hardener – too much too fast will make the mixture impossible to do anything with before you get the chance to touch it.
Add to Surface
Once you have the mixture created, it’s time to pour it into the damage. Put it directly on the area where you are working, ensuring to cover it to avoid leaving anything that could immediately break apart again and ruin the experience.
Use the spreader to ensure the coating is as smooth as possible to make any ride over it appealing rather than worse. Also, try to keep it inside the created border to ensure you don’t get excess material on the surface. Again, duct tape is best for this because it provides more room for you to work.
Clean the Mixers
If you have a bucket of water with you or a hose or nearby water source, it’s best to clean the products used to complete the process. The faster you can clean the spreaders, the more likely you will be able to use them again. If you leave the product on the spreaders, they will harden.
If you don’t have a bucket and water for washing, it’s okay. Ensure you bring spreaders that you’re okay throwing away once you’re done repairing the spot.
Allow Everything to Harden
Now that everything is in place, you can step back and relax while the mixture hardens. It typically takes 10-15 minutes to complete this process, but it could take longer depending on the conditions outside and how many areas you repaired.
If you touch the mixture and it seems rubbery, give it more time. It should be solid. Once it is, remove the duct tape and get rid of it to reveal the nearly complete surface.
Sand the Surface
The crack or dent is filled. Now, it’s time to sand the surface to get it down to a smooth texture that is simple to skate on. Take your sandpaper and rub it over the top to make it flat and line up with the original spot.
Remember – you want a nice mixture of firm and gentle pressing with the sandpaper. Too soft and you won’t get anything done – too hard and you could rip apart the surface you’ve made.
Test the Repair
Once you’re satisfied with the process, it’s time to test it out. Take your board and practice as many tricks as you want on the spot. If it remains in one piece, you’re good to go. If it falls apart, you likely made an error on one step.
If you’ve completed the repair correctly, it should hold when you skate. Now, you can continue skating without the worry of falling off or damaging your board thanks to an issue on skating surfaces.
Repeat As Necessary
If multiple areas need help in your skating spot, repeat the process. You’ll follow the same steps as above unless you want to try a different method
Sometimes, skating spots take a little DIY love to keep in optimal condition. This technique is a surefire way to repair a surface in no time at all for many more hours of high-quality skating.
Sources:
wiley.com
tactics.com
