Okay, so I got this idea stuck in my head a while back – a Dragon Ball skateboard. I’m a pretty big fan, you know, grew up with it, and I like tinkering with stuff. Seemed like a cool little project.
Getting the bits together
First thing, I needed a board. I didn’t want to mess up a good one, so I found a cheap, plain wooden deck online. Just a blank canvas, really. Already had some old trucks and wheels lying around in the garage, good enough for this. Bearings were shot though, so I had to order some new ones. Oh, and grip tape, can’t forget that.
Figuring out the design
This took some thought. Dragon Ball has so much going on. Should I do Goku? Vegeta? Maybe Shenron the dragon? I decided to keep it kinda simple. Went with the classic orange and blue gi colors as the main theme. And definitely needed the Four-Star Dragon Ball somewhere prominent.
I’m no artist, mind you. I just sketched out a rough idea on paper. Where the orange goes, where the blue goes, and a spot for the Dragon Ball logo and the four-star ball itself. Nothing fancy.
The messy part – Painting
Alright, got the deck, cleaned it up a bit. Went down to the hardware store and grabbed some spray paints. A bright orange, a good blue, some black for outlines maybe, and a yellow/gold for the star. And white for a base coat, always helps.
I taped off the sections I wanted to keep separate. Put down the white primer first, let that dry. Took ages, always does. Then I started with the orange. Did a couple of coats. Waited again. Then masked off the orange part and sprayed the blue. It wasn’t perfect, got a little bleed under the tape in one spot, but hey, homemade charm, right? For the Dragon Ball, I printed a simple circle template, sprayed that orange, and then hand-painted the four red stars on. Used a small brush for that. Needed a steady hand, which I don’t always have!
Sealing the deal
After all the paint was properly dry – gave it a good day or two just to be sure – I needed to protect it. Got some clear coat spray sealant. Did maybe three thin layers over the whole design, letting it dry between each. This stops the paint scraping off too easily when you actually use the thing. Smelled pretty strong, did this bit outside.
Putting it all together
Now for the assembly. Bolted the trucks onto the deck through the holes. Made sure they were tight. Then popped the new bearings into the wheels. That can be fiddly sometimes. Pushed the wheels onto the truck axles, put the nuts on. Gave them a spin, felt smooth enough.
Grip tape time
Last major step was the grip tape. Laid the sheet over the top of the deck. Smoothed it out from the center to get rid of air bubbles. That stuff is sticky, you only get one real shot. Then I used a file to score around the edge of the deck, right where the tape meets the wood edge. This makes it easier to trim cleanly with a sharp utility knife. Trimmed off the excess. Punched through the truck bolt holes from the bottom and screwed the bolts back in fully from the top.
All done!
And that was basically it. Stood back, took a look. Looked pretty cool, actually. Got the orange, the blue, the Four-Star ball right there. It’s definitely unique. Took it for a little roll down the driveway. Felt like a skateboard, haha. But yeah, riding something you put together and painted yourself, even if it’s a bit rough around the edges, feels pretty good. A fun weekend project.
