What’s up! This is Tim with Tactics Boardshop,
and today I’m gonna show you how to make crusty and rough concrete ledges grind and slide like butter.
If you’ve searched around town looking for ledge spots, you’ve probably come across a perfect looking ledge,
but on closer inspection you see that it’s crusty, weather worn, and un-grindable.
You could try just caking it with wax,
but you’ll quickly find that even with a pound of wax on it, it’ll still barely grind.
There’s a tool called a rub brick that we can use to smooth out the concrete and make it skateable.
It’s essentially like sandpaper, but for concrete.
It takes quite a bit of work, but it’s worth it in the end because you’ll have a new ledge spot to skate.
Just a quick disclaimer,
I don’t recommend doing this at a place where you will get in trouble or fined for doing this.
Use some common sense and don’t do this to a spot right in front of a business or on somebody’s front porch.
The best spots are where nobody will care or notice:
like in an alley, on a bike path, an empty parking garage, or some abandoned building.
The tools you’ll need are:
A Rub Brick, which you can find at most hardware stores for less than 20 bucks.
You’ll need a broom,
some spray on lacquer,
And plenty of wax.
Any kind of wax should work, skate brand wax, old candles, paraffin wax whatever you got.
Just try to avoid those crumbly tealight candles.
I also recommend not wearing nice clothes while doing this,
because you’ll probably get covered in concrete dust.
Ok, time to get to work.
Start off by scraping the rub brick on the ledge.
This is gonna be the most intensive step.
It’ll take a while depending on how rough the ledge is to start, but don’t rush it.
Use both hands and put some weight into it to really grind down the jagged bits of concrete.
The edge will be the most important part for grinds,
but also rub far enough on the top of the ledge to get the entire length of the nose for slides.
Also get the side of the ledge.
Go down just lower than the wheels so they have a smooth surface for nose and tail slides.
Periodically use the broom to sweep away the concrete dust to check your progress,
and try not to breath a bunch of it in.
If you forgot your broom, you can use a towel or a shirt or just use your breath
to blow away the dust, but a broom works the best.
Keep rub bricking the ledge until it’s smooth.
If you have any doubts about it being smooth enough, then keep going.
If you have some friends with you, take turns because it gets pretty tiring.
Don’t put on any wax until you’re sure it’s as smooth as it’s gonna get,
because once you wax it, you can’t continue rub bricking.
If you wax the ledge and THEN find out that it’s not smooth enough,
you can’t continue to scrape it down because the wax will gum up the rub brick and it won’t work.
So take your time getting it as smooth as possible before waxing it.
When you’re content with the smoothness,
thoroughly sweep the dust off and double check the entire length that you rub bricked,
to see if there are any spots that you might have missed or need a bit more smoothing.
Once you’re done rub bricking and sweeping, it’s time to spray on the lacquer to give the ledge a slick seal.
Generously spray it onto the ledge,
and make sure you get the edge, and enough of the top and side for the nose and wheels.
It usually takes a little over half an hour for the lacquer to dry enough to put on the wax.
You can check the can for drying times, but be patient and let it dry.
Once the lacquer is dry, it’s time to wax the crap out of it.
Don’t skimp on the wax because the ledge hasn’t been broken in yet.
Again, be sure to get enough of the top and sides for nose and tail slides.
Give it a few test grinds with either your hands, or set the board on top and jump up on it.
If it feels like it goes, then give it a try.
It’ll take quite a few grinds to break in the ledge, and don’t be afraid to re-apply wax as many times as you need.
The more you skate it, the more the wax settles into the ledge and the better it will grind.
Alright! Congratulations, you have a new ledge spot to skate!
If you got any comments or questions leave them in the box below, and stay safe out there. Peace!