Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Detach the Tech Deck’s axles by unscrewing the bolts that hold them in place. Set the bolts aside.
Set a handheld lighter on a low flame setting. Light the flame and gently run it over the surface of the old grip tape on the Tech Deck. Apply the flame for five seconds, spreading it evenly over the surface. The heat will dissolve the glue that holds the grip tape in place.
Peel off the old grip tape. Use a flat edge to separate the tape from the deck, then peel the rest away. Reheat the tape as necessary until it peels away easily.
Sand the Tech Deck’s surface with the rough side of the old grip tape or with fine-grit sandpaper. This will remove residual glue from the old tape. New grip tape will stick better to a clean surface than to old adhesive.
Peel the backing off your new piece of grip tape. Center the Tech Deck board under the new piece and gently press the tape onto one end of the board. Apply pressure with your thumbs to get the tape to stick to the board.
Work your way down the board, pressing the grip tape smoothly into place. Make sure you flatten out any air bubbles or bumps in the tape as you go. Continue to press until the tape has adhered completely to the deck.
Scrape the grip tape’s surface with a small piece of metal. As you scrape, the metal will create an outline of the deck on the grip tape so you can see the edges of the board. Continue to rub and scrape until you have formed the full outline of the deck on the tape.
Cut away excess grip tape with an X-Acto knife, working along the outline you just created. Trim away all extra grip tape so that only the deck’s surface is covered.
Sand the edges of the board with the extra grip tape to remove jagged edges left from your cutting. Smooth all edges of the grip tape to create an even look.
Turn your Tech Deck over to reveal the bottom of the board. Use the pointed tip of your X-Acto knife to poke holes in the new grip tape for the axle bolts.
Turn the deck back over and insert the screwdriver into the holes; this will widen the holes to accommodate your bolts. Do so for all bolt holes in the deck.
Reattach the axles to the Tech Deck with your screwdriver.