How to Assemble a Longboard?

When people like to play different types of games, they need to develop some other skills. Like the other games, the longboard players must know how to assemble a longboard by themselves. Completing a longboard is not that complicated; you can get lots of customization options too. Many people like putting their gear together because they want to tune as they think to fit their board. If you don’t want to assemble a board by yourself, there is no need to take extra pressure; you can also get the ready board. But most of the longboarder’s dream is to make their board by themselves. I am here to show you the details assembling process, which will help beginners who wish to make their board. I am dividing the assembling process into three steps :

• Mount The Trucks
• Insert The Bearings Into The Wheels
• Attach The Wheels

Before starting the assembling process, you need to gather some materials, and they are :

• Gripped Deck:  You need a grip deck first.
• Wheels: You need four wheels, which will be the same.
• Trucks with Hardware: Every truck has four screws and four nuts. These nuts fit with the baseplate and the screws with the deck. It would be best if you also had four-axle washers and two locknuts as well. The total hardware is- eight screws, eight nuts, eight axle washers, four locknuts; before assembling, you must arrange all the hardware together.
• Skate Tools and Adjustable Wrench: You should adjust the wrench to 3/8″. With the wrench, you have to arrange a socket.
• Bearings: You need a total of 8 bearings.
• Phillips Screwdriver: All the skate tools come with a Phillips screwdriver, but if your one not, then arrange a separate screwdriver.

1. Mounting the Trucks:

Traditionally, you have to top-mount your trucks with your deck, which means you have to bolster your deck’s underside. If you have a new gripped deck, you need to start by poking through the screw holes from the bottom with your screwdriver. First of all, put all the screws into the holes and then flip the board over. Now through the baseplate, you can slip the trucks onto the screws easily.

It would be best to place the standard kingpin in the perfect place because placing the kingpin correctly and the bushings face inwards. Reverse the kingpin trucks because each truck will face outwards toward the tail and the deck’s tip in this way. After that, attach the nuts to the screws for holding the trucks loosely. Use the adjustable wrench to keep the nuts in a perfect place. And then tighten the screw in a criss-cross pattern.

The drop-through trucks are mounting from the top side of your deck. For mounting the drop-through trucks, you need to disassemble your trucks accurately. Firstly remove your kingpin nut, then remove your bushing washer, hanger, and bushing from the kingpin. Now put the baseplate on the top of your deck to keep points through the drop-in mounting hole. You have to reassemble your trucks after tightening the baseplates and selecting your bushings properly. All these processes you should keep in order like- starting from the baseplate, washer, bushing, hanger, bushing, washer, and finally the kingpin nut to keep it all together. You have to tighten your kingpin until there is no vertical movement from your hanger.

2. Insert the Bearings into the Wheels:

First of all, get your bearings into the socket. Then flip your skateboard on one side and then slide a bearing onto one of the axles. On the top of the bearing, slide a spacer followed by a wheel. Use overpressure, then push the bearing into the socket of the wheels. Thus you can feel the bearing into the place. Do the same process for the next bearing.

3. Attach the Wheels on the Trucks:

Once you have joined the two wheels with the bearings, it’s time to attach the trucks’ wheels to secure the wheel; first of all, you have to slide on your washer, followed by the wheels. And then with bearing, followed by the second washer. Then lock the nut, and that will set the enter wheel setup. After attaching the wheel on one side of the board, flip it with the other side and then do the process again.

Now your board is entirely ready to ride on. You should always check your board that everything will be in the right place and fixed appropriately. So, go to the street and enjoy your board riding.

How to clean all kinds of skateboards?

To increase the board’s longevity and save you money and use your longboard more comfortably and more enjoyable, it depends on how you should treat and look after your longboard. On the other hand, To buying longboards are not cheap that much, so you must correctly take care of your dream board.

To keep your board in riding condition for a long time, you have to give some of your time and effort. By following this necessary article, you can know about the right procedure and cleaning equipment, and then you can clean your longboard easily.

1. Cleaning a Longboard Skateboard Deck:

• First of all, you should detach your trucks then clean your board. If the water gets into the metal part of your board, corrosion and rust will occur. First, flip your board over and use an adjustable wrench to remove the nut between your wheels. Make them loose, and then lift them off from your board. Now take a nylon brush and water. Then take some drops of mild dishwashing soap and water in a bucket, mix all these properly. Dip a brush on the bucket and then brush the surface of the grip tape. Do this process with a semi-circular motion, and the dirt will then come out. Instead, with the nylon brush, you can use the toothbrush also.
• Take a piece of sponge that is soap-free and deep it into the water. To remove the suds or leftover soap, use the saturated sponge on the grip tape. When you see that all the soap eliminate then go to the next step. If the water remains on the board, there is a chance for creaking.
• To remove the leftover water, use a soft sponge and direct water to wipe it again. You cannot do the tricks by using the longboard, so the board’s underside is smooth. Try to remove all the dirt and debris from the board. Don’t wet the metal part of the longboard.
• Use a cotton towel and dab it on the board to remove the extra moisture.
• Keep your board in a dry area for the next three hours and left to dry properly. Once it dry, use the adjustable wrench to fix the trucks in their actual position.

2. Clean the Longboard Skateboard Bearings:

• However, the bearing is a round shape metal piece inside the wheels. First of all, unscrew your wheels from the axel. You have to keep the wheel over the axle’s end to pop the bearing out of the center of your wheel. To completely dislodge the bearing from the wheel, you need to try more than one time. When you see that your wheels make lots of sounds, then it’s time to clean it.
• You can see the plastic or metal shield that goes over the bearings. Take a flathead screwdriver or pin to remove the rubber bearing shield and then push down on the screwdriver. Try to do the process carefully. Otherwise, it will damage easily.
• After removing the shields, soak them in an acetone solution, clean all the dirt and grease from the shields. Put all the bearing inside a bottle or jar and then light the lid. Shake the bottle at least for two minutes until the dirt gets out from the bearings. For this process, you can use a citrus solution like- lemon or orange juice
• After cleaning the dirt from the bearing, remove the bearings from the solution. Take a hairdryer at high speed and use a towel to remove the moisture. The hot bearing can burn your hand, so while putting your hands on the bearing, be careful.
• The appropriate lubricant will keep your wheels turning accordingly. While you are skateboarding, so, use oil or grease to lubricate your wheels. Use a dropper to give the lubricate, then roll the bearing on its side to distribute it equally. The oil will help your bearing turn quickly, and the synthetic grease will increase the durability of the wheels and the bearings and need less maintenance
• Place all the bearings in the right place and snap it on there. Please ensure all the processes you have done tightly, and there is no remaining dirt on them. Now your bearing is ready to go on your wheels. Now reattach the wheels on the longboard’s axle.

3. Clean Your Longboard Surfboard:

• Use normal water to rinse off your board after coming from the beach to remove the saltwater. Saltwater is harmful and corrosive for your board. Before cleaning the board, you need to remove the wax from the longboard. It will be tough for you to scrap off if your wax is cold or at room temperature. So, allow the wax to the sun to get soft. After the wax softens, move your board to the cleaning area.
• Now scrap off the board’s surface. You can use the wax comb, an industrial surfer tool, to easily remove the wax. If you don’t arrange this, use a credit card to remove it. If you still feel some problems removing the wax, you can drip some coconut oil over the board’s surface to loosen the wax. Then scrap with the wax comb or credit card.
• Use mild dishwashing soap to clean your board, and make it free from gro wing bacteria. Saturate a sponge with soapy water and use it to clean your board correctly. You can use the boat cleaner also.
• Use WD-40 solution and spray it to lose the wax and clean the wax accordingly. You can use citrus cleaner to clean extra dirt and wax.
• Use a cotton towel to rag and wipe extra moisture from the longboard after completely dry under direct sunlight.

Now your board is entirely ready for riding again. It is the easiest way ever to keep your longboard last for a long time, and without proper cleaning, you cannot last your longboard for a long time.

How to Carve on a Longboard?

For the beginner, it’s not easy to know the curving techniques at once. However, it will take considerable time to learn how to curve on a longboard indeed. Regular practice will make you do these tricks easily. You can amazingly practice your longboard if you know the curving techniques.

Besides making fun, if you want to maintain your speed, you need to do this process. You need to control your body weight to the heel edge or toe edge of your foot to make a curve pattern on your board. When you ride on the longboard, only the straight motion you don’t do sometimes needs to curve or make an “S” shep motion. For this, you need more control over the board. You will lose control over the board if you don’t know how to curve your activity.

• First of all, Learn How to Carve -Wear Your Safety Guards:

From the very beginning, you need to go and seek a vast parking lot or go to the street with a sloppy hilly side and chose a very sleeper road to start your practice. And don’t forget to wear proper protective guards to keep you safe from accidents.

• Give Full Consecration on Your Riding:

Now heading straight to the sloppy hill, you need to push some speed with your back foot. Then try to band your kees slightly and accelerate your speed. Now try to shift all the body weight to the back before gaining too much speed and ride downward. By doing this process, you can feel that your toes are pointing towards the sky, and on the other side, your heels are pointing to the hard ground. Thus, you will notice that your board starts heading to the road’s left side or doing your practice.

How to Do the Toe Carving?

For learning toe carving, you need to practice more and frequently. This curving is more challenging than the heel carving. Sometimes you may feel unbalanced but don’t get upset; I will tell you how to do the toe carving. Stand on the street’s left side, then push with your back foot’s help, and then heading straight down the heel. Before raising the speed high, you have to bend your knees slightly, push your toes down, and lift your heels.

Pay More Attention To Your Body Movement:

It would be best to let the longboard itself tilt under your feet and not lift your heels off the board. So now start from the right side of the street, push your movement, and then reach the street’s far-right or practicing area. Do the toe and heel curving method again and again. Go and stop once you get to the roadside of the road. You have to habituate this process again and again. If you practice more, you are on the right track and can also control your speed. After some regular practice, try connecting your toe and heel carve; you can perform the small curves faster than before. And day by day, if you practice more, you will be a pro longboard rider.

To get a more accustomed feeling, to curve the longboard over the snow or a wave, you need to familiar with these activities. If you can do the proper curving process, you can keep your speed in check and well balanced. It is a very aesthetic type of longboarding riding skill. You can feel more fun if you know how to curve appropriately by controlling the speed.