Skateboard Museum Update: My First Skateboard Photos

IMG_4251My first skate board – new photos

The very first skateboard related post I wrote for the Virtual Hot Tub concerned, quite appropriately, my very first skateboard.  There was only one photo to accompany the article however, and that wasn’t much good.  So, as per the update I did regarding the Variflex Joker, here are a few additional shots of this classic board.

Now in my collection for over thirty five years, this skateboard is the one I learned to skate on.  It was a gift from my Gran; but was neglected for a few years.  Eventually I was bitten by the skateboarding bug, and it was this board that gave me that first taste.

This is a very old, and now faded, plastic board from the 1970’s heyday of skateboarding.  The deck is plastic, like many of the skateboards of the time that served to introduce us to the sport/art.  We called these plastic boards “polyprops” back in the day – as in polypropylene, which the boards were supposedly made out of.  I’m not sure if polyprop is a local term or not.

Plastic skateboards have been given a whole new life recently, with the popularity of Penny skateboards.  The development of this retro trend certainly puts a smile on this old skate dog’s face.

On the nose of the deck is what I assume to be the brand name – Albert.  I’ve not seen this company anywhere else – if you know anyhting about them, please leave a comment and let me know.

The trucks are metal, though I have no idea what the wheels are made of.  The wheels are hard, and are sealed with a protector over the bearings.  The wheels have always been like this as far as I remember, so I assume they’re not a softer plastic that’s decayed over time.

Once red, now faded to pink, I still love this old board.  I’m very glad I still have it.

You can read the original blog about My First Skateboard here.

Death Skateboards – My Current Set Up

Death deck, Independent trucks, Death wheels 

Recently I set up my new skateboard.  This new set up is, again, primarily Death skateboards.

The new deck is a Lee Dainton pro model – yes, he of Dirty Sanchez fame.  I’ve actually had this deck for a while, I just hadn’t got round to setting it up.  Truth be told, I’ve not done much skating for a while, due to factors like becoming a  Dad; the bastard recession killing my employment; and being busy getting fat.

I’ve kept my previous set of good old reliable Indy trucks, but invested in a new set of Death wheels (52mm).  I picked the wheels up from the very nice people at Note skate shop in Manchester on a recent visit. IMG_3168

Death are a great company, I’ve owned (and skated) many of their decks and wheels.  They’re British, and make really good products that you can depend on.

Back when I used to own a skate shop, I spoke on the phone to Death boss man Nick Zorlac a few times.  He’s a sound guy with an obvious enthusiasm and love for skateboarding. IMG_3170

I also had a brief meeting with Dainton a couple of years ago, when he and Matt Pritchard did a Dirty Sanchez show at the Tivoli in Buckley.  The conversation basically consisted of hollering “Independent for life!” at each other.

Anyway, I’ve now skated this deck and I am extremely happy with it.  No techy nerd ramblings in this blog post, this is a quality skateboard and we’ll leave it at that.  Well done Death on another fine product!

Deck only, before trucks were mounted.

Deck only, before trucks were mounted.