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Message 8387 (16. Mar. 2009 02:38) (All next)

Jay (videos by Jay) (pictures by Jay)
Latest in the Grind Plate Chronicles.....
Volume # ???

OK, so as most of you no doubt surmised, the Aluminum grind plates were NOT strong enough! :) However, they did last for about 30 minutes on the vert ramp this Friday.
In case you forgot the previous Aluminum models....

Before Skating:
Latest Grind Set-Up 3/07/09 2

After Skating:
Alum plates Destroyed
But they did actually work...albeit briefly. ;) My Awesome & Quite Pregnant wife was good enough to come out to the Vert Facility with me on Friday for the maiden (& Final) session on the Aluminum plates.....here's a video clip from that session:



So, as depressing as the end results may have been with the Alum, it was more than enough for me to know that I wanted a solid, flat, STRONG surface for Sliders.....so it was back to the Home Improvement store (Home Depot)for me. I was fortunate enough to have Dawnie come along with me this time. She asked me if I'd "ever just walked down all the aisles to see what all they have??" & I replied that I hadn't.So, I swear on the 1st aisle she turns into, not even 10 feet down the aisle, she looks into a bin & says "what about these? these look like they would work." I look & she's gesturing at a box full of electrical plate junction boxes. And they DID look like they would work. I immediately grabbed 2 & went looking for nuts long enough to attach them to my SK8s & some bolts to secure them. The entire set-up cost me less than $8 US. Here's what it looked like before I took the Drill & Circular Saw to 'em.

New Cheap Plates!

Now, I gotta tell you, if my SK8s were 1/4 in. (1cm) smaller, these wouldn't have worked. I literally had no extra room & in fact was concerned they may hinder my abiility to turn/carve with my trucks. But those fears proved unfounded. Here are the SK8s with the new plates installed.

Assembled Slider Plates

Another Angle on Assembled Plates

Now, understandably, Dawnie a.k.a. Preggo wasn't feeling the SK8 Park for a 2nd time in only 3 days, so there's no footage to verify this, but they WORK!!! I trust my credibility is good with all of my rollerskating friends here though & that my word is good enough for the time being. ;)
I mean they work WELL!! No visible damage to them at all other than a couple of scrapes along the bottoms from sliding. No structural damage. In fact, I was actually able to do sliders on smaller stuff than I was ever able to do previously. In the past, I've always hung up either my back wheels on the deck, or my front wheels on the transition, on most anything smaller than about 5 1/2 feet. But with these electrical box sliders they hang down further than any of my previous set-ups & I was able to do slides on a little 3 foot mini section @ my local park that I've skated literally hundreds of times & NEVER slid a single inch & today I went over 2 feet on my 1st attempt & had nearly 4 feet before I was done. I am LOVING these!
But if you've got a foot smaller than a mens size 9 US, you're going to have to find something smaller. These things barely fit lengthwise on my SK8s, but I'm stoked they did.
I know some of you guys are riding sliders made from that cool high density plastic stuff, but I don't know where to find that stuff. And I just LOVE the sound of metal grinding! Metal coping or pool coping it sounds so agro!
Anyway, thanks everybody for humoring me on another long-winded rambling from yours truly. Hope all's well in everybody's little corner of the World.
Oh yeah....most of you ought to get a chuckle outta this:
I have a really good session on my new set-up today with no significant falls, no injuries at any rate, & when finished skate back to my car. In the process of getting back up out of the back seat to remove my knee pads I hyper-extend my left thumb on the car's seat! Can you believe that?! So I may not be back on my killer new set-up for several days.....what are you gonna do... alright.
Thanks again everybody. Hope you're mildly amused. :)
PEACE.......Jay



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  • Jay: Latest in the Grind Plate Chronicles..... (16. Mar. 2009 02:38)
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