Clear Deck Grip Tape?

[Aussielongboarder]

Hello Everyone, I just finished making the board in the pictures below for my 13 year old son. It was looking all nice and shiney with a heap of stickers that he had carefully applied.

Last night I trired putting on some "clear" deck grip tape that I bought here in Sydney, and it looked crap. It was more white than clear and hardly transparent at all. I was hoping to be able to see the wood grain, stickers and design through the tape but you could hardly see any of it!

Has anyone else had the same propblem? I thought about doing yet another coat of clear varnish and then maybe sprinkling either some sand or salt crystals on it before the varnish dries - do you reckon that would work?

P.S: These photos were taken before the grip was applied!

Thanks, Brian.

[pyromaniacman129]

i takes a little time to push down and cleear all the way
for the epoxy on the bottom to stick flat

[dwf137]

The best way to get clear grip is to do exactly what you suggested to do.

Get some varnish, and silica sand. I say silica sand because it's clear, unlike sand straight from the beach which has some colored grains. Some people have also had great results with crushed glass and Tred-Tex paint additives.

Put a layer of varnish on thick, and sprinkle on evenly. Let dry, and then put another few layers on top of the sand to seal it in. The more coats, the longer it will last, but the less grippy it will be.

[Loki440]

as dw137 said that is the best way to get clear results, as an example.

Here is a board i did awhile ago using crushed glass for grip, and because im psycho it has more grip than your best griptape

teh wood grain was quite a bit more visable in person, it just the camera throws it off

[pyromaniacman129]

edit:nvm
....

[his415]

as dw137 said that is the best way to get clear results, as an example.

Here is a board i did awhile ago using crushed glass for grip, and because im psycho it has more grip than your best griptape

teh wood grain was quite a bit more visible in person, it just the camera throws it off

Loki How did you crush the glass with such uniformity? Sifter perhaps?

[dcphotos]

Damn that's a nice board Loki.

I've used clear tape for years, they make good stuff and bad. The kind I use most is the same grain as regular grip tape and works great, but I once got some that had big particles and more space between them, it was cloudy looking. That skate shop in Manly ought to have something, that place was cool, as is the rest of your city. Grind Dulwich for me!

[Loki440]

Loki How did you crush the glass with such uniformity? Sifter perhaps?

hint take a look around for clear glass glitter

[lewboard]

hey guys!

Found this thread while i was perusing through google and i'm gonna give it a whirl.

I FINALLY managed to find an art supplier that does glitter glass by the looks of things there are none in western Australia so i ordered some from a company in Victoria, wasn't too expensive.

Do you guys rekon i should just use normal wood varnish? The only problem i can see is that my S9 Green Room is super flexible and that it might crack?

I'll take a few photos of my progress when i'm doin it, let you guys know how it works out