A skateboard rail is a useful piece of equipment that can make riding your skateboard more predictable and easier. A rail is a long, parallel strip of metal that is mounted to the bottom of your board with small grooves cut into it. This creates a safe place for your feet to step while riding the board.
By mounting a rail on your board, you add more stability to your ride. When combined with appropriate sizes of kickers, this can make for some nice angles and transitions on your downhill or hill run.
Many riders find the transition from riding a street skateboard to riding a snowboard or surfboard easy because they have familiar territory to go downhill and shore up. The same cannot be said for all riders, however; some may need help getting used to the new terrain they’re skating on.
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Measure the height and length
When building a skateboard rail, you must take into account the height of your board and the length of your board.
A shorter board will require a lower Rail Height, as it will be easier to measure the gap between the board and rail. Same goes for the length of the board- because a longer rail will require more wood to stay attached to the rail.
A long skateboard can be frustrating at times- you have to keep moving it around to get it positioned right, and then there is always that risk of one end breaking off. Having a short skateboard or no skateboard at all can also be annoying- you have to carry everything in order for it to work!
These tips can help make building your rail some easy mistakes :).
Go to a hardware store and find the following items
A quarter of a inch of steel is more than enough to make a strong, stable skateboard rail. You can either buy them pre-made or make your own. Make sure to have enough length to comfortably fit your hand!
Your new rail can be mounted using wooden dowels or fishing wire, or by sewing the two together and then gluing them down. Either way, make sure your glue is strong so it does not come loose.
Lastly, you can paint or spray-paint your rail white, depending on what you want it for.
Pipe
When looking at skateboards, you’re probably thinking, “Oh, I could do that!” But were you?
Most people don’t think to add pipe to the skateboard. However, when doing some modifications such as adding a new rail or changing the shape of the deck, then adding the pipe, you are doing it wrong.
The pipe is a wood insert that is glued in place. It has to be matched perfectly together in order for it to work. If it is not made right, it will not move!
How to Make a Skateboard Rail: The easiest way to make a rail is by cutting a pipe about 3 inches long and then gluing it on. The second way is to add more skateboarding boards and then adding the rail! This way is much more complicated and requires more wood or materials.
This way requires more wood or materials.
Welding material
Two kinds of welding materials are used for making skateboard rail systems. The first kind is called tung oil. Tung oil is a brown, waxy material that can be found in most hardware stores and grocery stores.
The second kind of material is called arc-welded steel. This type of steel can be found in the welding section of a store, or possibly even another section where tools are displayed.
Because tung oil and arc-welded steel have different chemical compositions, they must be matched up to create a composition that does not melt down the skateboard rail system when it gets hot.
When creating your rail system, make sure to account for both the vertical and horizontal dimensions of your rail. Too small a rail will not keep your feet dry, while too long may result in overhanging boarders that are not secure.
Gasoline or lighter fluid
If you want your rail to stick to the ground better, then you should use something with a liquid or gas base. If you do not have either of these substances, then we suggest using some homemade glue to hold your rail in place.
The easiest substance used is gasoline. You can buy it at any grocery store or specialty food store. Just make sure to buy the right liquid-gasoline mix for your rail as some are too strong and might burn the skateboarder.
The other substance used is oil. Typically, skateboards require some kind of lubrication when skating. An easy way to make skateboard lubrication easier is to use some kind of oil on the board.
Sandpaper
While most people recommend using a metal-cutting tool to create the edge on your skateboard rail, you can also make it with fine sandpaper. This is typically the more coarse of the two types.
To do this, first measure your rail length using a ruler and then cut a long piece of sandpaper about twice that length. Now, hold one end of the sandpaper and run it lightly across an orbital dryer or other tool to soften it. Then, pull off the excess paper and hold another end of the sandpaper together.
Paint (if you want color)
If you want a new mode of transportation or just a cool skateboard rail to show off, then let us talk about paint. There are several brands of paint that allow you to create your rail.
There are clear, colored, and blended paints that can be used. Each has different features and benefits. For example, a black rail would have very few colors to mix together, making it more cost- effective.
Some brands even allow you to mix and match colors! This is very useful if you want a black, red, and gold board with your top brand logo on it. You can!
When building the skateboard rail, there are some important parts to place. The top must be solid enough to hold the board in place without siding off of the deck or shoehorned into something. The back must be able to support the rider without them falling over.
Brushes or paint rollers
If you are going to paint or brush your rail, you must have a place to put it. A skateboard rail is not meant to be ridden over, nor can it be!
To make the rail, you must first have a large roll of painter’s tape. Then, you can use a paper towel or kitchen towel to roll the tape onto your rail. You can then use a brush or paint roller to finish off your rail.
How to Make Your Skateboard Rail: The trick here is to roll your tape as tight as possible on your board. If you have more room, then more space can be made for the design on your rail.