How to Make Sliding Gloves

Longboard sliding gloves are more affordable when you make them yourself.

Sliding gloves are essential to riding a longboard once you perfect your carving and cruising skills. Now it's time to take it a step further and work on your sliding tricks. Proper gloves protect your hands and provide strong friction between you and the asphalt to control your speed and execute tricks. They are essentially work gloves with heavy duty plastic "pucks" made from a kitchen cutting board glued in place on the contact points between your hand and the road. They may be purchased, but you can save money by custom making your own pair.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Heavy-duty work gloves
• Hard plastic kitchen cutting board
• Glue sticks for glue gun
• Heating gun
• Hand saw or jigsaw
• Permanent marker
• Clamps

1. Draw an outline of each glove and where you want your pucks to be placed. Draw with the permanent marker on the plastic cutting board. They may be placed on the palm, wrist, thumb, each individual finger or "lobster style," with the first and second finger together and the third and fourth finger together.

2. Cut out the puck shapes on the cutting board with the handsaw or the jigsaw. Clamp the cutting board to a worktable with the part you are cutting hanging over the table edge. The jigsaw is much faster but takes more skill and access to a jigsaw. Using a handsaw will take much longer. The pucks will have rough edges and may not be exactly the shape that was drawn.

3. Grind down the rough edges of your pucks by gripping them firmly and scraping the rough edges on outdoor pavement. This will keep rough edges from hurting your hands while you are sliding. Scrape in large, quick strokes using a lot of force.

4. Cut glue sticks into small circular pieces to be glued to your pucks. You need three to five pieces for each puck.

5. Glue the pucks to your gloves with a heating gun that will melt both the surface of the puck and the pieces of glue. Do not touch the puck or glue while it is being heated.

6. Place the hot pucks by wearing the glove and carefully laying your gloved hand on the hot puck. Press down until you are certain the puck is fully attached.

7. Clamp the glove and puck together until they have cooled and fused completely together.

8. Continue until all pucks are in place.

Tips & Warnings

• The pucks with melted glue mixed with melted plastic are very hot and should be handled with care.

• Operate the jigsaw and heat gun with caution. Make sure you have the proper training before operating.

References

• Silverfish Longboarding: Longboarding Slide Gloves Cheap
• Longboard Directory: Definition of Sliding