I thought these heat transfer machines were like 10k or something, but apparently they go for $3,500 to $5,500 depending on whether or not you want to transfer one side at a time or two. These guys sell everything. Skateboards, plastic skateboards, Griptapes and Hardwares [sic.], trucks, skate tools and yes, heat transfer machines. Machines for Skateboards was the title of the email they sent me with this image, so I thought I’d find out how much this stuff costs. Probably a bit higher in reality. I’m sure that doesn’t include shipping and import tariffs. Machines for Skateboards reminded me of the “Robot Skateboarders” in Screen Printing is Amazing, because it is. Alternate title: Heat Transfers are Marvelous.

This video tour of the Dwindle wood shop narrated by Rodney Mullen is fascinating on several levels. I’ll start with the elephant in the room, the factory location. Sure, the wood comes from Canada, but the labor appears to mostly be comprised of girls just old enough to compete on the Chinese gymnastics team. Next, there’s the joyless, dry narration by Rodney himself. In the first few minutes of the video it’s hard to tell if this is going to be a parody of corporate industrial films or a bona fide video. Lastly, there’s the technological innovation in board manufacturing. These guys have figured out how to make boards seemingly identical to one another. A big part of that would be the fact that only one board gets pressed in one mold at a time, although the molds are stacked on top of each other. To hear Rodney talk, they have a bunch of prima donnas really picky pros who would reject up to 80% of decks from a run because they weren’t up to their critical standards. I know people who are hyper aware of the physical characteristics of the deck they are riding, but most of us can…

Earlier there was some discussion about whether or not anything good ever comes from the X Games. I brought up the fact that they sometimes leave their ramps behind, and John Aguilar pointed out that such is the case in Mexico City. Mexican skate rag ReSkate reports that last year’s X Games vert and street ramps are being set up as a public skatepark in a few weeks. I can’t read Spanish, so I’ll have to take his word for that. And speaking of countries battling US skateboard manufacturers and extreme sports, the AST Dew Tour is opening in China this month as well. I guess there’s already a lot of skateboards there, so why not? Along with the usual contenders, Chinese athletes will be allowed to compete as well. How Extreme!™ is China? This 2005 article in the Christian Science Monitor (!?) talks about how Chinese officials promote certain cultural imports from Western countries, but most fade from popularity after the propaganda stops. That was three years ago, so maybe it’s not a fad in China. It probably helps that so many American companies are having skateboards made in China. I wonder if the top Chinese skaters ride skateboards…

A first glance at the web site for Penn State Industries makes it look like the company exists solely to supply a burgeoning cottage industry of making wooden pens. No, I’m not kidding! Hidden among the woodworking projects are two skateboard kits. Skateboard Project Kit. Here’s a chance for you to make “awesome” custom skateboards. Cut our formed, quality, 7 ply hardwood deck to shape, decorate and install a pair of trucks with wheels and they’re ready to skate. The deck comes with the truck holes pre-drilled, a laminated sandpaper top and a pattern to cut the form. Truck assemblies are made out of lightweight aluminum and include quality bearings and durable quality polyurethane wheels. Unlike some people, they have the decency to call griptape as it is. The “woodworking” aspects of this project seem pretty meager. Cut out the supplied outline and sand the edges. Must be a beginner project. Oh well, at least it’s not the Alan Parson’s Project. $50 for a complete (quality parts!) or $15 for just the deck at Penn State Industries. Why are we featuring this? This would have been highly unlikely ten years ago, and it’s pen-making supplies from a company based in…

CBSC does not embroil itself in the China vs. USA or Europe manufacturing debate. Simply we are American Skaters living in China, for almost a decade, that have pain-stakingly established quality manufacturing supply channels that allow us to 100% always control quality on-site. From the regular stream of business opportunities that come to our inbox. Cali Board Sports sure sounds and looks like an American operation, down to the soundtrack on the website. Draw your own conclusions. Skateboard quality? Who knows, but they make great babies. Congrats to occasional SnA contributor Egbert on his extremely recent adoption from the mainland, Mercy.

The Wall Street Journal has an article on the blank skateboards titled “Avid Boarders Bypass Branded Gear: The $15 ‘Blank Decks’ Work Just Fine — A Marketing Challenge for Industry.” Zoo York riders scored the photo incentives. If you’re hoping for the old school pen and ink renderings that they used to use for illustrations you’ll be disappointed. In fact the first composite illustration looks more like something out of a second rate USA Today. It’s like all those years without a photo editor have them crippled. One recurring theme is that the kids with real talent are the ones that are buying blanks, and the newbies are buying branded gear. I don’t know about your town, but I see mostly the opposite happening in Portland. The IASC is quoted, and even brings up their ill fated “A World Without Pros” campaign. Here are some interesting facts. There are an estimated 800 professional and semi-professional skateboarders on the industry’s payroll, and Santa Cruz (NHS actually) claims an R&D budget of $500,000 annually. There are a few factual anomalies in the article. Apparently in Sioux Falls Iowa you can buy a “complete” deck from Crown for $30, or a name brand…

I received more spam from Chinese skateboard manufacturer. Not very remarkable except for a few things. The first thing I noticed was a picture of an assembly line for completes. Are those children or small women on the line? Look at the shot of the factory. I swear those are soldiers guarding the entrance to the plant. Also interesting, you can buy blanks for under $6. American skateboard manufacturing is doomed.

Looks like the World Without Pros web site has been removed. I’m calling doublespeak on their reasoning. If it created a healthy dialog and the point was still valid, why not leave it up? My guess is they were not happy with the amount of ridicule and bad press it was generating.

retailers, don’t limit yourselves to what they want you to sell. sell what’s best for your shops needs. push the limits. don’t conform. Chinese manufacturers fight back… with North American hardwoods, dubious slogans, and innovative shapes. See more of these fantastical, mind-blowing innovative shapes after the jump.

Under Fire: A Special Report On The State Of Skate Hardgoods is brought to you by the International Association Of Skateboard Companies and is produced in conjunction With TransWorld Business and TransWorld SKATEboarding The IASC (International Association of Skateboard Companies) and Transworld Business have included an insert in the latest issue of the industry rag Transworld Business. It’s a marketing piece designed to promote the purchase of branded boards over blanks and shop boards. It didn’t stop Transworld from accepting quite a few ads for companies advertising OEM services to make those evil boards in the same issue. Smooth move, Ex-Lax.