Builder Profile: 2nd Shot Recycled Skateboard Co.

I found John Gibson while searching for cool gifts that had something to do with skateboards. The watches caught my eye immediately, they are so colourful and intricate. Each item comes in a sweet handmade wood box, making them the perfect present! John makes all kinds of other items too, see the links at the bottom of this article. Tick Tock!

What inspired you to breakdown used skateboards to make other things and how did you get your start in making these unique, functional pieces of art?

As a skateboarder collecting my old boards only seemed like normal behaviour until my wife posed the question what am I gonna do with all of them? So after a bit of thinking I decided to create a piece of art with them. Which much to my surprise I was able to sell with only minimal effort on an online platform back in 2010. At this time I was able to sell the Art that I made for more than I was making in a week at my current job. So I decided to see how many more can I make and sell. 11 years and hundreds of skateboards later I’m still doing the same thing.

Without giving away any trade secrets, can you briefly tell us the different processes you use?

Well, first thing you have to do is probably one of the worst parts, removing the grip tape. Some can be on there real good and be really stubborn to get off. The secret to removing it the best is to screw the old board down to a work bench and use a heat gun and scraper.

Pro skateboards are generally made of seven layers cross grain maple with some layers stained different colours. Once we remove the grip we can start cutting up the board to get it in to a workable piece. We then sand, glue and clamp the pieces together. They can be arranged in patterns and mosaics to create a unique colourful piece of wood that you can then used to create almost anything.

Another interesting process we just started using this year is stabilizing. Stabilizing wood is the process of strengthening the wood by putting it in a vacuum chamber with cactus juice, then baking. This gives the wood more strength and durability. We use this process for all chef knife handles now.

Do you do all the work yourself or do other people assist you?

I started out doing it all by myself and learning as I went. Now I have other people that help. My wife Lindsay and my best friend Jeremy are in the shop with me everyday making products. We have started doing daily vlogs so you can get a behind the scenes look at daily life in our shop.

Is there a philosophy behind your work and the company that you can share?

My philosophy is simple, to create a product that’s relatable to me as a skateboarder and the people that have had the joy of riding one.

Your website includes many products. Can you give us a list and description of what you offer?

Right now we have some custom chef knives and watches available. The chef knives come in a few different sizes and designs. Our most popular is the 200mm Kiritsuke Chef Knife.

Do you do custom work?

We do. We don’t take on a lot of custom work but we try to do a few big custom projects each year. We just finished up a custom bass guitar and we have an electric guitar in the works for someone else. If you have something in mind reach out to us to chat!

Are there any new products in the works?

We are working on some new products right now! In the next few weeks we will have our board graphic pocket knife back in stock as well as new options of chef knives. Follow our daily vlogs for news on product releases.