Threads Idea Vacuum video number three, Threadcleaner, by Alex Rose, Matt Creasy, and Chris Thiessen. A natural progression from the last installment, it includes much of the same cast from Headcleaner, as well as new additions: James Sayres, and the Widdip crew. The second half of Threadcleaner includes a promo from The Vacation (newly formed skateboard company), featuring: David Clark, Jason Spivey, Brian Powderly, and Jonathan Ettman.Step 2: Building the moldShow All Items« PreviousNext »View All Steps DownloadBearings: A Smooth Ride Inside The Science and Art of Skateboard Design (continued...) Though Cadillac Wheels had revolutionized skateboarding with the smooth sure ride of urethane, they still had one big flaw: the bearings. Like all the earlier skateboard and roller skate wheels, the Cadillac had simple ball bearings, which were exposed and easily contaminated by sand and grit from the road. These wheels rolled poorly, often roughly, and the bearings wore out quickly.

The advent of precision sealed circular bearings changed all of that, as Piumarta relates: "The gold star (in wheel design) would go to Frank Nasworthy who developed the Cadillac wheel back in1972 or 1973. But he developed a wheel with the old drop in ball bearings like your mom and dad's roller skates. About 1974 the owner of our company, Richard Novak, came up with a design where he could introduce an old Hoover vacuum cleaner bearing on either side of the wheel. And he put two on either side of the truck axle, and really this changed skateboarding...because once the wheels got the bearings in them, they could go much faster, and we could put a lot more technology into the wheel itself. It was the Road Rider wheel, back in 1974-75, putting those sealed bearings into each side of the wheel meant that wheels lasted longer, they could go faster, and it really helped to develop roller sports from that point on." The combined effect of urethane wheels and precision bearings transformed skateboards from a clunky, skittery plank into an amazingly effective urban conveyance, smooth and sure-footed.

Once these innovations were in place, skateboard wheels have remained pretty much the same. Small differences in wheel size, shape, and hardness are chosen based on the type of skating a rider wants to do. does vacuum cleaner kill bed bugsAsked what makes a really good wheel, Piumarta said, "The shapes don't matter much. fish gravel vacuum cleanerReally it's the raw materials. best vacuum cleaner for the elderlySpeed is everything, and to me rebound means speed, even at the high durometer. Generally, size doesn't make much difference. The larger wheels are best for vert riding, anywhere up to the 66-millimeter range. Street skating wheels are generally 51 mm to about 57 mm." Tim Piumarta believes that the care and skill with which a wheel is manufactured makes the difference between a good wheel and a bad one, "The best way to make wheels is to use really expensive 2-3 part urethanes which are open-cast-poured into moulds.

I'll equate skateboard wheels to baking in a kitchen: you have eggs, flour and milk. Depending on your skills, you will get either biscuits, or a soufflé. That has a lot to do with skateboard wheels today. Anyone can buy the raw materials; those are easy to get. It's the techniques, the tools, and the philosophy of making the wheel that will determine whether you get a biscuit of a wheel or a soufflé." « Wheels: Where the Rubber Meets the Road So What the heck is a "truck", anyway? “This video has been modified to fit a square peg into a round hole”. Given that this is a video by the Threads Idea Vacuum that we’re now discussing, and knowing their frequently experimental antics, one might be hard pressed to find a better disclaimer than this sentence, marking the screen for a split second as the very first frames of the video unveil themselves ; thereby making for a stark first impression you will either treat as a rather bold & slightly daunting warning, or as exciting news, depending on your tastes – or maybe (& most likely) a little of both.

That statement sets the tone regardless – and a very valid one in that what the authors have brought us to expect from them with their former works “Threads” (2014) & “Headcleaner” (2015) is no less than a hefty dose of challenging of convention ; albeit (and this is where their genius shines, and seems to magically translate over to the viewer) of a wisely-weighted kind. Indeed, where others have proven to occasionally fail before, sometimes resorting to immature recreations of certain popular aesthetics, poorly flowing editing, or even uninspired skating in a commendable yet sketchy effort to contribute with a substantial piece - Matt Creasy, Alex Rose & Chris Thiessen instead successfully pull off incorporating unusual formats, odd titles, mistreated timelines & contemplative clips together with the right mixture of both raw & smart skateboarding, itself captured through some rituals of VX-1000 wizardry & paired up with the contents of a deep bag of music tracks, more often than not collected off the beaten path.

As the video progresses, it slowly reveals itself to confirm that it is exactly what we’ve come to expect & love from the Threads Idea Vacuum ; a work of a nature the kind of which we just attempted to pin down (yet still so elusive !), and James Coleman. This type of wit aside, you really are in for a continuation of the previous elements of the video series, which also might be felt reaching a certain zenith in terms of maturity ; the few editing statements that gave “Threads” then “Headcleaner” some of their (often welcome) rougher edges are mostly gone & the entire film just flows even better somehow – not that the former opera didn’t run smoothly already – this one just manages to be even more captivating, and exemplifying the surreal universe of the Threads collective into what might be its finest representation to date. The video is divided into two major sections : one of the “usual” format – albeit itself subdivided into short parts & shared montages packed with locals, subsequently filmed in Atlanta, California (represented by Brad Cromer, Justin Brock & Tom Karangelov), Tennessee, Out of the Box-land with James Coleman, then more Atlanta (through the lens of different filmers this time).

Then, as if those first two-thirds of the video didn’t justify the “short story collection” designation already, we are granted with a last one, fully devoted to make for the debut feature of The Vacation Skateboards – Damon Vorce‘s (Seasons Skate Shop, Politic) new company (with Matt Creasy lending a helping hand in the graphic department). Thereby introducing us to its forming roster, involving the ever-so-productive David Clark (seriously – how many solid parts & appearances, all within the last few years ?), whose section comprises – as a stark contrast with the look & feel of the former sections of the video – a blunt, almost complete absence of VX-1000 clips, instead focusing on the use of older or low-end cameras, as to better capture moments of a casual spontaneity that even the now-commonly-abused Sony camera sometimes shows itself struggling to pinpoint the inherent, genuine grace of. Then follows the rest of the crew : Jason Spivey & Brian Porderly from Baltimore, then – last but not least – Jonathan Ettman from Denver, Colorado.