The Golden Skateboard
The golden skateboard is a true father-son project. New York City artist Matt Willet came up with the idea and enlisted the help of his dad, who works at Epner Technologies in Brooklyn. The company makes gold-plated components for NASA, but Willet had a different kind of transportation in mind than spaceships. On the latest episode of Dose, host Tim Brodhagen visited the Willets to see firsthand how they make 99.99% pure electro-plated skateboards.
Willet and his dad completely transform all the parts of a Shut Skateboards complete, progressing through copper plating, nickel plating, and finishing with the gold. The board is then polished to a mirror finish. The final product weighs nine pounds but it is completely functional, although Willet suggests keeping this board strictly as a wall-hanger. The $15,000 price tag probably has something to do with that.
