Hemp skateboard grips

Ramshackel woven hemp skateboard grip
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If you've seen a skateboard, you've probably seen grip tape, the typically black, sandpaper-like covering that adheres to the top of the board. As its name reveals, grip tape helps to provide more traction for staying stable on the board. Australian skating outfit Ramshackel believes that the grip tape market is in need of an update, which it provides with a woven hemp kit.

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Ramshackel says the problem with grip tape is inherent: It wasn't originally designed to cover skateboards but to line stairs and slippery floor surfaces. While it works okay for skateboarding, Ramshackel believes that it's time to move past some of grip tape's shortcomings by offering a traction pad meant for skateboarding, and only skateboarding.
Unlike standard paper grip tape, which can be torn or ripped by hand, Ramshackel FGT Series woven hemp is durable enough that anyone other than Wolverine will have trouble tearing through it without a blade of some kind. The added durability is designed for reliable, long-lasting performance.
Installation of Ramshackel grip tape is fairly work-intensive and time-consuming when compared to the peel-stick-cut nature of regular grip tape. It takes at least two days to get it done.
The kit starts with a two-sided tape that's placed on the deck and then cut to size. Up until that point, it plays out similarly to installing traditional grip tape, but the process is just getting started instead of being complete. The 18-step process outlined on Ramshackel's website includes sticking the hemp grip to the tape, adding three coats of non-slip liquid compound, sprinkling in one of several grades of included powdered grip aggregate, and cutting the hemp to size.
Those who want to ride barefoot without a gritty, rough surface have things a little easier in only needing two coats of non-slip compound and no powder, but it's still a time-consuming process.

Ramshackel grip certainly won't be great for those that want to slap on a gritty sticker and get out to the skatepark, but in addition to being more durable than other grip tapes, the grip is renewable. Once the grittiness wears off and the deck smooths out, the skater can simply add more compound and grip aggregate, rather than replacing the tape. Grip tape isn't necessarily expensive, but removing it can be a pain, so being able to "refresh" it should prove much easier to folks that regularly rip or wear out tape but don't want to constantly replace the whole deck.
Ramshackel was a finalist for an ISPO BrandNew Award for the FGT design. Its kits are available now in four colors: natural, black, blue tie dye and red tie dye. They retail for AUS$40 to $60 (about the same when converted to US dollars), depending upon size. Ramshackel also plans to expand its line with more colors and styles in the future.
The idea for a better, renewable grip tape sounds good, but the price seems steep. You can buy a new skate deck for the price Ramshackel is charging for its FGT kit and add a piece of grip tape for $5. And what happens if and when you break a deck with $40 worth of FGT hemp on it? Ramshackel's director Craig Harris confirmed that the company has not tried to remove an FGT grip from one skateboard and put it on another, so it's possible that a broken board will equate to a lost Ramshackel.
The quality seems like it's there, but Ramshackel may need to streamline the kit (by only offering one type of aggregate, for example) and bring the price down for it to catch on. Harris told us that Ramshackel is mindful of the price and is hoping to ramp up investment dollars to buy materials in bulk and/or license its design to a larger skate company to manufacture and distribute on its own.

Hemp growing well in Australia

Years ago I met Paul Benhaim in London; he came to Chiswick on his moped and agreed to write a couple chapters for Hemp for Victory: History & Qualities of the World's Most Useful Plant. Then he went down under as they say, one more Pommie to populate the antipodes. His mission of course was hemp, and he is now helping the Oz economy with his work. A story in Byron News by Veda Dante just caught my eye, and will no doubt be good reading for that idiotic American congressman who hates America so much that he votes to keep hemp illegal. Those sick individuals have no qualms about keeping hemp illegal and keeping Americans poor while other countries reap rewards. They are political terrorists poised to blow up the US economy be pretending that they are helping America on the 'war on drugs' - what do they think that means, arrest George Washington or something? Send the SWAT team after Thomas Jefferson? Who knows with these terrorists, they are hateful morons and must be stopped with Common Sense.
Which is well evident in Australia - read on - and then sign the petition for hemp in the US at: www.minawear.com/about-us/




CROP WANTED: Paul Benhaim of Hemp Foods Australia says he can use as much seed as he can get his hands on. Bangalow-based Hemp Foods Australia is calling for local farmers to help cater for the growing worldwide demand in hemp products.

The company grows industrial hemp under government licence, but has been unable to keep up with consumer needs.

"We are using as much Australian-grown hemp seed as we can get our hands on," said managing director Paul Benhaim. "We are actively looking to expand contracts to support more Australian farmers and supply our operational manufacturing plant," Mr Benhaim said.

"This is a great opportunity for farmers to grow something other than sugar cane or cattle, which is also organic and sustainable."

De-hulled hemp seeds, hemp oil and hemp protein are among the products being produced in the Bangalow facility, which has been supported by the Department of Trade & Industry.

If you are a farmer interested in cultivating hemp seed on organic certified land, then register your interest by calling 6687 1260.

Press release for Hemp Foods Australia

Just in from eco-business.com, a press release about Paul Benhaim's work in Australia, where hemp is being grown - while it remains illegal in the US (for which there is a petition at www.minawear.com/about-us/ ).
Paul contributed two chapters to Hemp for Victory back in 2006, he was around that time living in London - he has since lived in Australia for many years and been working both on hemp food and hemp plastic.
We wish him well and perhaps when America gets hemp back, he will be of use as a consultant here. Below is the press release:
To supply their fully operational Australian manufacturing plant, Hemp Foods Australia are looking for more Australian Hemp Farmers.
Dehulled hemp seeds, hemp oil and hemp protein are amongst the products being produced in the Northern New South Wales facility that has been supported by the Department of Trade & Industry. The products are hoped to be destined for the national food market based on changing legislation early in the new year. Until that time Hemp Foods Australia is successfully exporting product as well as selling for non-human consumption (mainly cosmetic use) locally.
“We are using as much Australian grown hemp seed as we can get our hands on.” states Managing Director Paul Benhaim. Although Hemp Foods Australia grows industrial hemp under Government license, they have been unable to keep up with demand. “We are actively looking to expand contracts to support more Australian farmers.” The only thing stopping the Company is their requirement for Australian Certified Organic land for their organic hemp seed requirements, as their facility is now based on 100% certified organic production.
The potential use of hemp seed as a food source in Australia is expected to increase the rate of our already growing Australian labour force.
Hemp Foods Australia, a pioneer in the Australian hemp food industry since 1999 have announced a record year in 2012 and foresee exponential growth in 2013.
Recently Hemp Foods Australia has slashed the price of their products to celebrate their new production. Price reductions include 30% discount for their hemp oil. When asked if they can sustain these prices, Finance Manager Philip Favaro states “As we no longer import finished products we are able to reduce our costs which we are choosing to pass directly onto the consumer. This way we offer Australian’s an opportunity to rely less on imports and more on supporting an Australian hemp industry.”. In fact Production Manger Martin Ernegg states “with further upscaling and production improvements we are aiming for further cost improvements before next year.”
Giving Australian farmers an opportunity to grow something other than sugar cane or cattle that is also organic and sustainable leaves the feeling of hope for this purpose built hemp seed processing factory.
If you are a farmer interested in cultivating hemp seed on organic certified land then please register your interest via the contact page at www.hempfoods.com.au

Contact Hemp Foods Australia: 02 6687 1260

NEW SOUTH WALES HEMP CROP 2011 Summary: On Wednesday 16/3/2011 Hemp stems were gathered from the Commins Farm near Griffith in NSW, stored in plastic, and brought to the engineers, Agware, in Ballarat on Friday 18/3/2011. The green fresh hemp stems were processed through the TCI decortication technology. The hurd was removed from the fibrous bark by the TCI decortication technology. The Bark (or Bast) was taken immediately to Deakin University where it was degummed in another TCI technology and prepared to the stage of being opened and carded and spun in standard cotton systems. The time of actual processing activity of this sample from Field standing green stems to fibre ready for Cotton systems was only approximately 3 hours. Acknowledgements The TCI Team would like to express its gratitude and appreciation to all those who assisting in making this demonstration possible. Those people include: Patrick Callabria, plant breeder, for making a variety of hemp which is still viable in the very late part of , and well beyond, the normal hemp growing season. Roger and Tim Commins for their generosity in giving us virtually free access to their hemp crop. Peter Myer and Greg Williams of Agware Pty. Ltd. Agricultural Engineers for their unstinting support in the development and commercialisation of the technology and especially for preparing the machines for this demonstration project. Chris Hurren of Deakin University in Geelong for his unflagging support, expertise, advice and demonstration of the degumming of the fresh green skin decorticated earlier in the day at Ballarat. Cesare Corgatelli, textile industry consultant, for being a witness to credit that we have the technology we have claimed to have which can take hemp from the field and prepare it for cotton processing in a few hours. David Giles-Kaye for witnessing the process and proof of concept on behalf of his company, Logistic Unicorp of Canada, and his CEO Louise Bibeau. Dominik Vogt, European Industrial Hemp Association – EIHA, who provided the TCI document “The Terrible Truth About Hemp” to Louise Bibeau in order to effect an introduction between Louise and TCI The TCI team included: Adrian Francis Clarke, Frank Urban, Jeordy Clarke, Tony Clarke, and Oliver Hooks. Diary and Timeline of the day Friday 18/3/2011: During late February and early March 2011 the small prototype decortication machine known as the D7 was taken to Agware Agricultural Engineers in Ballarat to be repaired and to have a new conveyor system installed. It was made ready for work. Also an earlier decorticator prototype known as the D6 was prepared at Ballan. Wednesday 16/3/2011. Frank Urban drove to the Commins Farm in NSW and collected the stems. He collected approximately 10 Kg of green unretted stems, from the growing crop, drove back to his home in Chadstone and secured the car load ready for its next trip to Ballarat for processing. The crop is a late season self sewn crop which grew in 6 foot wide beds and which had been irrigated by flood irrigation. It is very subject to edge effect with branching etc. It is also an ‘out of season’ crop which therefore did not reach the height it would have had it been planted in the normal hemp planting time of between September and December for harvesting between 70 and 100 days of growth. Being such a late crop, an edge effected crop and a mature crop it also developed a very hard hurd. On Friday 18/3/2011 Frank Urban collected Adrian Francis Clarke, Tony Clarke, Jeordy Clarke and Oliver Hooks. In two cars the team proceeded to Agware’s factory in Wendouree, Ballarat where they arrived at about 8.30 am. Frank Urban also towed the trailer mounted D6 machine from Ballan to Agware so that there would be two decorticators at the site if needed. Note: the D6 was designed and built to produce hemp fibre skins from end to end of the stem so that the skin could be gathered for processing in the old long-line systems for tradition flax and hemp linen spinning. The D7 was designed and made when degumming systems had been developed which rendered the fibre able to be spun in standard cotton systems. The D6 system will be retained for making long ribbons of hemp for the vast handcraft industries, which weave hats and screens etc., as well as those who have asked for it to replace fibreglass for binding bamboo bikes. The two decorticators were started and checked for safety and performance by Adrian Clarke and Agware engineers and briefly run to ensure they were ready for the demonstration project. Cesare Corgitelli, an internationally recognised textile marketing personality and former consultant to Sandong Rhui of China, arrived at around 9.30 a.m. to witness the demonstration project. David Giles – Kaye, the Australian Representative for the Canadian Company, Logistic Unicorp, which is internationally renowned for uniform production, arrived at around 10.00 a.m. to witness and record the demonstration of the TCI technology on video for his CEO. Note that Louise Bibeau was to attend in person but urgent business matters required his presence in France. At approximately 10.30 am the 10 Kg of stem was fed into the D7 decorticator and the process filmed by David Giles-Kaye and also separately videoed by our own team. The approximately 10 Kg took only a few minutes to be fed into the D7 mini decorticator by Adrian Clarke. The speed of processing was limited by the speed at which the stems could be fed into the small aperture of the machine. Approximately 2.5 Kg of Green Fibrous Skin was recovered. Approximately 7.5 Kg of green Hurd was recovered. The 25% yield of green skin output to green stem input is consistent with many European hemp varieties. It should be noted that the commercial sized D8 version of the D7 machine is a metre wide and is designed to be inserted into a harvester and to process a hectare of green fresh standing hemp per hour. That would mean an output rate of approximately 6.5 to 7 tonnes of hurd and 2.5 to 3 tonnes of fibre in an average hemp filed. The D8 has been field tested and designs for a harvesting decorticator prepared. Static versions of the D8 have been proven to be able to process hemp from Role Bales and from straight stooks in high volume. The green sap-wet fibrous hemp skins were gathered and the separated hurd chips were also gathered in a separate bag. The participants then went to their cars for the journey from Agware at Ballarat to Deakin University at Geelong; approximately 100 Km to the south. The team then assembled at Deakin University a little before 1.00 pm and were met by Dr. Chris Hurren of the Institute for Technology Research & Innovation, Deakin University. A little after 1.00 pm Dr. Chris Hurren took the observers into the laboratory where he placed the decorticated green fresh fibrous hemp skin into the Kier Dye works basket/receptacle, filled it with water, added chemicals and set the system going. After approximately 2 hours of Kier processing the observer team re-assembled to see the end of the Kier step in degumming. The fibrous skin material was removed from the Kier basket and Dr. Chris Hurren took it to a pad roller where it was squeezed and (in another room) rinsed. This squeezing and rinsing was done three times and the fibre was then dried. At this stage the vivid green colour was greatly reduced and the individual fibres began to separate. The plan had been to immediately take this fibre to the cotton system opener and cotton system card, however, due to circumstances beyond our control those machines were in storage and not powered for this final step using standard cotton machines to complete the transformation from Field to open carded fibre. That step will be completed next Thursday 24/3/11 when power will have been supplied to the machines. Dr. Chris Hurren then took the team to his office where he showed material that had been processed in the same manner in earlier projects to develop the system based upon the TCI decortication technology. Future Action for finalising Demonstration Project: Thursday 24/3/11, Dr. Chris Hurren will open and card the fibre processed from field, through decorticator, through Kier degumming, to dry stage on Friday 18/3/11. This will be witnessed by Cesare Corgatelli and David Giles-Kaye and filmed by both David Giles-Kaye and Tony Clarke. COMPLETED As planned on Thursday 24/3/11, Dr. Chris Hurren completed the Demonstration Project. The decorticated, degummed dry fibre was processed through the Fearnaught Opener and a Card. The fibre went from its existence as part of a 10 Kg approx. bunch of green growing stems the field, through the separation process of TCI’s decortication technology where is became approximately 2.5 Kg of fibre and 7.7 kg of hurd to a ready to spin condition with approximately 3 hours of total processing. It is clear that a commercial sized process could follow the same steps with commercial quantities of input hemp stem. It is clear that this system is the basis for a viable modern hemp textile industry which can provide an extra fibre source for the massive world-wide cotton spinning industry and thus fill the fibre raw material gap with a fibre that can be used either on its own or as blends. Dr. Chris Hurren also showed samples made earlier from crops which were grown and harvested under ideal densely-planted conditions correctly “in season” and which were more representative of the usual quality of output from the system when the variables are more favourable. Samples from earlier work supplied to David. Present that this final demonstration and proof of concept stage were: David Giles – Kaye Cesare Corgatelli Tony Clarke Both David and Tony videotaped the event.

A WELCOME TO TWO NEW HEMP ASSOCIATIONS

The Industrial Hemp Association of Victoria and the Industrial Hemp Association of Tasmania have just been formed, so I thought I'd cut and paste their letter to pass on their information here, and extend a welcome from the British Isles Hemp & Natural Fibres Industries Association.

Dear Kenyon,

For your information.

We have recently formed the Industrial Hemp Association of Victoria and the Industrial Hemp Association of Tasmania.

The president of the Victorian association is Lyn Stevenson and Peter Simmul is president of the Tasmanian association.

Lyn has sent me these links.

Please note, our revolutionary, low cost, and efficient system produces strong UNDAMAGED hemp fibre for composites and for textiles.

Best Regards,

Ade

Adrian Francis K. Clarke

Managing Director,

Textile and Composite Industries Pty. Ltd.

+61 (0) 413 721 633

adrianc1@optusnet.com.au

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgHKkvE94uo

GREENS PLAYING WITH FIRE

In Australia the Green Party is not popular; not after hundreds of people died in forest fires that could have been prevented if qualified fire prevention officials had been listened to, and forest areas had been thinned down to minimise the risk of fire in a country where that is the #1 threat. Their impassioned pleas to keep every last log in place for every last bug to have a snug home backfired, and now every last bug is dead, burned to a crisp thanks to these idiots, who may or may not care that hundreds of their fellow humans have also met such a fate. As usual, the idiot savants in the Green Party have little remorse. The only pain they feel is when someone like me reproaches them, and then they hang their heads in shame and cry that I ought not to expect them to be scientists. No, I do not. In fact I do not expect them to even be literate enough to read about hemp, though some have found their way on to this blog and complained vociferously. The best thing they ever did was to back Cynthia McKinney for President of the United States in '08, and even that they could not get very right, with a high profile candidate like her they ought to have gotten millions more votes, but their stupid stunts make them a pariah party.

Let's hope that we can allow our governments to implement public safety measure without interference from these know-it-all climate change fanatics. How much more money has to be spent on their pipe dreams, and how many more have to die before we see through their drug induced hysteria?

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PLANE STUPID FLYING LOW

The folks at plane stupid are at it again. Dan Glass made an ass of himself on their behalf late last month when he glued himself to Gordon Brown's sleeve. His congeners in the climate change camp then went to Kingsnorth in Kent to protest a coal powered energy plant, after meeting up at Heathrow, scene of previous anarchy on their part. Granted though, coal power is not ideal, but we cannot have all our eggs in the petrol basket - and that is what we are being forced into by these silly protests. Better some diversity than none, and also better to keep your own citizens employed. Activists on the dole may not grasp the economic concept that if their fellow citizens do not have jobs, they do not get their dole dosh.

They are not the only ones to miss simple concepts. In Recea, Romania Florina Serban was arrested for cannabis after police found hemp plants which she was growing for fibre to be used for carpets. The 71-year-old told the police what she was doing, but they did not listen. The pensioner assserted: "I don't know what cannabis is. For me it's just a plant to make carpets of." The Daily Mail ran the story but ommitted such details, as is usual for the press. Maybe we'll send them a copy of the September issue of the Ecologist in which there will be plenty of information for them to take on board.

In other news, Kim Hough of Australia has been cultivating 'baby hemp'. Years ago I told the hemp world that we ought to harvest hemp when it is young, to see if we can get finer fibres. And voila, here we are. BioRegional, instead of listening, spent obscene amounts of money on field trials in 2005 for mature hemp, and has not produced any clothing from it yet. There are also a number of retting techniques that I hope to experiment with, and between the harvesting time and the retting we are going to see hemp much improved. It does not take that much to come up with these ideas. What holds back progress is the idiot brigade of naysayers and poorly informed protesters who cause confusion in their desire to pull off stupid stunts.

If enough of us keep plowing away on real research, such as can be found in the Ecologist, the Journal of Industrial Hemp, Journal of Natural Fibres, etc., we will be making more than just carpets with coarse Romanian fibre. Expect garments as fine as silk, as earlier authors noted of hemp.

PAUL BENHAIM VISITS LONDON

Paul Benhaim, author of 4 hemp books and host of hemp.co.uk, is up from down under. He will visit London from the 18-20 January, checking out what is new with hemp here and sharing with us his views on hemp in Australia - along with any news on Zelfo, the hemp plastic company he developed.

COTTON DYING IN AUSTRALIA WHILE MEDIA LIES TARGET HEMP

The image right is of cotton, with just a slight amount of fuzz around the dark brown seeds. Usually the bolls are much plumper, but as this plant requires lots of water, and Australia does not have lots of water, things went wrong this year with the cotton harvest in towns like Moree, Narrari and Bourke.

Sensible people have for years been calling for farmers to plant less water intensive crops, such as vegetables or hemp. Writing in The Australian, John Anderson, a former politician, puts down their suggestions with innacurate, if not totally dishonest allegations. Anderson claims that all this would deliver is a pile of rotting vegetables, and as to hemp, he falsely claims that it requires the same water as cotton, and "significantly more chemicals" than cotton. What lies. This man is either stupid or dishonest or both. Cotton uses so many chemicals it keeps US chemical companies alive, while killing farmers all over the world; hemp is a weed killer in its own right, used by cotton farmers to prepare the soil and rid it of pests, as noted previously on this blog. Australians ought to consider criminal charges against this man. Is he working for the interests of these chemical companies? The same ones that want us to chop down our trees for the very papers that print this nonsense?

William Randolph Hearst may be dead, but yellow journalism lives on. But will mankind? Probably not if we use our land for cotton.

HEMP IN OZ

The person taking the photo to the right remarked that they were not in Kansas anymore. They were in fact some 10,000 light years away in Australia, where hemp may be grown, unlike Kansas. The wicked witch has put a spell on Kansas and its 49 sisters so that they must ignore the advice of George Washington.

Australians are cultivating hemp and using it for a number of purposes, although their own wicked witch of the south has made hemp foods off limits for everyone; which is an irony, because in Kansas hemp foods can be consumed, as long as they are not produced in the good ol' USA. So maybe what is illegal to consume in the one country can be sent to the other country where that substance is illegal to grow? Call it a balance-of-trade equation...

One firm in Australia which is working with hemp is Ecofibre Ind. Lmt., and their latest newsletter, The Hemp Files [Spring 2006, Issue 8] talks about this in detail. They have harvested this year hemp in the Dalby and surrounding districts, cutting some in March after a November 2005 planting, and others in May. Those cut later were dual use crops, providing both seed and fibre.

Ecofibre's main office has recently moved, it has been in Toowoomab since mid-September 2006, closer to the growing areas in Brisbane.

Their new address and contact details are: Ecofibre Industries Limited, 230 Nelson Street, Toowoomba 4350, Australia. Phone: 07 4630 2166 Fax: 07 4614 0084 Email: info@ecofibre.com.au www.ecofibre.com.au