About
It all started back in 2011 with a Wooden Competition Series by Tech Deck…
I sanded the Baker graphic down and started drawing on the bottom ply with a red Sharpie. This sparked my interest for wooden fingerboards.
About a year later, I came to the realization that I could make my own fingerboards. I took two Tech Decks, heated up the kicks and concave to bend them how I liked, and pressed boards between those. Back in 2012, there weren't any 3D printed molds available. So instead, I went to my local hardware store and bought some Bondo, which is an auto-body filler used to fix dents on cars. I made one rectangular half and sanded it to shape with sandpaper and a file, then used that same half to cast the other. The result was my first ever mold that lasted me close to two years! This mold allowed me to create my first fingerboard company: Cali Fingers.
In 2014, I decided that I needed to step up from my homemade mold and I bought an NFB Mold. This was game-changing for me because now I didn’t need to trace boards for hole alignment; the mold did it for me.
For three years after, I continued making boards out of materials that were unfamiliar to most deck makers. In 2015, I created the first ever “Shell Ply” fingerboard. For those unfamiliar with the Shell Ply, it was a deck created out of both wood and celluloid. Shell Ply decks are now commonly seen in the fingerboard community by tons of different deck makers.
In late 2017, I ventured from Los Angeles, CA to Durango, CO to attend school at Fort Lewis College and earn an undergraduate degree in Marketing. Being that I was living in a dorm and had nowhere to work, I decided to put Cali Fingers on the shelf and focus on academics and other extracurricular activities.
From 2017 to 2020, I was able to learn tons of information about digital marketing, analytics, social media, and more. Throughout all of my learnings, I always had fingerboards in the back of my mind. I would think of new ways to apply marketing methods and strategies to fingerboards, which helped me gain firm grasps on the concepts.
Summer of 2020 was a rough one for both me and my girlfriend Jacey. Because of COVID-19, many businesses were closed or had shortened their staff. I found myself working for a friend's cleaning company and was miserable. I missed doing the things I loved. I missed being able to make boards. Jacey thought fingerboards were awesome and wanted to get involved. She started out making bushings until we were able to start making decks. The opportunity to get a garage in my apartment complex arose and we took full advantage of it. We were able to get all of my tools and other supplies out to Colorado to begin making boards again. And Doom Lagoon was born.
Making fingerboards has not only made me realize what I enjoy doing, but also helped me with my mental health. I am diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and being able to put creativity into something when my mind is low has been a great therapy for me.
Fingerboards have become much more to me than just a toy; it is a community with friendship and endless love.
Welcome to the Doom Lagoon.
Sincerely,
Dr. Doom