Tune and Repair Your Own Snowboard
Have dull edges? Repairable base damage? If you're a pipe and park monkey, then it's a given that your board already has damage that slows you down while free riding the rest of the mountain. Not to mention skidding your turns when you could be laying down precise carves that wows everyone on the lift above. A tuned board with sharp edges, waxed and structured base makes your board not only FASTER, but much easier to turn and more predictable.
The BEST way is to find a shop that you TRUST! Ask other boarders where they go. Don't just pick one out of the phone book...Chances are that you'll have an experience like I did. I learned the hard way. A teenager with hardly any experience on the base grinder ground the tip and tail of one of my prized boards through the PTEX and down to the core.
So,.. the BEST way to get your board in better than new shape is to pick a trusted shop and pay for a base grind/base structure and wax. Usually anywhere from $20 - $40.
BUT!!!!...If you just want the experience and are a cheapskate (like me) it's not all that hard to do it yourself. Grab your favorite energy drink and let's get started! We will cover a BASIC tune up procedure.
Steps
- Set up your bench or saw horses.
- Remove the bindings (It's just easier to work on the board without them).
- Place the board on horses or bench and give it a good pre-cleaning with window cleaner and paper towels then grab a rag and your base cleaner. Soak the rag and give the base a couple of good wipe downs until you don't see any more dirt, wax, etc. being lifted. ***WARNING!!!*** Base cleaner is VERY VERY VERY flammable stuff. DO NOT use anywhere near ANY type of open flame or ignition source. It is best to do all of this outdoors or in a very well ventilated area. Base cleaner will also damage plastic, so keep it away from any plastic, like your snowboard's sidewalls and bindings. Light cleaning such as removing sticker glue, etc., on the board’s top sheet will usually be okay and not cause any damage in my experience.
- With the base up, take your knife and start LIGHTLY digging out any embedded rocks, dirt, etc. from the base. Try NOT to dig all the way down to the wood core because that's an all together different repair that involves a different type of p-tex wax with an adhesive or using epoxy to repair the core damage before applying the p-tex. Re-wipe it down with acetone. Wait a good 10 minutes before proceeding to ensure there are no lingering base cleaner fumes.
- Grab your torch, light it, (a low intensity flame is best) grab a Ptex candle and your metal scraper.
- With your torch standing upright on your bench, stick your Ptex candle into the flame and hold it at about a 45 degree angle until you get a BLUE flame from the candle. (Remember to watch your torch so nothing catches fire accidentally.) Hold your metal scraper under the candle's flame and continually scrape all of the black soot from the melting candle before applying it to the repair area. Now, contrary to what you may have been taught, instead of dripping the candle into the repair, it is better to "paint" the molten Ptex wax into the repair area using a paint brush, all the while striving for a BLUE flame, and again, continually scraping all the black soot from the burning candle before painting into the repair area. If you DO get black soot in the repair, you can usually just paint it out of the repair. Repeat until all your gouges are filled. Let board cool at least 20 minutes.
- Grab your metal scraper, making sure it is SHARP with no burrs. Angle the scraper's bottom edge AWAY from you at about 45 degrees (with the top edge leaning back TOWARDS you) and PUSH it AWAY from you with even pressure, until the repaired areas are all flat. (You can PUSH or PULL the scraper, whichever works best for you, as long as it doesn't jitter, leaving "speed bumps" in your repaired area.) Don't worry about any minute scrapes made by the scraper. They are taken care of in the next step.
- Take a scotch brite pad and smooth out your repairs, making sure that you move the pad tip to tail only, lengthwise along the base.
- Grab your diamond stone or deburring/sharpening stone and run it over the edges of the snowboard a few times (sides and bottom) to remove all burrs that will damage your file.
- It is best to use your edge tool here to ensure even cuts. But, if no tool is available, then hold your file against the side edge at a 90 degree angle (remember, the snowboard is still base up) and use long strokes with an even pressure (not too hard) and use the file from tip to tail(as always with a metal file). Now place the file on the base, across the edge, at a 45 degree angle, making sure the teeth are in the proper position to cut against the base's edge. Again, the key is to use even pressure with long strokes as opposed to short ones that will leave an uneven pattern on the edge. ***Also make SURE you clean the file every 2-3 strokes so no new base damage is created.***
- Wipe down the base with acetone to remove all of the dirt, etc. created by filing. You may have to lightly dig out any filings left in the base to ready it for the second waxing.
- Turn on your iron. ***IMPORTANT*** Adjust the temperature until any wax wiped on it melts BUT DOES NOT SMOKE!
- Drip wax onto the base of the board from tip to tail in a swirling pattern. Place the iron on the base and start spreading the wax evenly until the base is evenly coated with no dry spots. ***IMPORTANT*** DO NOT leave the iron in any one spot for over one second as the heat buildup will damage your board. When finished let the board cool for a good 30 minutes.
- Grab your plastic scraper and repeat what you did with the metal scraper. This time scraping until no more wax shavings come off and the base is left with a flat surface and uniform shine.
- Take a new scotch brite pad and stroke the wax from tip to tail. What this does is create microscopic channels that prevent water suction that will slow you down. It makes a huge difference, trust me.
- Mount your bindings and you're ready to rip! For detailed pics see the links below.
Tips
- Remember,.....Use the Schwartz!
Warnings
- CLEAN FILE EVERY 2-3 STROKES
- USE A WELL VENTILATED AREA
- PAINT MELTED P-TEX IN RATHER THAN DRIPPING IT IN
- KEEP ACETONE AWAY FROM PLASTIC AND FLAME
- BLUE CANDLE FLAME = GOOD! ANY OTHER COLOR = BAD!
- ADJUST THE IRON TEMPERATURE UNTIL NO WAX SMOKES
- KEEP THE IRON MOVING!
Things You'll Need
- Inexpensive sawhorses (I got mine at Big Lots for $12.00.)
- (Wood blocks on a workbench with a non scratch surface will do too.)
- Propane torch (From any hardware store)
- Inexpensive thrift store iron (Yes, the kind for ironing clothes, the old kind with no holes on bottom preferably)
- 2 scrapers (1 metal and 1 plastic, from any ski/snowboard shop.)
- P-tex candles (Again from any ski/snowboard shop.)
- Edge tuner or 10" metal mill file
- Diamond stone or deburring/sharpening stone (The kind for sharpening knives.)
- Scotch brite pads
- Ski/snowboard wax
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