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gen. maintenance tips

311K views 475 replies 141 participants last post by  Etienne 
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#1 ·
boarder or anyone else-

i think a good sticky would be a general maintenance thread of how to keep up your board. there's a lot of noobs on here (including myself) that could benefit from having that info all in one spot. stuff like how & how often to wax your board, how often to get the edges done, what that entails, how to store your board in the off season, etc.

just a thought. i know it'd be a lot of info to type up, but it would be beneficial to many new people that are otherwise lost on the matter.
 
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#29 ·
Snowolf said:
You`re very welcome; it is great to hear that has helped you out and made you ready to do your own waxing. It will save you a lot of time and money.
I am no video guy so they are a bit "home movie" quality but this is such a straight forward thing to do. I was intimidated at first until I watched a guy wax a board then I was off and running.
Yeah it was a pretty helpful video. I grabbed some supplies from a buddy and waxed down my old board. Not difficult to do at all. I will have to read into all the other maintenance and binding adjustability.
 
#30 ·
Great thread! There's a board shop near me that does waxing for $10, and since I have an extruded base, I wouldda just gone to them every 5 times i rode to get 'er waxed, rather than doing it myself, but it looks so easy!... I just wouldn't know when to stop scraping...

ooh, and about Bindings, how tight should one tighten the screws? I'll prolly assemble my setup this week cuz I hear we're getting some snow this weekend, but I've always taken my board in to get assembled and waxed...
 
#33 ·
I have a graphite base on one of my boards. Should I be using a graphite wax for the base or does it really matter?
 
#37 · (Edited)
Snowolf said:
I posted these in the how to section. It was suggested to me to put this information in here as well. I put together a video demonstrating a complete wax job from start to finish. I tried to keep it as short as I could, yet still provide detailed information.

Complete detailed snowboard waxing demonstration video:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three
So in video 2 I believe it was when you are scraping, you mention more wax buildup/harder removal around the binding mounting areas. I believe you said that that part of the board may be sucked in a little bit from the binding tightening so I started thinking. My sister put some bindings on her board a while back and I think the hardware was too long because there were 4 raised bumps on the bottom of the board where each mounting screw went, they went away when we backed the screws out and put shorter ones in. If the base gets sucked in where you mount bindings, does that mean they are on too tight? Is it just a natural thing? I've wondered about this stuff for a while now, and wonder when I see irregularities in the base where the bindings mount if it may be causing damage, or be a sign of damage/defect. Sorry for being long winded, but you got me thinking and the video taught me a handful of new things even though I've been waxing my own board for 2.5 years for the most part.

And great job on the videos btw, informative, to the point, but not so fast the viewer has to rewind to get something. Good job!
 
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#40 ·
How bout some edge input. I am noob to edge maintenance, so don't take this as correct, but instead as a place to start. I probably am missing steps and other info.

Assuming my edges just have general wear and tear, ie; some rust, some burrs, some dull spots and some smashed impact spots.


step 1: debur with diamond stone on base edge and side edge. (can I slide stone in both directions on edge or only one direction?)
step 2: sharpen side edge with side edge tool only in one direction
step 3: optional: sharpen base edge with file or side edge tool only in one direction (is this always needed?)
step 4: optional: detune middle and tips of board.

*where does the gummy stone come into play??
 
#41 ·
A gummi stone is not really necessary but is good for removing tiny burrs left behind from filing, etc. It is also useful for detuning sharp edges as it dulls the edge without removing any of the actual metal. But, sometimes if you are riding in really icy conditions, having those tiny little burrs can help you dig your edge in.
 
#42 ·
So on edge tuning anyway, I'm ready to dive into it here. Now I'm wondering do the little pocket edge tuners work well? I was watching this video YouTube - Snowboard Tuning Part 2 - Edge Sharpening and I kind of like the file holder the guy is using. I just don't think it would be as accurate to wrap tape around the top of the file to get the correct bevel. I mostly freeride and I've been getting into moguls lately so my 2 year old un-molested edges aren't cutting it anymore. Do I need a file guide like the guy has in the video or is a normal little pocket edge tool enough?
 
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#43 ·
Okay, I'm new to waxing...and seem to be coming across the same problems no matter what I do.



I just get these spots when I start scraping that get white and eventually open up.



And on the girlfriends board when I start scraping the edge it just cracks out like mad, creating the white spots.

I figure I'm just being paranoid and not scraping enough off, but I just need some better advice than my own nagging thoughts.

Thanks
Ben
 
#44 ·
Keep scraping man. Scrape until you think your done and then scrape a little more. You need to scrape all the wax off.
 
#45 ·
Snowolf said:
The hand held file guide is good for sharpening your edges, use it to file only the side edge; do not try to use it on the base edge. For filing the base edge, you need to get a decent file guide that is set at the angle you want (1 degree is standard for most riding, but they make them up with higher angles. The idea of using the Sharpie pen is sound....it gives you something to visually monitor your progress and helps prevent removing too much metal. Base edges need to be as uniform as possible, so be careful and take your time. Also, you want to maintain a 89 or 90 degree angle on your edges so if you have a 1 or 2 degree base edge bevel, be sure to match that on your side edge. An ideal free ride set up is a 1 degree base edge and a 2 degree side edge; this makes a very sharp, 89 degree edge that holds it`s edge well on ice.

You can ruin a board very easily by messing up the steel edges, so do not go cheap on this equipment, get good stuff and learn to use it properly.

A diamond stone or any knife sharpening stone is great to lightly hone down the filed edge; use a light touch and just go over it a few passes to remove file burrs. The hand held file guide is ideal to take in the car to run a few passes down your edge to get a good sharp edge again. I run one down my edges every couple of weeks to maintain a sharp edge.
I always have a KUU Sport "Ice Buster" side edge file in my backpack but leave the base edge sharpening for the garage where I can pay more attention.
 
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#46 ·
im using paste wax inbetween hot waxes and im wondering if the direction i wax(paste) matters?
cause ive read on forums and such that you should follow grooves, but the can says circular patterns?(wax on wax off lol)
so yeah which should i do/does it really matter? and i rub it in with a cloth/paper towel afterwards.
i always move from tip to tail when going in circles btw
 
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#47 ·
I really can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.

I get those little cloud spots with the eroded hole in the middle, and once I get rid of them there is no wax left.

The other thing is the bottom of my board looks terrible after a run or two. The wax cracks, and seperates. It rides really fast, but it seems that I either have too much wax on it, or none.
 
#48 ·
Thanks to snowolf again, man... I just tried waxing my board for the forst time, and I think it turned out great... I compared it to my other board that was waxed, and ridden once and it feels similar, but more smooth, and maybe a little more 'soft' cuz of the newly applied wax.

I had to scrape for a long-ass time tho, and I think my Dakine 10" scraper isnt perfectly level, cuz the edges seemed to take more wax off than the middle of the scraper (even with even pressure applied, lol).

I hope it works well tomorrow :)
 
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#50 ·
Every time I try to buy wax for my skis my parents insist that nobody waxes their skis any more. I'm sure they will do the same when I buy a snowboard. What should I say to them?

I could just buy my own wax, but that's no fun.
 
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