[ttchad]

Do you guys polish your edges? I used 400 & 600 grit emory on my 90 degree edge but now it does not feel sharp. I have a 1 degree bevel on my base. Any tips on sharpening and polishing it short of buying a diamond file and guide?

[neosuke]

I have some stain marks on my base from riding rails. Would a wax job take those stains off? or should I use kerosene/base cleaner to ensure those stains will be removed before waxing?

[NzGnu]

in the off-season, ensure the edges are dry and then rub a small layer of vaseline over them. This helps prevent rust.

A tech told me in a course we did that you should wax a brand new board 3 times before use. This may be overkill though from what everyone else is saying?

i thought the suction through from having your bindings in was a definate no-no? which is why ya should atleast loosen before waxing?

[Snowolf]

Reposted from another thread. A basic guide to your edges and how to maintain and fine tune them.


Bevels:

First off, for a board that is going to be used for free riding and park with the exception of jibs, the ideal base bevel is 1 degree. If you ride a lot of ice and steeps where good edge hold is very important, the side edge bevel should be 88 degrees (measured from the base) this will give you an 89 degree corner which gives superior edge hold. Now keep in mind, this will make the board very edgy and unforgiving of sloppy board control on the rider`s part. But for an advanced free rider this is the way to go. Also, when riding pipe, you will want good sharp edges that hold on the vertical wall of the pipe.

For a good all around and more forgiving edge, you could go with a 1 degree base bevel and a 90 degree edge bevel that will give you a corner of 91 degrees which is very forgiving for learning on and can easily be changed to a more aggressive edge as you progress.

Now for beginners and park riders who want to jib, a 2 degree park bevel is standard and ideal. The side bevel of 88 degrees gives you the 90 degree corner edge. If you are new to jibs and want the extra safety margin, you could go with a 90 degree edge bevel and that would give you a corner of 92 degrees which would be very forgiving on rails. Doing this will make edge hold on groomers and ice very difficult so be prepared for that.

Some beginner boards come with a 3 degree bevel which is great for learning with less slamming due to edge catches, but remember these boards will easily spin out of control when trying to turn on hard pack and ice.

Within reason, you correct radical base bevels with a base grind, but every time you do that, you are loosing base material, so don`t do this anymore than necessary. Edges are a bit more forgiving, but there again, you do have a finite amount of metal to work with so keep that in mind.

Never, ever attempt to bevel an edge "freehand" especial the base edge. For a base bevel it is well worth the nominal fee to have a shop do this on a machine. You will get a much more even and precise bevel throughout the length of your board. If you want to do this yourself, you can still get a good job accomplished by buying a decent quality file guide that mounts your file in a guide that rolls along your base. While side edges are a bit easier, don`t do this "freehand" either. Buy at the very least an inexpensive edge tool that has the guide that runs along your base. Just be sure which side you are using; one side will be 88 and the other will be 90.

When filing, go in one direction with the teeth of the file and apply even, moderate pressure so you take off material evenly. As you run the file along, you will actually feel the "high spots" as they catch on the file. When you can run the file down the entire length without any significant change in the drag, you have accomplished your task.

Sharpening:

As you ride, your edges get dull and nicked. When you feel your edge hold deteriorating, it is time to think about doing a quick sharpening. To sharpen an edge without any damages, you will simply run your side edge tool down the side edge a few passes to get a good even feel to the file as it passes down the length of the board. Try to be gentle here and only take off as much material as needed to get a good sharp edge. Your edge should be sharp enough that as you scrape your thumbnail against the edge, you should see shavings. Edges don`t need to be razor sharp, just enough to scrape your thumbnail.

For bad nicks and scratches, you may need to use the base file and guide. Do this the same as you did for the side edge. If in the field, you can fix these areas "freehand" but be carefully and take it easy and try to keep file flat against the base.

Detuning:

Once you have filed edges, they will have burrs and this will make the edge very grabby and in some cases the board will be overly responsive and edgy. What you want to do is lightly "detune" the edge. Very lightly, run a sharpening stone down the edge just like you would when sharpening a knife. Keep it gentle and try to hold the stone at the angle of the edge. The idea here is just to smooth out the sharp edge, not dull it.

The final phase it to run a gummy stone gently up and down the edge a few times. These are rubbery things like an eraser, but with abrasive compound embedded in the rubber. It really smooths out microscopic burs and makes your edge very smooth and slick.

Now for aggressive detuning; you want to take your new board and aggressively detune the tip and tail of your board. Go from the contact points all the way around the nose and the tail. The contact points are the widest points of the snowboard right where the side begins. Lean the board on it`s edge and see where the board rests on the table; that point is the contact point. Just take your file and round that edge slightly so there is no sharp edge and then detune the burs. You do not use the tip and tail for control in most riding and detuning here helps prevent edge catches especially for buttering.

If you want to detune the entire effective edge for jibbing, understand that this is not a reversible change. Once you round that edge, you would have to grind the shit out of it to get a sharp edge back. Once you detune an edge like this, you are stuck with it so be sure you want to commit to it. Even so, only put a very slight round to the edge. All you want to do is take the sharp point off of the edge for rails.

[Simply^Ride]

Damn Snow, you are Snowboarding encyclopedia. Ever thought of writing a book?

[Celt943]

Snowolf,

Your other videos were great, you should put one together on edge maintenace.

[Snowolf]

Noted, I will get around to that this summer for sure, I have a summer board that is going to need some TLC after riding this summer...

[cartifes]

I just bought my first board, it should be coming in the mail within the week. I saw earlier in this thread that you should put some wax on your board for the summer, and I was wondering if I should put a coat of wax onto it when it gets here or if the factory coat's good enough for the rest of the summer and if it'd be the same to just wait and wax it till closer to when I'm taking it out.

[mpdsnowman]

If ur not going to ride the board ur fine. Basically what I do is at the end of the season I put a heavy coat on the boards and dont scrape until first usage of the next season. It sort of seals it.

U should get in the habit of rewaxing every 3-4 times depending on how you ride. Some people really beat them up, others dont.

With the new board run it a few times to break it in then start waxing proceedures on a regular consistant basis. If u never did wax a board before there is a thread in here somewhere that will definitley help.

But for now, look at it, drool over it, think about the season upcoming and before u know it you will be on your 5th or 6th wax job

[pyrielmarquis]

bleh i have been drooling since may and ill be drooling till dec........but in all seriousness for a new board, do the wax job multiple times, or just once?