Tune up kit

[skate323k137]

I know this seems like a no brainer, but everyone should spend a little bit of $$ on a home tuning kit and learn to use it. Sharp edges really do make all the difference, especially if you ever have to ride hard pack or ice. Does anyone else do their own tune-ups?

[Levi]

Hell yes!!!! I do all my own tune ups through out the year. The only thing I can't do is base weld. I can do anything else. I have a couple different files that I use and a straight edge file. A bunch of different wax's and p-tex’s. I also have an old iron I use for hot wax jobs. The best thing I ever bought is a snowboard vise for my bench. It is so much easier to work on your board with one. The only time I take my board to the shop is at the first of every year to get a good base grind and good square edges back on my stick.

[brandy von blood]

I do most of my own tune ups too. The first of the year, I like to take it in and have them sharpen it. After that, I do it myself. It's such a good feeling tuning up my board. Unfortunately for me, along with my goggles, all my tools and stuff have disappeared so now I need to buy some new stuff.

[burnpianoxisland]

I haven't tuned/waxed my board up since the beginning of last season.

[gerard]

I have one of those kits that I use, from bakoda I think. Iron, wax, file, all that good stuff. Whenever I feel that something is off I give it a good wax and sharpening.

[CrazyOldFart]

Yeah got the edger, and a liquid wax touch up bottle. Never tried the hot-wax stuff.

Seems like i have to sharpen my edges every month. Mayby thats cause of the rails, or the icy trails. I don't need to wax too often though. Allways trying to avoid rocks and stuff.

[ciaxtrinity1]

how often do you guys tune up ur boards?

[Levi]

i tune mine every week. i always do the edges to get rid of any burs. i only p-tex if i have too but i put a fresh coat of wax on every week.

[skate323k137]

I also tune mine about every week. It depends on how much I get to ride, but I like my board to be butter smooth and plenty sharp.

[quack]

sharp edges suck and wax is uhhh.. wax, i don't use it...

[d006y6]

yeah, i do my skis too..I taught the guy at the local shop..i used to race on skis and it's the same thing..just bigger scrapers and corks

[sd82987]

what do you guys recomend for tune ups i want to start tunging my board

[Tizzer]

yeah you gotta tune your board on your own man. I usually do mine once every two weeks or so for an edge sharpen. Wax usually stays good for a while for me at least.

[redace24]

I haven't tuned my board since the begining of last season. Maybe that's why I keep wipping out everytime my board sees ice...haha. I should invest in a kit! Good :idea: idea...thx!

[SnoChica]

Any recommendations on products? How can I learn to do this myself? Oh, and is there anything I should do when packing up my board for the summer?

[SnoChick]

Let see, what do I have?

I use a cheap iron I picked up at Walmart ($6) and it works great. Base cleaner, a few cakes of All temp wax, warm weather wax, and race wax. Oh yeah, rub on wax I keep in my pocket for an emergency rub down. Edge sharpener and p-tex if I need them.

Before you store your board for the summer, clean the base with the base cleaner and put a fresh coat of wax on it. Make sure there aren't any rusts on the edges, esp if you have not been wiping down the edges after a day on the snow.

[prule84]

is there a kit that i can buy that has everything i need? or do i have to buy everything seperate? can you guys link to some sites or something that i can see what i should get, thanks

i have some extra wax but thats all i ever used... i always just got a tuneup at the board shop before every season and it was always fine... maybe rub on a little wax here and there but never anything else...

[skate323k137]

If you can find one, i recommend the tuning kit by One Ball Jay. they make good wax too. The tuning kid includes instructions, but theyre not plain english for the average joe to understand 100%. If you're lucky, someone you know can teach you about edge sharpening. mostly, you'll use a sharpening stone to get off rust/major dings, and then a file to finish the sharpening. The file will have a handle that lays flat against the base of your board to sharpen the outside edge. you will usually have the choice of a 90 degree or 89 degree edge. 90 is for ice/halfpipe/eurocarving, and 89 is more for freeriding or rails (so you dont hang up).

try to find someone who can explain that to you in person.

[Proximate Platypus]

This season, I just took it into the shop every month... but I think I'll buy a kit for next year.

I also found a site that shows you how to do tune ups and hot wax. The process seems thoroughly explained.
http://snowboard-factory.com/tutorial/

[hdizzle]

My tune up kit consists of an old iron, wax, scraper, scotch brite pad, 9mm - 12mm sockets, and a screwdriver. sharp edges catch rails so i never touch them other than to detune them. wax is good though helps you achieve the speed you need. tools are good to tighten anything loose. I could only imagine what would happen if my binding came loose from the board.

[Bluntslide_pro]

Im not skilled enough to do that. Is there a book or a hitchhikers guide to snowboard tune up, that I can buy?

[burnpianoxisland]

I didn't wax up once all season, or get it tuned.

[bcboarder]

I REALLY WANNA TUNE MY OWN BOARD... i couldnt afford to take it to the shops every other week but im so lazy hehe

[ltsnowboarder15]

Major tip is to buy your own Iron. The irons are like around $20 and you can just go buy a plain old iron from a thrift store for no more then $5. Works just as well and saves some cash while your at it.

[booboo]

I got an old iron from a second hand store. Old ones with no holes in the bottom are the best, except for the purpose built ones of course.

I got a K2 tune up kit which had most of what you need in it. There are instructions all over the web. If you haven't tried it then go for it. There is very little chance for anything to go wrong. Just scrape as much wax off as possible then polish it up with a scotch brite pad. All the wax you need will be abosrbed by the p-tex. The stuff left on top will only slow you down.

Just don't get too good at it else all your friends will be coming over to get you to polish their rockets too.

[thedude]

i have thw Swix kit that they sell at about everywhere. it is very basic, no guides or anything, and i always do inspections after every session i have.

i learned this great tip though out of oneof the issues from Snowboarder Mag last year, basically for kids like me that don't have file guides. you take your file, and some clear scotch tape, and wrap it around the base of the file near the handle. this acts like a beveling guid, obviously the more tape there is, the more of a angle you'll have on the underside of the edge. i used a protractor and some paper to help figure out how much tape i should use for a 1.5 degree bevel. so far it has worked like a charm.

as for wax, i have the shop do a hot wax for me, and before every session i do a quick hit wiht some paste wax for colder temps, and use the hard wax for warmer temps.

[e.]

i dont trust anyone else to tune my boards. even the local resort and shops say i do a better job then most of there guys.

i learned by asking a **** load of questions and reading alot online. just google it and alot will come up. boarding is really not hard and i actually like it. i tune most of my friends boards too. if u have any specific questions just post them.

i did post a forum on board tuning tips but i cant seem to find it right now.

[Gumby21]

best way to learn is to have a friend who knows how to do it teach you. as for packing it up over the summer, it at least partially depends on what kind of climate you live in. if it tends to get dry at all, then it's good to wax you board at the end of the season before you put it into storage. some people don't scrape the wax off until the next season starts.

[e.]

i agree, i do the same with during the off season. i clean up, remove the bindings and wax but not scrap all my boards and store them in the basement where i do all my tuning work. about every 2 to 4 weeks i will rotate the position of the boards so that they dont begin to warp. then when the season starts, i scrap all the wax and get all my boards a stone grind. this i take to the shop to do. after that i will finish tuning it myself. all my boards get stored minus one board. this board i leave around to play with during the off season.

[wootang71]

i used to tune and wax my board myself every week. (the secret is 25% graphite wax. it's like f-ing grease lightning!) but now i haven't tuned or waxed a board in over 3 seasons. i'm over it. there's a difference between a tuned and waxed board and one that isn't. but it's not such a big deal that i wanna go through the hassle. plus the edges get rounded and gouged by rails anyway, so there's not much to sharpen as it is.