Gear Care and Repair — Snowboards

Regular maintenance is crucial to a snowboard's performance. And though waxing, making repairs and sharpening the board's edges are jobs usually best left to a technician at a board shop or ski area, you can learn to do them yourself.

To do the job, you'll need these supplies:

Vise or clamps
Files (6", 8" and 10")
File brush
Whetstone or sandpaper
Base repair kit
Wax kit (including wax remover)
Metal and plastic scrapers
P-Tex® repair plastic
Polishing cork
Waxing iron or a retired clothing iron

Hold On
Though it may be possible to do the job without a vise or clamps, it's much more difficult. By firmly holding the board in a vise or by clamping it to an old table, you'll have both hands free to do the work. In order to protect the board from scratches and indentations, place a small piece of cardboard or rubber between the vise or clamp and the board. Do not do any of these jobs in a carpeted area.

Sharpening Edges
Both the side edges and base edges need regular sharpening. First, smooth out any rust, scratches or snags with the whetstone or fine sandpaper. Keep the stone (or sandpaper) flat against the surface you're working on.

With the board held firmly on its side in a vise, work from the nose to the tail with a 6" file. Keep the file flat against the edge and level, and run it smoothly down the length of the board. Frequently clean out the grooves in the file with a file brush.

When both side edges are filed, lay the board flat (upside down), clamp it, and file the base. Use the 8" or 10" file at a 30 degree angle. Working from the nose to the tail, hold the file flat against the board and sharpen the edges until they are all square. Then use the whetstone to remove any visible nicks and scratches.

Repairing Gouges
To repair minor gouges in the base, melt P-Tex® repair plastic into them. When the plastic is cool, remove the excess with a metal scraper. Deep gouges are best fixed by a repair shop.

Waxing
Rub wax works well for a quick fix, but a hot wax will perform much better. Ideally, it's best to wax a board after every few days of use and to choose a wax based on snow conditions and temperatures.

First, use wax remover to clean the base.
Heat new wax with an iron (between silk and polyester setting if using an old clothing iron), dripping 2 lines of wax down the entire length of the base. Be careful the wax does not smoke.
Iron the wax into the surface. If the iron starts smoking, reduce the temperature.
When the wax has cooled use a plastic scraper and work from the nose to the tail to create a smooth, even layer by removing excess wax.
Use a polishing cork, nylon brush or kitchen scrubber to polish the board.

Tips for a Happy Home Life

Never work over a carpeted area.
Once you've used a clothing iron for waxing your board, it can never be used on clothes again without ruining the clothes.