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The only shop that could tune a splitboard down here closed up. Looks like Tex needs to learn how to tune his board

Including ptex work, waxing and edge tune

What tools do I need ( to start, dont want to break the bank)

Any good tutorial videos?

This would be an excellent clinic to add to a splitfest

Thank You

Tognar.com

A little smoke and a friend to show you a couple things you`ll never pay a shop again.

Thanks

I have smoke........but no friends. Im an assshole

Just the basics, but Coombs' last line nails it for me.

http://www.kuu.com/how2tune.htm

great info that applies to all snow sliding devices...

Tex, Tuning is easy. Basically, go buy snowboard wax (I like Purl wax), a scraper (wider is better), some steel wool and a wax iron (failing that a clothes iron works, so long as you NEVER use it on clothes again). Wax irons have a flat base with no holes, so they work better. Heat iron, not too hot, you don't want to burn the wax -if it is smoking when you touch the wax to the iron, it is too hot. Drip wax on base generously. Use iron to spread around on the base covering sliding area. Let cool for a few minutes (let it cool too long and it is harder to scrape). Scrape most of the wax off, leaving a thin coating. You don't want to strip it all off. Use the steel wool to buff the base. You will also be able to feel any uneven spots.

Bonus points- different waxes for different temps. harder wax for colder snow, softer wax for warmer snow. Purl wax comes with a chart indicating temp and humidity range. I usually blend. This takes some experimentation. Also nice to have something to clean the base with. You can use a specifically formulated base cleaner or get something like goo gone. With goo gone, spray on a paper towel. NOT directly on the base.

Edge tuning, get a diamond stone for burrs, and an edge tool for the edges (duh). Deal with edges BEFORE waxing. This preserves your diamond stone and edge tool.

P-tex is trickier. Get a p-tex candle. They usually come in black or clear. The shop guys I worked with swore the black works better. Too apply, you need a lighter, candle or a propane torch works pretty well also. Heat the p-tex until it is melting. I usually catch one end on fire, and let the first drip or two fall on something I don't care about- cardboard, your work bench whatever, as long as you don't care about it having melted plastic on it. By the way, do this in a well ventilated area. It is best if you have something to smush the melted p-tex into the gouge with. A metal type scraper works well for this. Let it dry for a bit. Scrape with edge of metal scraper.

P-tex is a pain in the ass though. Dealing with that shit it is definitely useful to have access to a shop with a base welder, belt grinder, etc.

Waxing and edging are easy.

ehcarley pretty much covered it all. Keep an eye out on Steep&Cheap for the Swix tuning kit for about 30 bucks I think it was, super cheap for the iron, a brush structure the base and some wax. Failing that old school clothes irons without steam holes can be found in thrift shops and that. They may not have a temperature control so you might wind up unplugging/plugging it in. I prefer a heavy plastic scraper, not steel for scraping wax. The steel ones can bend or get rough spots and gouge your base. I opted for the ptex iron over the candles having heard nothing good about the candles, plus it mushes the ptex into the gouge as well as melts it. Also not very expensive. I just roughed up the area I was going to be filling with a dremel, then melted it in. Let it cool for a bit, then run a sharp x-acto blade across it to cut off the excess. Be very careful not to cut into the base, that defeats the purpose, eh? Obviously a shop with a base welder can do an awesome job, but for minor core shots and general scrapes I don't see the point. Also don't forget to have numerous beer handy and the stereo cranked.

Thanks Guys. I have repaired surfboards, cant be much different. I do plan on buying a ptex gun or something.

Riding with Dave in the southern sierra can cause base trama , no ...will cause base trama

To clarify, Plastic scraper for wax, metal for p-tex.

I've never tired the p-tex iron. Maniac dave- do you just heat with an iron and smush it in?

Pretty much. It'll melt the ptex sticks and is nice to spread the goop around. Kinda the opposite of soldering despite it looking like a soldering iron. From what I've heard the candles have a wax or some compound in them that allows them to burn/smolder and that any of that compound that doesn't burn plus any soot tends to make a weaker repair. Whereas the ptex sticks for the iron/welders is cut from the same stock bases are. But don't quote me on that though, I've never used the candles, the iron was cheap enough. Which reminds me, unlike waxing irons, the ptex iron doesn't have an on/off or temperature control so it can get to hot really quickly and burn the ptex rather than just melt it, so be ready to unplug once you've got enough ptex down to fill the gouge.

dave- link?

When using the candles, keep an exacto knife and a cup of water handy. Light the point of the candle and let it catch. After the point has a good flame scrape the point down with the exacto knife (while the candle is still burning). Be sure to do this over the cup of water as it will release little bits of burning material. As SOON as you scrape the tip down, drip the p-tex into the gouge. This will give you soot-free p-tex to work with. Soon after you've scraped, the candle will start to release black smoke, when this happens you know it's time to scrape again.

Didn't say it was fact, just what I've heard on my travels. Tognar has a huge pile of tuning tips, think you can get a paper copy to throw in with your tuning gear. They pretty much say that that the candles tend to be a softer ptex than the ribbon used with irons or guns and thus wears faster/less durable.

http://tognar.com/base_repairs_tips_ski_snowboard.html

Considering we tend to be gunning for the deep stuff and aren't ripping down the bank slalom on our splits I think the only imperative thing when coming to base repair is to keep the core sealed and to prevent the skins from pulling out whatever we've filled the hole with be it ptex, candle or epoxy.