How to Fix Dings on a Snowboard

Invariably, whether you're screaming down a black diamond or face-planting on the bunny hill, you'll slide over sticks or stones or other little bits of umbrage on your course to the ski lift entrance. If you don't feel it, you'll hear it: a sharp grinding sound as whatever it is down there scrapes up the bottom of your snowboard, threatening your investment. Happily, there's recourse! If the scratches and dings aren't bad, you can fix them at home at low cost. Otherwise, if things look grim, you may be advised to take your equipment in for repairs.

Things You'll Need

  • Vise
  • Small wire brush or toothbrush
  • Rubbing alcohol or base cleaner
  • Scraper (metal for best results)
  • P-Tex repair candle (black or white)
  • Candle, lighter or propane torch
  • Razor blade or box-cutter
  • Sandpaper (medium grit)
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Instructions

  1. Preparation

    • 1
      A standard vise is a useful tool in repairing a snowboard or ski.

      Flip your board so that the base is facing up. If you have a vise, fasten it in place.

    • 2

      Scan each gouge and clean up any loose curls of plastic with the box cutter or razor blade. Also clear away any remaining wax from the previous waxing.

    • 3

      Rough up the gouge with sandpaper if it is big enough.

    • 4

      Scrub the dirt out of any gouges with the wire brush or toothbrush dipped in rubbing alcohol or base cleaner.

    • 5

      Allow the board to dry fully before moving on. Depending on environmental factors, this could take as little as 20 minutes or as long as an hour.

    Application

    • 6

      Light the P-Tex candle at one of its ends. You don't want those black carbon flakes in your wax (as they cause it to bond improperly), so let the P-Tex drip onto the scraper first so the little pieces can be cleared off. For best results, keep a low and blue flame rather than a big yellow one.

    • 7

      Hold the P-Tex over the wound, letting the wax drip in beginning toward the end so it slides and fills down, toward the middle. It'll contract as it cools, so be generous with the molten wax. Keep filling until you're content that all the gouges are sufficiently filled in.

    • 8

      Put out the candle and let the wax cool for at least 15 minutes.

    • 9

      Take up your metal scraper and hold it at a 45-degree angle to the board and using short, overlapping strokes, take off whatever material is risen above the flat plane of the snowboard's base. Don't worry about direction; you may scrape in whichever direction is comfortable for you.

    • 10

      Buff the areas down with the sandpaper, making it totally even with the rest of the board. If you're too forceful, you could begin harming the area around the gouge.