How to Fix Snowboard Chips
A great snowboarding experience is only possible when your equipment is in good condition. Top-of-the-line gear isn't necessarily a prerequisite, but any snowboard with chips, nicks and gouges in the base will glide awkwardly and make for a miserable day on the mountain. Many minor chips can be repaired quickly and easily using a special wax substance designed exclusively for this purpose. Marketed as P-Tex candles, these waxy sticks are affordable, simple to use and available almost anywhere snowboarding gear is sold.
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Things You'll Need
- P-Tex candle Lighter or matches Plastic scraper Water Liquid dish soap Soft cloth Towel
Instructions
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1
Make a soapy mixture of water and liquid dish soap. Apply the soapy water to your snowboard with a soft cloth and scrub the snowboard completely clean.
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2
Rinse the soap suds off of the snowboard and dry it thoroughly with a towel.
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3
Lay the snowboard down on a flat, stable surface with the chipped side facing up.
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4
Use a lighter or matches to light the end of a P-Tex candle. Once the end is lit, hold the flaming end of the candle about 6 inches above the chip in the snowboard's finish.
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5
Wait as wax drips down from the candle and into the chip in the finish. If you drip some outside of the chipped area, don't worry. You'll get to clean it up in later steps. Make sure that you fill the chip completely with the liquid wax.
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Move the candle as necessary to fill any other chips or gouges in the board.
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7
Turn the P-Tex candle upright, cup your hand behind the flame and blow it out. Hold the P-Tex candle in this position for a few minutes until the hot, melting wax hardens enough for you to be able to set it down. This should only take a minute or two.
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Wait for the wax on the board to completely harden and become cool to the touch.
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9
Scrape off the excess wax with a scraper made of hard plastic. You can be fairly creative with what you use; auto windshield ice scrapers work well, but so do credit cards. Larger snowboarding shops even sell scrapers designed with this purpose in mind, although there is nothing particularly special about them.
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10
Clean up any scattered bits of wax that have been scraped away. Your snowboard should now glide smoothly.
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Tips & Warnings
If the scratches in your snowboard are particularly deep, it's recommended that you take the board to an appropriate repair shop to get it fixed. Chips deep enough to reach the board's core leave vulnerable spots in the finish that can lead to warping or that can cause the surrounding finish to pull away from the board over time. Sections of the board that have been repaired with P-Tex candles won't react the same way to snowboard wax. In the case of a few minor chips and scratches, this isn't a big deal. But if you fill large areas with P-Tex, you're liable to be able to feel the difference.
