Randy Kight Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 May be the wrong place, and if so, mods, please move as you see fit. I'm in need of purchasing a vice/workstation, wax, scrapers, files, etc. to maintain my growing fleet. Sounds pretty straight forward, but thought I'd ask what you guys/gals thought and have used prior where your might recommend a "kit" that I could buy online somewhere to do this type of work. thanks for the time, Randy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queequeg Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 May be the wrong place, and if so, mods, please move as you see fit.I'm in need of purchasing a vice/workstation, wax, scrapers, files, etc. to maintain my growing fleet. Sounds pretty straight forward, but thought I'd ask what you guys/gals thought and have used prior where your might recommend a "kit" that I could buy online somewhere to do this type of work. thanks for the time, Randy I'd recommend against getting a kit, they're generally not sufficient to do good tuning. It will cost a lot more than you expect to get everything you need to do all of your tuning at home and do a good job but I'd say the basics are: Fixed-degree side bevel guide tool. (not cheap) Fixed-degree base bevel guide tool. (not cheap) Scraper. (cheap) Diamond Stones or Files. (not cheap) Wax. Bevels: different people prefer different settings. I like .5 base and 3 side. I might add a one-degree base bevel to use on the tip and tail this year, and do .5 between the feet. I am not a big fan of bevel guides that are adjustable (and have wasted money on several of them). They are more economical but I find them less accurate and a pain in the ass to use compared to fixed bevels. Vices: you need a set of vices to do this right. I did it for years without vices and it takes longer, and doesn't work as well. You can start off with a cheap set of stones, but if you're planning on tuning often, get a good set and take care of them. They'll last a long time and treat you well. You really only need the files for rough work, so you can save money by just getting one file. You can avoid having to buy an iron (and a scraper?) by using the wax whizzard, but I prefer using an iron. Good sites for this stuff: reliableracing.com tognar.com Oh and, a lot of people swear by the tooltonic tools, but they are hard to find in the US. There was a good thread about this last year somewhere. Generally speaking: it costs more to get good tools; if you're serious about doing this yourself you're just better off getting the good stuff first. I bought cheap adjustable tools to begin with, and ended up throwing them away and buying good tools in the end. It would have been cheaper if I had just bought the good stuff to begin with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf Quebec Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 I love the wax whizzard, it's doing a good job and you can do it anywhere. I bought all my stuff at tognar.com and reliableracing.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 Oddly enough local ski shops often have "Tuning Work Shops" at their stores. Promotes loyalty and they sell tuning supplies. Typically they are a couple hours long and really cut to the chase. Learn from a pro if possible. Saves allot of time on the learning curve. If new to tuning, definitely use a file guide. You can do allot with some online research and some basic tools: Waxing iron Plastic scraper Metal scraper Mill files file guide stone gummy cork brush true bar (old axle or fan shaft can work) Start with your least valuable or a trashed board from Goodwill (or the neighbor kids "Park" board. Just don't sharpen the edges too much or he won't be able to ride it. (get that M6 out and start with it?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mxjas38 Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 You should also check out racewax.com The owner is a chemist who has developed some of his own wax formulas and sells them at considerably lower costs than some of the major brands. They also sell all of the tools as well. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael.a Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 Tuning stuff is EXPENSIVE. I think I spent more than 300USD on the most basic but fundamental tools you need. Iron, scraper, brushes, base bevel tool, side bevel tool, files, diamonds, planewall scraper, vices, and wax... my god, the amount of wax you need for hot scrapes, base prep, summer storage, different temps is just insane. I cant even afford any fluoro stuff, just big slabs of service wax. And then figuring it all out.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 Tuning stuff is EXPENSIVE. I think I spent more than 300USD on the most basic but fundamental tools you need. Iron, scraper, brushes, base bevel tool, side bevel tool, files, diamonds, planewall scraper, vices, and wax... my god, the amount of wax you need for hot scrapes, base prep, summer storage, different temps is just insane. I cant even afford any fluoro stuff, just big slabs of service wax.And then figuring it all out.... If the poster is just getting started with tuning his own gear he doesn't need allot. Start slow , learn the skill rather than spend allot on sidewall planars etc. A file and some wax can do allot to improve the performance of any snowboard. Learn how to use them. You can have a shop base grind the board when it gets too out of shape. Your best tool is your eyes and ears. Learn the skills. If you are not an Olympic hopeful or WC racer. Don't get to caught up in minutia. IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 You should also check out racewax.com They also sell all of the tools as well. Jason Great site, Thanks!! Randy Is this shop close by?? http://www.facebook.com/PeterGlennRichmond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael.a Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 If the poster is just getting started with tuning his own gear he doesn't need allot. Start slow , learn the skill rather than spend allot on sidewall planars etc. A file and some wax can do allot to improve the performance of any snowboard. Learn how to use them. You can have a shop base grind the board when it gets too out of shape. Your best tool is your eyes and ears. Learn the skills. If you are not an Olympic hopeful or WC racer. Don't get to caught up in minutia. IMO I totally agree you with but... but... I started with just a side bevel tool, a file, an iron and some wax. Very quickly I found out how limited I was, suddenly the sidewall is getting in your way, you cant brush out the structure, your wax scraper is completely dull and you need a sharpener, you cant do anything with the base edge... and as we know, you want to use mill files or have base grinds done at an absolute minimum to save your edges. Ive always believed to do the job right you need the right tools. It took me 3 years to be able to afford all of the stuff I bought but I dont regret it. And as another poster mentioned, buy the good stuff from the beginning, you'll actually save money in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allee Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 Ive always believed to do the job right you need the right tools. It took me 3 years to be able to afford all of the stuff I bought but I dont regret it. And as another poster mentioned, buy the good stuff from the beginning, you'll actually save money in the long run. No kidding. When I bought my first bunch of stuff (iron, diamond stones, edge tool, brushes etc) it ran me to $280. I go through three big slabs of wax a season, and I've replaced the stones a couple of times, the edge tool this year, and the scrapers every five minutes (or so it seems). But when you look at the cost of having a board shop tuned a couple of times a season, and you have 7 boards, it's a really quick payback. A decent shop tune here runs $60. It's worth ordering your stuff from Tognar, just for the tips and tricks in the catalog they send you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Kight Posted October 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 Thanks to all. I helped run a local shop years ago from my early teens into my undergraduate years which involved back room assemby/drilling, tuning and maintenance as well as sales/fitting. This was years ago and I've been out of the industry/practice for quite a while. So with a recent custom Kessler purchase, I want to get started again. Vices... Any recommends, or ones to stay away from? Irons...same as above? Waxes...Midatlantic east coast. I'm no racer, temps vary from 25f to 55f Brushes/corks...You guys still use corks to buff? Scrapers? Thanks for the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Kight Posted October 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 Great site, Thanks!!Randy Is this shop close by?? http://www.facebook.com/PeterGlennRichmond Yes! Peter Glen took over my old shop several years ago. I haven't been by in quite some time as i was the only one bringing in alpine gear in the late 80's - 90's. Figure no one around hear knows what the hell an alpine board is... I'll check to see what they may have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queequeg Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 Vices... Any recommends, or ones to stay away from? I like these: http://www.reliableracing.com/detail.cfm?edp=11217569 But I got lucky and bought mine when they were having a sale, so I think they only cost me $50 bucks at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allee Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 Figure no one around hear knows what the hell an alpine board is... I'll check to see what they may have. Getting an alpine board tickled up is an interesting experience. I go into Ski Cellar and get $h!t every time (it's almost a running gag). But if I take them into U of C the techs are absolutely stoked, treat them like gold, and all want to talk to me when I pick them up. Just depends on the shop, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pokkis Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 Best buck i ever spend for tuning was for this one: http://www.tooltonic.com/tuningFile.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailertrash Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 May be the wrong place, and if so, mods, please move as you see fit.I'm in need of purchasing a vice/workstation, wax, scrapers, files, etc. to maintain my growing fleet. Sounds pretty straight forward, but thought I'd ask what you guys/gals thought and have used prior where your might recommend a "kit" that I could buy online somewhere to do this type of work. thanks for the time, Randy Ship your board to Mike at SKiMD. I get my board done by him every other year. I take a stone to my edges by hand and use the Wax Whizard and that is it. An iron seems so archaic now and if you aren't racing isn't worth it. I have had the same block of wax for about 4 years now. Aside from racers, you really don't need to do much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Kight Posted October 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 TrailerTrash, Can you explain what the Wax Wizzard is and where I can find it? I'm interested. Thanks, Randy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkaholic Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 TrailerTrash,Can you explain what the Wax Wizzard is and where I can find it? I'm interested. Thanks, Randy Wax Whizard can be had from http://www.alpineskituning.com/raysway.waxwhiz.htm or http://www.rod-llc.com/Home.html The Hot Rod Race Wax should be good for your temps as well and a puck of it will last more than a season. Ink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailertrash Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 TrailerTrash,Can you explain what the Wax Wizzard is and where I can find it? I'm interested. Thanks, Randy Check it out here. I have a newer coiler with 80+ days carving in New England that has never had an iron on it. No problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John E Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 I used to be pretty fanatic about waxing my (skis) a long time ago. Now I may wax my boards only twice a season. I get my wax at Ski Kare: http://skikare.com/ Way cheaper than at a ski shop. When I waxed my boards this fall, I just left them out in the sun (base up) for a few hours. The base gets warm, I rubbed some wax on, left them in the sun for a bit more to let the wax flow, allow them to cool and scraped. This seemed to work pretty well. However, that wax whizzard does look pretty nifty. A lot less waste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTwoO Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 At the end of the season, I do the full deep hot wax of my boards. For the rest of the season I tune the edges with my tool tonic set and rely on the hot air gun technique to save wax. This technique is applied every night after boarding with a double take on the rails. It takes me about 20 minutes after dinner to do me and my wife's board. Gliding through all (or most) those dips where skiers like to laugh at snowboarders. It really improves the quality of my holiday. My tooltonic:1luvu: set contains the diamond 200 and mill edge file Adjustable edge file tool rotofinish 400 for polishing to a ridiculously sharp edge 0.5 and 1 deg bottom file 200 bottom file 400 bottom file mill bottom file Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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