Tuning shop services - ask your questions here
Hrmm will see how I go next weekend.
Am taking both boards to Un Zed anyway, no way I want to heli boarding on a 143!
Cool, let me know how it goes.
Hi there,
I just brought a 2009 Burton Malolo, for a few weeks snowboarding in Japan in Jan. Just wondering if it will need a tune at all before i use, or is it ready to go from the factory?
Cheers
Trav
Hey Trav, the Malolo comes detuned out of the factory. Just give it a fresh coat of wax and go find some pow! 
awesome, thanks for that! Yeah can’t wait!!
The board now rides really slow because of the horrible state the base is in. Can I just p-tex and the grind the base with a my belt sander? If so what grade of paper do the shops use? Or should I just take it from 60 - 400?
How wide is your belt sander? The whole idea of a base grind is to make your base flat again. I think you will find it difficult making your base flat with a belt sander. Might be worth just taking it to the shop for a tune.
From our tuning shop article...
Base Grinding
During a full service, grinding the base is a very important step in getting your board to perform at its optimum. Snowboard bases should be flat. Poor performance is a result of base high base (convex) and edge high bases (concave). It is essential to get the base and the edge level and on the same plane. We achieve this through grinding with a belt or stone grinder or a combination of both.
A base high snowboard is unstable and difficult to control as the edges are not in contact with the snow when level.
An edge high snowboard is where the edges stand higher than the base has the opposite effect of a base high board. It is difficult to turn and feels like the board wants to track too much (i.e. stuck in grooves).
A base grind not only achieves a level base and edge configuration, but it also places a structure on the base. A structure on the base is essential to reduce drag and friction. Your board is basically riding on a thin film of water produced from friction between the board’s base and the snow. In wet snow we have too much water therefore we want a structure that will repel water and push it away from the base. We achieve this by having a deeper structure. Here the extra air sitting in the pockets of the structure force the water out and away reducing suction. In cold snow we have the opposite happening and as a result only need a fine structure.
The board now rides really slow because of the horrible state the base is in. Can I just p-tex and the grind the base with a my belt sander? If so what grade of paper do the shops use? Or should I just take it from 60 - 400?
I will typically use anything from 60 - 100. Also vary speed of belt. Faster will grind more, slower will tend to polish.
Thanks, my sander will only cover a ski width with one stroke so I guess I can’t guarantee a flat base. I though sanding was only supposed to smooth locally around the dings/scratches and gave more of a foothold for the wax to bond to.
The main purpose of full base grind is to make your base flat again. Of course it will also remove fine scratches and minor damage, and place a structure on the base. You could p-tex the damage then scrape with a metal scraper (be careful not to pull out the p-tex). Then use a fine grit paper to remove any excess and polish the base. Make sure you clean the base with base cleaner before doing any work to the base. Do you have any photos of the damage?
Hey Team,
unfortunately while riding riding some awesome pow last week a bloody hidden rock decided to go all Jack the Ripper on my precious board! Should i just Ptex this up? then give it a wax? i have black and white ptex, is there a difference and what is the best method to fill in with ptex (havent done it before)
any advice would be good! CHeers
Cheers buddy!
Ill head into the workshop now and get onto it. I thought that was all i had to do but just wanted another opinion.
you will recieve your reward soon Mizu for your help 
Sorry to hear it K2. Mizu is spot on but make sure you give it a good clean before you drip the p-tex. Keep rotating the p-tex stick once it’s lit so it doesn’t blacken (oxidise). Chances are the p-tex will eventually crack up and the pieces will slowly fall out, so keep an eye on it and re-apply the p-tex when required. The better you get at doing it, the longer it will stay in for. If you take it to a tuning shop, they use the proper p-tex gun, which doesn’t allow the p-tex to oxidise, giving an almost permanent fix.
It is not uncommon for the wax “plug” that you fill it in with to come out. Think of all the flexion that your board will go through, in addition to teh fact that any dirt left behind from an incomplete cleaning of the scratch, wont allow the ptex to stick too.
Dont get too down about it, though. I’d rather scratch my board riding, than in the car when transporting it from home to mountain, ya know? Yet that is where I tend to see most damage occur.
Yeh thanks for the tips guys. Usually id be really shattered about a scar like that, but it happened while i was riding the best snow I’ve ridden. was an amazing day so i really dont care that it happened! Its all appart of snowboarding!
Ive Ptex’d it up and waxed it, havent taken the wax off or ridden it yet, but will let you know how it goes.
Cheers again