Ricard Delmuns
Owner and manager of El Petit Món d’en Ricard, was born in Vic (Eastern-Pyrenees). Already at a young age, Ricard was much into handcrafting techniques. As a teenager, being a skateboarder and a skier, he started to work as a skiman in his neighborhood while still at school. At that point he got hold of his first snowboard. Snow covered mountains, boardsports and his craftsman skills shaped his passion for maintenance & optimization, turning him into a Snowman. In 1994 he started his little company, based on boardsports oriented craftsmanship, and the gathering of Trading & Innovation know-how.
Leisure sports, music and surfing have become the biggest youth movements in the 21.st century. If the homo ludens is capable of avoiding show-sports, and he is able to taste culture-sports, he will discover a tool to transmit a take on the World and human existence, within an environment which honors Nature, sports and creativity. Athletes, sports federations, companies and institutions are the fields of action, where his services lead them towards their goals.
At Splitboardmag, we have set ourselves the goal of informing and educating our readers in the tasks of repairing and tuning their splitboard by themselves.
Checking a Splitboard
When purchasing a new splitboard, it is advisable to be aware that board construction is not an exact science; a board is an ensemble of assembled pieces. Each element requires preliminary processes (wood core, edges, surface, fiber, etc) before being assembled within the mold and the press. Different machinery and operators are implied in these processes (cut, molding, milling, etc) and they don’t always follow the same industrial quality patterns and standards.
Before purchasing a new board, and to avoid upsets in the future, it is advisable to check the finishing on the new board, as it will enable us to find out about its manufacturing process, and thereby its degree of quality.
The symmetry of the two skis which compose a splitboard is crucial for the ensemble to provide the right stretch properties while riding it. The precision at the assembling process, the use of the correct clips, the position of the two boards prior to the closing of the clips, and their adjustment, will give us the chance to make sure both skis are lengthways symmetric.
The slot or longitudinal cavity along the splitboard also needs to be perfectly symmetrical.
The inserts and screws need to be made of A2 INOX, a hard enough material to meet the ISO 10958-2 manufacturing standards. Should iron screws be used, they could easily rust, even while screwed on to the board (insert). Thus, the ensemble would be welded through rust, and consequently, the glue that holds the insert in place would break when attempting to unscrew it, or the teeth crown of the insert would break the surrounding wood core to which it is attached. That is something that could be repaired, but using the right screw is an easier option.
It is important to check the top of the inserts, as it will show if they have been assembled and positioned correctly within the board, all at the same distance of the surface. It is also advisable to check inside to make sure the nut is clean, as there could be traces of resin from the assembling process.
Up left: to avoid upsets in the future, it is advisable to check the finishing on the new board. | Up right: The screws have marks so the amount of turns is right | Down left: It is also advisable to check inside to make sure the nut is clean. | Down right: The inserts and screws need to be made of A2 INOX.
Up left: It’s all about removing the excess, not about rubbing or scraping it. | Up right: We need to verify the length of the required screw. | Down left: The base of the insert stands out of the base. | Down right: It is important to round the sharp parts that might cause wounds.
We need to verify the length of the required screw; a short screw could easily break the insert nut when maximum strength is applied. If the screw is too long, it will break the insert base and bring bad consequences: on the one hand, an internal crack, where water will weaken the surrounding of the insert, and on the other hand, a bubble on the base of your splitboard.
A plastic ruler will allow you to verify easily the length of the screws.
You could round the screw head by not choosing the right screwdriver tip. It is also advisable to use a screwdriver resistant to low temperatures, as the metal within the rotating screwdriver’s advancing device can break at low temps. Imagine if something as stupid as that occurs on top of a good run.
The base of the inserts, which hold down the clips to the splitboard, could be mounted wrong, crooked, sunk down or stand out. It is a delicate point, which requires frequent checks, especially before you buy your splitboard. The following images show two possible cases: on the first, the base of the insert stands out of the base; on the second one, we see it has sunk too deep down, and also, it is crooked.
There is a process that reduces base friction against the snow at the moment of riding. Also, it will minimally protect from the stones that could possibly impact your board at a certain area. The process surrounding the milling of the clip insert on the base. Here we go!
*Use a new blade, work parallel to the board to avoid leaving marks on it; be careful not to cut yourself, and press evenly on the blade during the whole process. It’s all about removing the excess, not about rubbing or scraping it.
We’ll be back soon with new content and processes, which you’ll be able to apply to your beloved splitboard.
Take care & be safe.
