Fix Skateboard Razor Tail, Chips, and Delamination

Learn how to Fix Razor Tail, and large chips in your street deck or longboard deck.
Go to ratvision.com/ for more info.
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When the tail of a skateboard deck gets warn down it becomes known as a "razor tail". This describes how thin or "sharp" the wood becomes. A razor tail can lead to chipping and it reduces "pop" from the deck becoming less stiff or rigid. By applying wood glue and reshaping the tail with sandpaper a deck can last a lot longer and get some pop back to make tricks higher.
Sometimes a skateboard might get away from you and slam directly into a wall, ledge, or a curb, causing the veneers or plies of wood to separate and/or chip. In skateboarding, this is known as delamination, or delam for short.
Delamination can also be caused by leaving a deck outside for too long. What happens is moisture gets into the deck causing it to expand and separate the veneers from each other. A skateboard deck can also come apart from being left in a hot car.
In these cases the damage can be quite extreme and it may be better to replace the deck than try to repair it.
VERY RARELY does a skateboard deck delaminate on its own. Nearly all manufactures warranty against delamination within a defined time period. If this actually happened to you the skateboard shop you purchased the deck from or the manufacturer may exchange the deck for a new one if they can determine that it was not caused by negligence.
HOW TO REPAIR DELAMINATION AND RAZOR TAIL:
Note: This works for longboards too.
1. Determine how many plies have come apart, and how wide the effected area is.
2. Spread the plies apart starting with the lower plies first.
3. Add a quality wood glue by squeezing it between the deck plies.
4. Holding the deck vertical you can use gravity to help get the glue deeper between the plies.
5. Wipe away any excess glue that is running or dripping.
6. While using a clamping call, add clamps and tighten them securely to the deck. This will sandwich the plies back together and squeeze out any extra glue.
7. Wipe away glue that is dripping or running again.
8. Remove clamps after waiting 24 hours for wood to dry.
9. After removing clamps, begin sanding away hardened glue and reshape the end of the deck. When reshaping the deck it is OK to sand away part of the deck itself. Sand until you feel comfortable with how thick the end of the deck is.
There are many glues available that will work well for repairing a chipped or delaminated skateboard deck. Be sure the glue you choose works specifically for wood. Follow all instructions labeled on the glue package.
For any questions about this video or if you need additional help fixing razor tail send us a message or comment.

[@ThudMcFatass]

Quick tip: Use gravity to your advantage, while gluing, work with the board in a vertical position so that way the glue can down the further gaps of wood inside the board.

[@ashertee6229]

Sore loser who spends huge amounts of his time posting comments on KZbin. Your name is great

[@Astro80s]

Thanks

[@nostalgicpotato8774]

Sore loser who spends huge amounts of his time posting comments on KZbin. Your name is great

[@riflehitta-4157]

Sore loser who spends huge amounts of his time posting comments on KZbin. Your name is great

[@RatVision]

I'm still riding the same deck since '94. Sure, it's wrapped in duck tape with PVC pipe splints, held together with a gallon and half of wood glue, fiberglass patches, band-aids, and rock hard bubble gum, plus one Boy Scout pine wood derby car wheel, but I can still tre-flip for days with it. Come to think of I'm not even sure there is any wood left. I'll post a picture.

[@justinbuice]

awesome DIY, i wish i had this 10 years ago when my parents would make me skate the same deck for a year

[@smashyrashy]

A year? Thats nothing compared to most kids

[@DetenkleFriluftsliv]

I skated the same deck until it broke. :-D

[@example5237]

@@DetenkleFriluftsliv Same that's what most people did, when I was a kid I used to use the superglue with saw dust on my tail if it was really bad.

[@asher2865]

"my parents made me skate the same deck for a year" that's so beta, dude. If you wanted another deck maybe you should got a job. 😜

[@mr.ecksdee9641]

wow this actually helped my razer tail i thought sanding the tail would make it so much shorter but i guess not thank you!

[@ariekanibalie]

I highly doubt any skate shop will do anything but laugh if you try to return a skateboard that's been 'damaged' from skateboarding even a couple of minutes, let alone a month.

[@yogibear5211]

+Arno Theadorno Well, I bought a board three days ago, the company is Good Wood and they are suppose to have boards that really resist delamination due to gluing the board together by cold press instead of hot press like most other brands do. After three days and only dropping the board 4 times on the nose, it is starting to delaminate and its just a waste of money at this point, Im sure its just a defect. But I did contact the company to see if we can arrange. Yeah if you are slamming your board hard against the floor and and kickfliping a 5 stair they wont accept a return or change XD.

[@slapahoe69]

that's not true I know a lot of people that had that happen to my cousin got a board and only had it for like a week and he did a Ollie and it snapped and they replaced it

[@exzaviorw]

+Jack Hildebrand omg I hope you learned your lesson goodwood is known to all the skaters Ive ever spoke to LITIRALLY everyone, that its the worst possible board you could buy at a shop

[@randyrusso3793]

Arno Theadorno Vans exchanged mine after 1 month of use

[@STAY-GOLD-VINYL]

@@exzaviorw I CALL BULLSHIT

[@tavrosnitram1122]

i thaught you said "about a fuck a piece" when you were talking about the c-clamps

[@vZynxy]

Same

[@melissabeaton7260]

lol

[@jaydenlariviere6128]

+tavros nitram same

[@laurentpierce1561]

+tavros nitram lol, me too. i kept on playing over and over again lol.

[@localskater5213]

Me too! Haha

[@oweng3763]

at 2:21 when he said "about a buck apiece" I heard about a fuck apiece and was very concerned for a moment

[@RatVision]

That's because you have a young mind.

[@oweng3763]

Rat Vision - Skateboard Tech no just shitty headphones.

[@MultiEpic1337]

I heard the same thing o.o

[@seanfreeman5853]

Dude same hahaha

[@kershawn227]

" two clamps (these are one-inch c-clamps, about a fuck a piece "

[@RatVision]

"Razor tail" is when a tail gets warn down so much it gets a thin and sharp edge.

[@Rails2Revolution]

*TIP:* If you have trouble getting the glue between the plies or want to do a more thorough job, before you start putting glue on, get a cup and mix some glue and water together until it's as fluid as water but still white from the glue. Get a brush, sponge, (or your finger) and apply it to delaminating edge. You'll notice the wood will suck in the glue/water because of how fluid it is. If it doesn't, you've put too much glue in the mix. Apply this mixture twice to let the glue/water really get absorbed into the wood, then get your normal glue and continue as stated in the video for the more obvious splits.

[@SEThatered]

Also helps keeping it vertical so bubbles will rise up.

[@quasiczarcasm]

This might help here. When repairing guitars I use a large syringe with a large bore needle that is filled with wood glue. Doing this allows you to get the glue to get deep into the crack and allow a much stronger and permanent fix.

[@STAY-GOLD-VINYL]

I can see you know what your talking about. To many "KZbin PROFESSORS" It's common sense but people just dont have much lol🤘🤘👍

[@nehemiahzo_]

As a guitarist I can confirm this works. I had an unfinished guitar and the top started to pop off.

[@Thampity]

I don't even have any problems with my skateboard. I can't stop watching cause YOU SEEM SO NICE.

[@RatVision]

Thank you. Glad you like it, and it helped.

[@KubesC37]

Thank you so much! Just bought a deck 2 weeks ago and everytime I choke a tre flip the side of my deck kept on hitting the floor so by two weeks I already had a chip on right corner of my deck so I watched ur video bought the glue clamps sand paper and the wood filler and my deck is as good as new :)

[@RatVision]

Great!

[@RatVision]

We've been working hard finishing a new website, once that's going we'll be making a lot of videos. Sorry for the huge delay.

[@RatVision]

Thank you. Yeah we haven't posted in a long time. The purpose of this channel is to educate people, and give them the facts about products, brands, and how things work. We try to reply to comments every day. Just because we don't have videos doesn't mean we can't still help and educate. We got to keep the stoke going for sure.

[@RatVision]

Absolutely. If the tail gets too thin it can flex as you put pressure on it when it touches the ground. This reduces the "pop" because the tail is not rigid enough to rebound/pop off the ground to create the lift you want.

[@violetwalker9032]

Did anyone else hear "about a fuck a piece"????

[@RatVision]

It's "buck". Young people hear what they want to hear.

[@howlingmaddmurdock]

Sounded like a "fuck a piece" to me too and I'm 44....lol

[@Rajvosa-wg7pu]

ahahah

[@johntoth9150]

+howlingmaddmurdock says the man who started the channel: "Adult world sucks!" :-) :-) :-)

[@kaizertestrc5850]

+John Toth I'm all over KZbin Lmao! And apparently you are too John. This is a pretty cool informative channel.

[@diegovitier1306]

you saved me so much money thanks

[@RatVision]

Glad this worked out for you. Totally works!

[@RatVision]

We actually have all those ideas on a list for videos. We have been very busy with our website. We will be posting a ton of videos once we get everything done with our site. Thanks for the tips and your nice comment.

[@user-go4mn4hq2t]

i dont know how you manage to put up with all the dumb questions, my personal favourite was "can you paint your wheels" hahahaha

[@notasheep1952]

Euan Chester I did. Worked great. Why is that dumb? I but wheels that were white with pink graphics can I paint it over with grey. Looks great.

[@sulitjc5yearsago421]

2:20 he said a f*ck of piece Press the timestamp again and again youll understand what im sayi'n

[@TesrainX]

lol your right

[@sydweller2066]

lol i was about to comment that when i saw your comment

[@RatVision]

You're awesome Seth. Such a fan. As you may know we are finishing a project, and we'll have new videos up asap, because the new project requires them.

[@RatVision]

Thank you for the comment. We've been really busy with the new site launch. We'll be posting a ton of video once we get things settled. Should be soon.

[@brandonedwards2329]

2:20 "about a fuck a piece" 😂

[@officialJoCa]

Is everyone in the comment section deaf? No idea how you're hearing "fuck". It sounds like buck with and without headphones.

[@lewismetro1695]

I was wondering if there is a way to clean skateboard/longboard wheels?

[@RatVision]

With a wet towel and soap. Just don't get the bearings wet.

[@cheesegromit9423]

powerslides

[@jhonote119]

They're meant to be dirty?

[@TheDanielBentes]

Please make more videos, your videos are the most reliable when it comes to talk about skateboards and longboards maintence and fixing. I`m totally subscribed and waiting for more videos!

[@stuboyah]

I'll answer my own question - it definitely does! Noticeable difference after I sanded the razortail back with a belt sander, and huge difference when I replaced the griptape too! Awesome tips, hopefully will get another month out of this deck :)

[@mariotheslut]

I think its funny that he says 1/8 is hardly anything but when you ask someone about the size of their board every mm counts :P

[@meaganfarney611]

When I go from a 8.3 to an 8.4, I notice.

[@Petechan24]

ya but its mostly the width that matters and that's how they measure boards 7.75 8.0 8.125 etc

[@mariotheslut]

Ya ok...but popping an ollie is a hell of a lot easier with a right sized tail.

[@NikitaPanfilov]

In order to avoid that type of problems, you just need to buy a new deck😂 lol

[@doktorkatrany]

if your father gives you money, like yours:D

[@joetorino7643]

+Nikita Panfilov i buy blanks so it's completely worth just getting a new one. but if someone who swears by a specific brand, yeah. this would be a great project.

[@yogibear5211]

+sneak. Well, if you have a JOB, work 4 hours in one day, you can afford a new board almost anytime, especially for a teen who does no really have anything to spend that money on (taxes, bills, etc...).

[@RatVision]

We will. This Summer we plan to release new videos. We have been really busy with a different project for skate shops.

[@Wagh12]

Thank you, i've been swapping decks monthly because i skate a lot of street and winter makes it even faster. Now i can save money.

[@ilbangromero4690]

"Use something flat and hard" heh heh, giggity

[@x3gamerchicx359]

so immature

[@novembertrails]

+X3GamerchicX3 so mature.

[@SJS325]

IlbanGRomero are dicks flat now?

[@Local_commentor]

@@SJS325 yes if they got flat after getting crushed by the toilet seat

[@SJS325]

@@Local_commentor a little late bud

[@jgm3523]

how bout a new deck,

[@wuzihuzi]

you want to give me 90 bucks sure

[@joeyaltobellostruk1715]

+Lochlan Hughes struk sells them for 35 and they are very good

[@wuzihuzi]

In australia there is no such as thing as cheap deck unfortunately most start at 60AUD and go up

[@vdawwgz]

Lochlan Hughes i know aye

[@denkobert2342]

How bout I have no fucking money and can't buy a new deck every month

[@RatVision]

Hey Awesome! Glad this video worked out for you.

[@baileymustain4156]

I REALLY HOPE SO. Your videos help me a lot. You're really good at explaining what and how to do things. Please keep them coming.

[@untouchableminer]

u r a gaylord

[@nivlac4150]

Says the guy who likes baker

[@skatingfortheweek]

+nivlac says the guy who loves sector 9 (a shot china company)

[@memes5life776]

Raffi Jerahian you're a gay god

[@capitalismmorelikecrapital6723]

Raffi Jerahian are you a twelve year old

[@maxbarrera5775]

Baker's the shit though.

[@ALaw2294]

i currently have no skateboard issues..i just like to watch your videos..i cant wait for more

[@RatVision]

Thanks!

[@RatVision]

Thank you for the nice comment.

[@RatVision]

We will have more in the near future. We've been working on other projects.

[@RatVision]

Yes!

[@RatVision]

Absolutely, yes.

[@buckjmb77]

Can you wrap fishing I have a Tony Hawk skateboard and on the middle side of the board I cracked it and so I fixed it with wood filler would wood filler help it stay together

[@RatVision]

Local shops are the heart and soul of the industry. It's what drives the skate economy. These shops are what made skateboarding available to everyone before it became mainstream and before the advent of the internet. These are the shops that care about skating and they take care of you. Corporate stores like Zumiez and Tillies care about one thing...Money! Skateshops care about the community, skateparks, and your passion for skating.

[@RatVision]

Thanks we are about to in the near future. Been busy with other stuff.

[@RatVision]

We've been busy with another project. We are trying to set some time up to release more videos later this Summer.

[@RatVision]

That's incredible.

[@joewass5005]

Please can you make more videos this is the only channel thats clear and really easy to follow !

[@RatVision]

Ha, we are getting to that. We are going to be posting charts/tables that feature test results for top brands on the Rat Vision site. Very similar to Consumer Reports magazine.

[@buggld]

I'm relatively new to skating so I REALLY take good care of my board. I did exactly what you did but with variations. I rinsed them in water, blow-dried each one thoroughly, cleaned it with the orange cleaner(I did each bearing separately because I didn't make that shaker bottle thing), lubed them with Bones Speed Cream, and they still go bad pretty fast.

[@RatVision]

Yes we will. Is there anything you'd like to see?

[@RatVision]

YES. In the near future. Thank you for the very nice comment.

[@RatVision]

THANK YOU!

[@johnpark3079]

This tip is the best of all your videos! Thanks a lot!

[@THURNISJACKSON]

THIS VIDEO IS PERFECT!! THIS IS THE SECOND BEST TIP IN SKATEBOARDING!!

[@sidewaysskates]

great! im so glad you guys are making videos more often!

[@findingdame]

This helped a lot, Me and my older brother did this to his board and the results were great! Thanks (:

[@RatVision]

Watch the video we did about the differences between bearings, such as ABEC ratings, Swiss and ceramic. There is also a good video we did about spacers.

[@iFearghalXx]

Appreciate that you reply to most comments

[@RatVision]

We plan on making that video soon.

[@RatVision]

AWESOME!

[@RatVision]

THANKS!!!

[@TheFunnyFosterKid]

you have the most helpful videos on youtube!

[@RatVision]

What trucks do you have? Is the hanger pivot smooth? Are your trucks really loose or really tight?

[@Loner2012AT]

Great video instruction! Nice tip with the grip tape paper. Was looking for info to partially restore a vintage deck.

[@RatVision]

The next video we will post will be on bushings. Most of it has already been filmed. It won't be posted for a while though. It will be good and blow peoples minds.

[@RatVision]

Yes.

[@RatVision]

Few options here. You can continue to ride the board backwards. If it feels good, do it. There are some companies that have come out with older shapes from the late 80's/early 90's where the deck is a little wider and the tail and nose are a little bigger. Can't think of a brand. A lot of the pop has to do with the distance from the tip of the tail to the ground. If you have small wheels you won't get higher pop. You can also try riser pads too. This can give you the feel of a big steep tail.

[@RatVision]

Good!!!

[@AOELINX123]

thanks so much for these tips.I haven't needed to use them yet but I'll know they'll come in handy. :)

[@AnklepantsSkateZine]

This is actually a really good way to save money in skateboarding. A bottle of glue costs far less than a new deck, and you don't use much on one fix, so the bottle lasts for many repairs. A worn tail can get worse fast, then you need to spend $30-$50 on a new deck. A cheap bottle of wood glue makes the board last longer than without, thus saving you money and allowing you more board time. I actually glue my board together all the time when it's like that. Great vid!

[@RatVision]

Yes. Take a look at our video for fixing a chip.

[@scatman538]

These videos are gonna save me hundreds of dollars!

[@brendenlawson8542]

That's amazing, with my last board I just used some wood glue and a clamp. I don't have a lot of sand paper around the house so I never really thought about it, but if the same thing happens to my board I have now then I try it out, Thanks a lot bud.

[@RatVision]

We plan on it.

[@imALTAMONTING567]

i also tried this...it works really good

[@RatVision]

We have been working hard on another project. We hope to post more videos this summer.

[@RatVision]

Yes street trucks can work. There are just a couple issues. The geometry with longboard trucks is better for turning and stability. Wider trucks are also better for ongboards.

[@chefrederick6849]

Wow this channel is really really helpful, like seriously helpful

[@AnklepantsSkateZine]

As I've said before, I really enjoi these videos. If you ever get around to making more, perhaps a tutorial on applying rails and skid plates to the deck would come in handy (I am currently unsure how to pick out skid plates for a freestyle deck). How about low trucks vs high trucks, freestyle wheels vs street wheels vs filmer wheels, or a fun video on what to do with decks you no longer use (turn them into cruisers, build furniture with them, etc.). This channel is great!

[@SuperEvilC]

I just did this with my 22 year old deck. Just got back into skating and I can't afford to get a new board just yet. Thanks for all the great tips!

[@RatVision]

What would you like to know? Anything specific?

[@RatVision]

We will have more after we launch our new website. I'm dying to make more, so there will be more.

[@KVHanawaltVO]

Thank you sir for this good lesson and now I am subscribing this channel!!

[@RatVision]

YES! Glue will soak through regular paper and possibly glue the clamping call to your deck!

[@RatVision]

We will this Summer.

[@MrTheblockbuilder]

looks so nice after u fixed it!

[@RatVision]

It definitely could be the wheels depending on the surface you are skating on. If you are riding on rough road then really hard wheels will slow you down. The size of the wheels will also effect how much speed you get. Get softer wheels, and maybe bigger wheels too.

[@RatVision]

Yes. We will in the near future.

[@hbhill7563]

My decks have to last me about 5-6 months and this video helped alot thankyou!

[@RatVision]

Woo Woo! Thanks

[@pissingspeedrun]

@Santiago Abreu: try to get shock pads, or if you are skating streets, get softer wheels. Hope this helped

[@crazydude4971]

That's awesome, I look forward to it.

[@RatVision]

We will have videos on bushings and trucks, and more on wheels.

[@nelson7547]

your videos have helped me alot thanks man :)

[@RatVision]

A split like that is usually caused by your board getting wet at one point. There isn't much you can do. You can add some wood glue to help it from getting worse or separating from the other plies.

[@vapa117]

awesome videos. you should make some videos on how to repaint skateboards from sanding down the old design to choosing the right paint and etc. it'll be really helpful :3 keep up the awesome job

[@jacobguenther823]

thank you for posting this, my deck is starting to razor tail and has a couple small chips.

[@alfiemuhd3336]

that helped a lot thanks !

[@RatVision]

One is super.