What Is A Razor Tail On A Skateboard?

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No matter how long you’ve been skating, you will get a razor tail at some point. A razor tail happens when the nose or bottom of a skateboard gets so thin and sharp that it looks like a razor. When this happens, your skateboard loses shape and pops, making skating harder.

When the tail of your skateboard wears down and becomes sharp, you should take action; this is called a “razor tail.”

Once a skateboarder starts pulling the tail to stop, manually, or landing flip tricks, they will all experience a sharp seat. Over time, the weight and pressure will cause the bottom to chip or crack. When a board has a “razor tail,” it is more likely to chip or break.

Common reasons for razor tail

1. Scraping the tail

Most cases of razor tails are caused by pulling or cutting the bottom. Tail scraping is a popular way to slow down and look cool, but if you do it often, your tail layers will go away faster than you expect.

Tail scraping also makes it more likely that your board will get chipped. A chipped board with a sharp edge will hurt your legs in the long run.

It is when you put your weight on your back foot and let the tail or nose of your board run on the ground. It’s OK to do this sometimes, but you should also use other ways to stop your board.

2. Putting your board in the air

Every skater who wants to learn tricks has to do something called “popping” with their board. When you pop, your tail hits the ground and gets squashed because of the pressure.

Even When you get better at popping, it doesn’t scrape your tail as much, but when you’re just starting, you often rub your seat instead of popping.

How to Stop a Razor Tail on a Skateboard?

If you want to avoid a skateboard razor tail, try to avoid cutting your seat as much as possible. You can buy safe goods, but knowing many ways to stop is best. Let’s look at everything you can to avoid getting a razor tail.

1. Guards for the back of the car

You need a tail guard if you hate razor tail and want it to stop for good. The tail guard keeps your seat from getting filed down, but I suggest this for cruiser boards. The tail guard adds weight, which makes it harder to do flip tricks and keep your balance. You will also need to drill holes and put them in.

If you are not careful, the board can also get pressure cracks.

If you have a regular skateboard and are considering getting a tail guard, consider putting carbon fiber on the bottom of your board. Carbon fiber is strong and light, so it will keep your board safe for long. Skid plates are another name for tail guards.

2. Heel Stop

The heel brake helps me most when I’m going too fast to do the trick. You put your non-dominant foot out and let your heel scrape on the ground.

This slows you down and hurts your shoes instead of your tail. Because you don’t want to wear out your shoes either, you need to use more than this to stop.

3. Brake Foot

Foot braking is the most common way to slow down on a skateboard. People mostly use it when they want to slow down while going fast. If they need to stop quickly or if they need to turn soon but have too much speed.

You do this by putting the foot you don’t use most often on the ground and putting pressure on it until you slow down or stop altogether. Foot braking wears out your shoe, but you can wear it more evenly by putting pressure on different spots.

4. Slides in power

Powerslide is the best way to slow down. When you powerslide, you don’t hurt your legs or shoes but break your wheels. When you skate fast, you usually powerslide. You shift your weight to your feet and slide into a 90-degree angle, putting most of your weight on your back foot.

Powerslide is a more advanced way to stop. If you don’t do it right, your wheels will catch, and you’ll fall off. You only wear down your wheels this time, so be careful to do it only sometimes.

Your wheels will get flat spots after a while. When your wheels get flat spots, it’s time to get new ones. Click here to find out more about when you should change your tires.

5. Out Of

If you can, jumping off is the best thing to do. You wear out your gear in all the other ways, but when you jump off, your equipment is kept intact. If you are going fast, you should slow down usually, but if you can, you should jump off the board.

How do you fix a razor tail on a skateboard?

You can fix the sharp tail on your skateboard in two ways if you don’t want to buy a new deck immediately.

1. Make a mold out of aluminum foil for your tail.

Tear a square piece of metal foil about 12 inches on a side. You will need enough to fold it in half and still be able to shape it around the curve of your tail.
You will make a fence-like barrier to catch the extra glue in this step.
Put your skateboard on the folded aluminum foil sheet with the picture facing up.

Pull the tin foil’s edges up so it curls around your tail.
Ensure the foil is close to your tail and the flat part is very close to your grip tape. The glue will leak onto your grip tape if it’s not tight.
Smooth out the wrinkles in the paper with your finger before you pour the cement in.

The result will be better if you make the shape smooth.

2. Put the first layer of glue on the wood.

In this step, you will put down your first layer of glue.
About 1/8″ of glue should be enough to fill in your razor tail. In this step, you will add your first layer.

You want to add only a little, or you’ll get a bubble of glue that won’t dry. You only need to make a thin layer of glue that will be the first layer.

3. After two to three hours, add the second layer of glue.

You can add the second layer now that the first one is starting to dry.
This step is to add more glue to fill in the missing wood on your tail.

4. Level the tail of your board and add more wood glue to fill it.

To finish the shape of your tail, you will need to add more wood glue in certain spots or do step three again with a new layer. It’s time to do that now.
For this step, it is also best to make the tail as flat as possible so the glue can sit on it and set.
Try putting a small table or books under your skateboard deck to raise it.

When the old part is flat instead of sloping down, it is easier for the glue to stick the way you want it to.
I used an old cereal box for this step. Make sure that whatever you use, you won’t mind getting glue on it.

5. Wait another 1-2 hours, then take off the foil.

After another 1 to 2 hours, check to see if the glue is starting to get a little bit harder or gummy. If it is, take down your shield of metal foil.

The primary goal of this step is to assist you in removing some of the bits of foil that will be stuck to the edge of your tail. If you can get rid of it at the right time, you won’t have to clean any of it up.
If you leave the foil on too long, you can always use a sharp blade to scrape it off once everything is dry.
Once you take off the foil, there might be some wet glue sticking out past your tail.

Take an old pen and fold it back into place.
Use the pen like a paintbrush to shape the glue back on your tail.

6. Let it dry until it’s hard enough to skate on.

Wood glue needs some time to dry, so wait at least 24 hours before skating on it.

I like to put it in front of a fan for a few hours.
You’ll know it’s ready to skate on when it stops feeling soft.

7. Cleaning up the shape by sanding the glue

Knowing that your tail will automatically get smoother as you skate is essential.

But if you want to, you can also sand down any extra glue that has set and change the shape of the edge of your tail.

Does Razor Tail affect how well your board works?

A sharp tail can be wrong regarding how well something works. When your razor tail gets so bad that your board looks more square, it’s time to get a new deck. If your board is at this point, it also has a lot of other wear.

When you have a sharp tail, you lose pop. You can still do tricks, but the father is better when you don’t have one.

Does razor tail affect pop?

When skateboarding with a fully razor-tailed deck, it can be harder to do tricks like ollies because the tail can make the board less stable and pop. When the tail of a skateboard wears down too much, it gets a sharp, thin tip that can catch on the ground and make the board lose its pop. This is called a “razor tail.”

Does razor tail affect Ollie?

If you try to ollie with a fully razor-tailed deck, the board might not pop or move as well as it should, making it harder to get the height and control you need for a good ollie. Your ollie may be much smaller than usual, making it harder for you to land tricks regularly.

To keep your skateboard deck in good shape, sand down any rough spots or “razor tails” that may form over time. If the tail of your deck is very sharp, you should get a new deck or replace the bottom to bring back the board’s pop and stability.

If you keep your deck in good shape, you should be able to do tricks like ollies more efficiently and consistently.

In the end

If you skate the same board for a long time, you can avoid getting a sharp tail.

However, you can quickly fix your razor tail with wood glue., clamps, and sanding. If you want to set a razor tail, you must know that the bottom will get too short, and you must replace the deck.

If you skate with a sharp tail, your pop will be less. It won’t be too different, but it will be less. If you want to avoid razor tails, you must use all the different ways to slow down. Even a tiny sharp tail shouldn’t stop you from sliding, and the board is still very skateable.

You will get a razor tail faster if your bottom scrapes a lot. All skaters get razor tails; eventually, you must buy a new board.

FAQs (frequently asked Questions)

Q: Should I replace my board when it gets a razor tail?

If you have a bad case of razor tails, I recommend using the board as a traveler or backup board.

Q: Is razor tail even really that big of a deal?

There is some truth to that. Your board can get razor tail so bad that it loses its pop, but it would have to get to a certain point before that happens.