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Ski Tuning and Waxing

planb420

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Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Messages
874
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Location
Winsted, CT
Figure I'd post my method here and see what the Veteran waxers out there think. Its a system I have worked on for the past 3 seasons or so, it just got too expensive to take it somewhere to have it done only to get back an inferior product..especially when i get out over 80 days and have 6 boards.



My setup is about as basic as it gets as far as my "Board Vice" goes, my "vice" is simply one 6ft long 2x4 with 2 milk crates attached, and to keep the top sheet undamaged I have placed old kitchen towels over the edges of the milk crates where it contacts the board.
:dontknow:
There are many ways to wax your board but I'll write up just a general waxing for riding. (other kinds are like a hot scape or waxing the base for storage).

The Gear you will need: Plastic scraper(s) always best to have more than one (one with a notch for cleaning wax off the edges is ideal but not nessessary, a also dont use metal ones), Gummy Stone (red) to debur edges, cork brush, nylon bristled brush (texture brush), Waxing Iron (NOT A HOUSEHOLD ONE...will work but not nearly as well) trust me and invest your money here...usually about 40-60 bucks for a decent one, Swix "scotch brite" pads, Murphys Citruis Oil Soap spray (base cleaner), and wax (user preference). Safety materials (ganja), beers, and some tunes.

The Process:
Step one: Remove Bindings and ALL HARDWARE (i.e. if its a burton channel remove the sliders) if you dont the metal will heat up once the iron is applied and cause you base to pucker...not the end of the world but it will make things harder to scrape later on.

Step two: Clean the top sheet, channel, inserts from tip to tail with the Murphys and some paper towel.

Step Three: Now flip the board its time to inspect the base/edges and give the base a good prep. Iwill visually check all the edges to look for seperations or gaps. (found one early enough a few seasons ago to have burton replace the board for no charge, so this can pay off) I will also check for deep scratches/core shots (areas of missing ptex all the way to the wood core). Once the inspection is done I will take the nylon brush and brush the entire base tip to tail to remove sand and other imbedded debris.

Step Four: Take your gummy stone to the edges and run it flat along the base edge around the entire board to remove the small burrs that develope while riding, then do the same on the sidewall edge laying it on the edge at the same angle and running it along the edge the same as the base. (This is also the time I would de-tune the edges, but thats for another post) Once you have de-burred your edges run your paper towel with some Murphys on it to clean up the shavings.

Step Five: Lightly spray the base with the Murphys and wipe tip to tail in a firm back an forth motion. This should remove any loose wax particles and any other unwanted particulate on your base before you add you new wax and lock it in the pores. MAKE SURE TO LET THE BASE COMPLETELY DRY OUT from the Murphys before you move on to the next step!!

Step Six: Now its time for the wax, I like to take the bar and do a quick rub down from tip to tail to ensure coverage. Then you take the Iron and melt the wax in a dripping fashion over the base. Make sure you concentrate the majority of the wax along the edges as they are what gets used the most when riding. Dont go crazy in the drip stage...remember whatever extra you put on not only do you have to scrape off but its also lost cost interms of wax. (it will take you a few times to get the perfect amount) When I wax my boards I tend to do a wax blend..... I rub on some Lib Tech Bananna Wax and drip on a very little bit, then I drip apply my Swix Snowboard FX wax over the entire board. (all in the same step so in the next it is melted into the base together) Apply wax to the curved tip and tail sparingly as its a pain in the ass to scrape off later.)

Step Seven: Use your iron to melt the wax into the base from tip to tail (DO NOT move the iron in an edge to edge motion...ONLY TIP TO TAIL) PRO TIP: DONT LEAVE THE IRON IN ONE PLACE OR WORK ONE SPOT TOO LONG, as this could burn the base and close the pores in that spot forever, it could also lead to delam in your board...both suck SO DONT DO IT!

Step Eight: Patience........let the board sit as long as you can, this allows the pores in the base to close and lock in the wax you just worked so hard to lay into it. I prefer to let it sit over night to be sure, but if your in a hurry you can just find a cool spot in your house and place it there for a few hours before moving on.

Step Nine: Scrape and Scrape and Scrape.....and just when you think your done SCRAPE AGAIN!!!!!! Seriously you will hate yourself if you dont get it all so keep going till nothing comes off. When scraping vary the edge your using on your scraper as the miniscule edge variences will keep you from removing the wax efficently (as the edges dull they can be resharpened with a dremel tool). DO THIS TIP TO TAIL AS WELL! (the reason this is stressed is because the board texture runs from tip to tail and you want to maintain that structure as much as possible through this process). If you have a scraper with the notch use it to clean the wax off all edges, if not then use the skinny edge to clean off the rails.

Step Ten: The finish, once all has been scraped off then take your Nylon/Texture brush and use it in a Tip to Tail motion to re-structure your base as well as cleaning wax debris out of said texture. I then like to take my cork brush and with firm even pressure I wipe from Tip to Tail to work in any remaining bits of wax that went unchecked in the earlier steps. (this brush creates friction and helps to melt and distribute the leftover wax into the base, the base should have almost a glossy look) Once the cork brush done I then take a Swix "scotch brite pad" and gently wipe from Tip to Tail to re-lay the texture back into the base. (this texture is key to breaking the suction between your board and the thin layer of water formed beneath it while riding.)

Step Eleven: Remount and ENJOY THAT SHIT!:thumbup:
 

dlague

Active member
Joined
Nov 7, 2012
Messages
8,792
Points
36
Location
CS, Colorado
Figure I'd post my method here and see what the Veteran waxers out there think. Its a system I have worked on for the past 3 seasons or so, it just got too expensive to take it somewhere to have it done onlyhttp://forums.alpinezone.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=802311 to get back an inferior product..especially when i get out over 80 days and have 6 boards.



My setup is about as basic as it gets as far as my "Board Vice" goes, my "vice" is simply one 6ft long 2x4 with 2 milk crates attached, and to keep the top sheet undamaged I have placed old kitchen towels over the edges of the milk crates where it contacts the board.
:dontknow:
There are many ways to wax your board but I'll write up just a general waxing for riding. (other kinds are like a hot scape or waxing the base for storage).

The Gear you will need: Plastic scraper(s) always best to have more than one (one with a notch for cleaning wax off the edges is ideal but not nessessary, a also dont use metal ones), Gummy Stone (red) to debur edges, cork brush, nylon bristled brush (texture brush), Waxing Iron (NOT A HOUSEHOLD ONE...will work but not nearly as well) trust me and invest your money here...usually about 40-60 bucks for a decent one, Swix "scotch brite" pads, Murphys Citruis Oil Soap spray (base cleaner), and wax (user preference). Safety materials (ganja), beers, and some tunes.

The Process:
Step one: Remove Bindings and ALL HARDWARE (i.e. if its a burton channel remove the sliders) if you dont the metal will heat up once the iron is applied and cause you base to pucker...not the end of the world but it will make things harder to scrape later on.

Step two: Clean the top sheet, channel, inserts from tip to tail with the Murphys and some paper towel.

Step Three: Now flip the board its time to inspect the base/edges and give the base a good prep. Iwill visually check all the edges to look for seperations or gaps. (found one early enough a few seasons ago to have burton replace the board for no charge, so this can pay off) I will also check for deep scratches/core shots (areas of missing ptex all the way to the wood core). Once the inspection is done I will take the nylon brush and brush the entire base tip to tail to remove sand and other imbedded debris.

Step Four: Take your gummy stone to the edges and run it flat along the base edge around the entire board to remove the small burrs that develope while riding, then do the same on the sidewall edge laying it on the edge at the same angle and running it along the edge the same as the base. (This is also the time I would de-tune the edges, but thats for another post) Once you have de-burred your edges run your paper towel with some Murphys on it to clean up the shavings.

Step Five: Lightly spray the base with the Murphys and wipe tip to tail in a firm back an forth motion. This should remove any loose wax particles and any other unwanted particulate on your base before you add you new wax and lock it in the pores. MAKE SURE TO LET THE BASE COMPLETELY DRY OUT from the Murphys before you move on to the next step!!

Step Six: Now its time for the wax, I like to take the bar and do a quick rub down from tip to tail to ensure coverage. Then you take the Iron and melt the wax in a dripping fashion over the base. Make sure you concentrate the majority of the wax along the edges as they are what gets used the most when riding. Dont go crazy in the drip stage...remember whatever extra you put on not only do you have to scrape off but its also lost cost interms of wax. (it will take you a few times to get the perfect amount) When I wax my boards I tend to do a wax blend..... I rub on some Lib Tech Bananna Wax and drip on a very little bit, then I drip apply my Swix Snowboard FX wax over the entire board. (all in the same step so in the next it is melted into the base together) Apply wax to the curved tip and tail sparingly as its a pain in the ass to scrape off later.)

Step Seven: Use your iron to melt the wax into the base from tip to tail (DO NOT move the iron in an edge to edge motion...ONLY TIP TO TAIL) PRO TIP: DONT LEAVE THE IRON IN ONE PLACE OR WORK ONE SPOT TOO LONG, as this could burn the base and close the pores in that spot forever, it could also lead to delam in your board...both suck SO DONT DO IT!

Step Eight: Patience........let the board sit as long as you can, this allows the pores in the base to close and lock in the wax you just worked so hard to lay into it. I prefer to let it sit over night to be sure, but if your in a hurry you can just find a cool spot in your house and place it there for a few hours before moving on.

Step Nine: Scrape and Scrape and Scrape.....and just when you think your done SCRAPE AGAIN!!!!!! Seriously you will hate yourself if you dont get it all so keep going till nothing comes off. When scraping vary the edge your using on your scraper as the miniscule edge variences will keep you from removing the wax efficently (as the edges dull they can be resharpened with a dremel tool). DO THIS TIP TO TAIL AS WELL! (the reason this is stressed is because the board texture runs from tip to tail and you want to maintain that structure as much as possible through this process). If you have a scraper with the notch use it to clean the wax off all edges, if not then use the skinny edge to clean off the rails.

Step Ten: The finish, once all has been scraped off then take your Nylon/Texture brush and use it in a Tip to Tail motion to re-structure your base as well as cleaning wax debris out of said texture. I then like to take my cork brush and with firm even pressure I wipe from Tip to Tail to work in any remaining bits of wax that went unchecked in the earlier steps. (this brush creates friction and helps to melt and distribute the leftover wax into the base, the base should have almost a glossy look) Once the cork brush done I then take a Swix "scotch brite pad" and gently wipe from Tip to Tail to re-lay the texture back into the base. (this texture is key to breaking the suction between your board and the thin layer of water formed beneath it while riding.)

Step Eleven: Remount and ENJOY THAT SHIT!:thumbup:

One technique I have seen is to use brushes to brush in a diagonal pattern from center to wick water off to the sides. Skis however go tip to tail. Not sure if that is any better for snowboards.
 

planb420

New member
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Messages
874
Points
0
Location
Winsted, CT
One technique I have seen is to use brushes to brush in a diagonal pattern from center to wick water off to the sides. Skis however go tip to tail. Not sure if that is any better for snowboards.


Certainly worth a try, thanks for the tip!
 
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