Waxing

[Johnny]

I recently started hand waxing my own board and I follow the directions that came with my Tuning kit but are there any other techniques out there to get a killer wax?

[burton71]

I recently started hand waxing my own board and I follow the directions that came with my Tuning kit but are there any other techniques out there to get a killer wax?

It will be easier to give tips/advice if you tell us what you are doing now.

[Johnny]

It will be easier to give tips/advice if you tell us what you are doing now.

 

I pretty much just sharpen up the edges and use an iron to drip wax all over the board then smooth it out with the iron (this i can't seem to get right i end up with spots that i can't seem to get smooth and seem as if they don't have enough wax in them) then i scrape till as smooth as possible and then i sorta buff it till i can't really feel any rough spots.

[Dan-]

Waxing is very simple... Just heat the iron. Use a mid setting, if you see smoke turn the iron down because you are burning the wax. Just drip wax on the board, and iron it in. Let it cool for 30 minutes or so, then scrape until the board is nice and smooth.. It's a very simple concept.

[burton71]

(this i can't seem to get right i end up with spots that i can't seem to get smooth and seem as if they don't have enough wax in them)

This could be from the iron not being hot enough. Keep adjusting the heat of the iron, if it is smoking it is too hot. Also keep in mind it doesn't matter if it is smooth or not just that it is covered with wax.

 

Here are a few more tips:

 

- I usually start off with a hot scrape. I'll drip and iron the board with some left over wax and I'll scrape it off without letting it cool. This does two things. It pulls a bunch of crap out of the base and also gets the base ready to absorb the good wax coat.

 

- Every 3rd or 4th time I'll use some base cleaner after I hot scrape the base just to give a real good cleaning.

 

- Then I wax the board taking my time to get a nice thin coat of wax all over the base. Let it cool for at least 30 mins.

 

- Once it is cooled, I will usually give it a quick run over with the iron again with no extra wax just to make sure I got everything covered well.

 

- Then it is just scraping and buffing.

[Dan-]

This could be from the iron not being hot enough. Keep adjusting the heat of the iron, if it is smoking it is too hot. Also keep in mind it doesn't matter if it is smooth or not just that it is covered with wax.

 

Here are a few more tips:

 

- I usually start off with a hot scrape. I'll drip and iron the board with some left over wax and I'll scrape it off without letting it cool. This does two things. It pulls a bunch of crap out of the base and also gets the base ready to absorb the good wax coat.

 

- Every 3rd or 4th time I'll use some base cleaner after I hot scrape the base just to give a real good cleaning.

 

- Then I wax the board taking my time to get a nice thin coat of wax all over the base. Let it cool for at least 30 mins.

 

- Once it is cooled, I will usually give it a quick run over with the iron again with no extra wax just to make sure I got everything covered well.

 

- Then it is just scraping and buffing.

 

 

I've heard mixed things about the base cleaners. Personally i've never used them so i could be wrong, but it sounds like using a base cleaner every 3rd or 4th wax is to much. I've heard of using it maybe once or twice a season. Using it to often can do more harm then good. But thats just what i've read, could be wrong.

[Ski]

Yeah, never use a base cleaner unless you are doing a p-tex repair. The best way to clean a base is to brush out the crap with a nylon then brass brush, then do a hot scrape. If you skip right to a hot scrape, you can be ironing bad stuff into your base. And if you are using a warm wax, you can skip scraping altogether. Your first run will feel a little tacky, but the snow will remove the excess wax.

[burton71]

I've heard mixed things about the base cleaners. Personally i've never used them so i could be wrong, but it sounds like using a base cleaner every 3rd or 4th wax is to much. I've heard of using it maybe once or twice a season. Using it to often can do more harm then good. But thats just what i've read, could be wrong.

For me every 3rd or 4th wax is pretty much once a season I don't have the time ro do it more then that.

 

I've heard bad stuff about using them too, but I have used them for years without any issues usually at the end of the season.

 

 

best way to clean a base is to brush out the crap with a nylon then brass brush, then do a hot scrape. If you skip right to a hot scrape, you can be ironing bad stuff into your base.

Good point, I forgot to mention that. Edited January 21, 2008 by burton71

[romemadman]

how many times so you guys wax at one time, like drippin gwas on spreading it around then scraping then another cycle, or one is enough

[Dan-]

If the snowboard is new, straight from factory you can do it a few times and allow the base to absorb as much was as possible. After that one wax cycle at a time should be enough.

[Ski]

For recreational skiing and riding, just once is fine. A base is like a sponge, you can keep loading it up by waxing and scraping and repeating it over and over. The wax then slowly makes it's way to the surface, but 99% of people just do a single coat each time with great results.

 

If the snowboard is new, straight from factory you can do it a few times and allow the base to absorb as much was as possible. After that one wax cycle at a time should be enough.

Oops, I missed that. Dan is right.

[Johnny]

When you say brush with nylon what exactly do you mean, i bought a kit and there was no nylon brush in it where do i get one?