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Waxxing help!! +k for advice

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peter0516
Posts: 892 - Karma: 53
alright so i just picked up a swix waxing kit from backcountry

it came with the iron some waxes a bursh and the scraper

i waxed and scraped like the directions and also videos on here and youtube said and now im not sure how to tell if i have enough wax or to much ? how do u tell that u have the right amount of wax on ur skis ??

can anyone help me

thanks
Jan 11 2012 8:50PM
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DrZoidberg
Posts: 5674 - Karma: 4,227
I've heard enough to keep the iron from touching bare base.
Jan 11 2012 8:52PM
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mscinto
Posts: 603 - Karma: 68
your ski should be completely free of wax, the wax works by sinking into the pores of your base
Jan 11 2012 8:52PM
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TACO-DOG.exe
Posts: 11986 - Karma: 12,239
the bases should have absorbed the wax, so i don't think that there should be any actual wax on your skis.

not too sure though, i haven't waxed my skis in over a year
Jan 11 2012 8:53PM
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richard.
Posts: 873 - Karma: 55
I don't think you can have too much wax (it's just more to scrap off). From what I know, just make a line of wax across the entire ski.
Jan 11 2012 8:53PM
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mscinto
Posts: 603 - Karma: 68
yea hes right
Jan 11 2012 8:55PM
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oil.
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,254
this is true
but you dont have to scrape until death getting every single grain of wax. its ok to leave some in the base, so dont be brushing for 3 hours unless you are using a very hard wax. plus, as long as you get the stuff off the top, youll be fine. even in racing waxing isnt making differences of a couple milliseconds, so if your just skiing park the main goal of waxing should be just keeping your bases healthy and to prevent them form getting TO slow.
Jan 11 2012 9:00PM
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peter0516
Posts: 892 - Karma: 53
well this is what i did

i first did a layer of wax then hot scraped it off

then brushed it

after that i layed some more wax on it let it sit for about 5 hours

then scraped it off and now im not sure if i did it right

when i slide my hand down the bases its smooth but im having trouble with the tips since there is two metal circles to hold the k2 bases together and i feel like theres alot of wax building up there

any advice towards athat?
Jan 11 2012 9:03PM
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skithesprings
Posts: 9086 - Karma: 1,349
myth: ski bases have pores


Jan 11 2012 9:04PM
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casual
Posts: 6712 - Karma: 6,746
how is it that every reply so far is from someone who doesn't actually wax skis?

There's no real such thing as "too much wax". Yeah, you can use more than you need, but you won't hurt anything.

Make sure your skis are room temp.....cold skis/bases don't absorb wax! You should wipe off your bases, scrape off the old wax, maybe use a base cleaner/wax remover chemical. Let the iron heat up, just a couple minutes, move the corner of the wax (use the right temp wax, cold wax for cold days, etc.) in a figure 8 against the corner of the iron and just drip what melts off the iron evenly down the length of the ski. You want a bunch of droplets all over the ski.....you don't need to literally cover the ski in wax drips, but you want a decent amount. The first time I waxed, I ended up using too much, I think that's pretty common.

Anyway, when you've got your base pretty well covered, start moving the iron back and forth down the length of the ski for maybe.....5-7 minutes per ski. you literally want to heat up the ski with the iron, you should feel a bit of heat on the underside of the ski. As you heat the bases, the pores of the ski open and receive the wax. You basically just want to evenly distribute the wax along the length of the ski. Very important to never take an iron to a ski base without any wax, good way to burn your bases and basically fuck your skis.

The longer you wait to scrape the skis, the better, it's just more time for the wax to absorb and situate into your bases. Wait at least 30 minutes, overnight if possible. You don't have to get too carried away with scraping, brushing, or buffing. Plenty of people barely scrape their skis, and honestly after a few runs, your skis will be as good as scraped. I personally like to wait about an hour, or overnight, then I scrape with a plastic scraper until no wax is visibly peeling off. Then, I typically take a piece of semi-rough sponge, or a piece of buff cloth and apply pressure and buff the bases til they're really smooth.

You're all set! Waxing skis is idiot proof, all you can do wrong is use a warm wax on a cold day (middle of the road, all temp wax is fine, wax types aren't a HUGE deal, but if it's going to be -5F and you use wax designed for 32F, it won't be optimal) or the worst thing is to let the iron sit in one place to long, or on a part of the ski not covered in wax.
Jan 11 2012 9:15PM
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casual
Posts: 6712 - Karma: 6,746
ski bases don't have pores? That's a pretty pervasive myth then I guess.
Jan 11 2012 9:16PM
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NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,409
What does the wax absorb into then, or how?
Jan 11 2012 9:16PM
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bleevus
Posts: 1308 - Karma: 2,049
Step 1: Use iron to drip wax down annd back on the ski once.
Step 2:Place iron on ski and spread wax evenly throughout ski, but if the iron is on the base for too long, the base will blister.
Step 3:Scrape wax off tip to tail.
Step 4:Use brush to remove any leftover wax, also tip to tail.

And you dont really need the wax on your tips, so that shouldnt be a problem.
Jan 11 2012 9:17PM
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casual
Posts: 6712 - Karma: 6,746
hahaha apparently ski bases don't have pores! Soooo funny, I've believed that for YEARS! Geez...
Jan 11 2012 9:17PM
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Tucks
Posts: 2120 - Karma: 161
The videos here will help you greatly in all your waxing endeavors.
Jan 11 2012 9:20PM
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TACO-DOG.exe
Posts: 11986 - Karma: 12,239
>implying nobody waxes their skis.
Jan 11 2012 9:23PM
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peter0516
Posts: 892 - Karma: 53
waht should i do to make my skis nice and shiny and smooth after i wax and scrape? someone suggested the green side of a sponge
Jan 11 2012 9:24PM
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Midge.
Posts: 381 - Karma: 12
Actually, it is possible to burn the bases, causing them to contract and never absorb wax again.

This can be prevented by not having your iron too hot, and not holding the iron in one place too long. About 2 finger widths of liquid wax behind the iron is the correct speed/heat.
Jan 11 2012 9:28PM
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Tucks
Posts: 2120 - Karma: 161
scrape scrape scrape; coarse, medium, then fine brush
your kit probably didn't come with these so just scrape and then use the brush. quite honestly the rest will ski off and you will be just as fast. Don't get all bent out of shape if there is a little buildup of wax on the base
Jan 11 2012 9:29PM
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LivinOuttaBounZ
Posts: 949 - Karma: 382
This!
Jan 11 2012 9:31PM
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casual
Posts: 6712 - Karma: 6,746
I said TWICE in that post not to burn your bases by letting the iron sit in one place, or by putting the iron on a ski with no wax...
Jan 11 2012 9:34PM
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skithesprings
Posts: 9086 - Karma: 1,349
This sums it up in a short read.  There is no scroll bar, but it scrolls with the arrow keys.  This article includes quotes from major wax and base manufactures saying that bases do not have pores

http://www.escnordic.org.uk/myths/pores.htm

This is a very long but interesting paper written on the topic.

http://epubl.ltu.se/1402-1757/2006/03/LTU-LIC-0603-SE.pdf

Jan 11 2012 9:36PM
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Midge.
Posts: 381 - Karma: 12
I apologize. I somehow missed the last sentence. My bad.
Jan 11 2012 9:36PM
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parkrider.
Posts: 181 - Karma: 25
dont scrape off too much otherwise it won't last long and you'll see your bases turn white again
Jan 11 2012 9:38PM
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Bamjam
Posts: 200 - Karma: 129
You don't need very much, just enough to cover the whole base. Doesn't matter at all though if you have too much because all the excess will just get rubbed off in the first run anyway.

When I wax mine, I get a fairly thin, consistent layer of wax on the bases. Then I wait like 20-30 minutes for them to dry, then I use a big piece of cork that my dad's had since he worked in a ski shop and rub the bases with it.
Jan 11 2012 9:39PM
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peter0516
Posts: 892 - Karma: 53
i scraped it down enough so when i use the plexi scraper nothing comes up anymore
Jan 11 2012 9:43PM
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casual
Posts: 6712 - Karma: 6,746
Yeah, after I read your post, I googled and found an article entitled "pores for thought". I thought it was very interesting, thanks for the info, man. One of those things that I have literally always heard and believed, haha
Jan 11 2012 9:45PM
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Ski_Alot
Posts: 5884 - Karma: 3,502
no, they actually do... i nordic ski (no hate please), i have spent far to much time fucking around with waxes...
Jan 11 2012 9:56PM
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skithesprings
Posts: 9086 - Karma: 1,349
sorry bro. I'll post it again for you.

This sums it up in a short read.  There is no scroll bar, but it scrolls with the arrow keys.  This article includes quotes from major wax and base manufactures saying that bases do not have pores

http://www.escnordic.org.uk/myths/pores.htm

This is a very long but interesting paper written on the topic.

http://epubl.ltu.se/1402-1757/2006/03/LTU-LIC-0603-SE.pdf


Jan 11 2012 9:59PM
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peter0516
Posts: 892 - Karma: 53
what is the ideal times to wax ur skis? every 6 or 7 days or what
Jan 11 2012 10:05PM
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skithesprings
Posts: 9086 - Karma: 1,349
depends on the snow, but you should be able to see and feel a difference when the bases start to get dry
Jan 11 2012 10:07PM
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peter0516
Posts: 892 - Karma: 53
yea i feel u when im slideing rails im sticking halfway threw so i just waxed them up hopefully it helps
Jan 11 2012 10:10PM
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chiefbroseph
Posts: 720 - Karma: 522
eh, your edges probably catch the rail, not a dehydrated base
Jan 11 2012 10:17PM
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peter0516
Posts: 892 - Karma: 53
but when im riding down the mtn also i feel like sometimes i just randomly get slower as if im sticking
Jan 11 2012 10:20PM
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KyleA
Posts: 865 - Karma: 510
haha.  I'm glad somebody actually takes the time to read things I post.
Jan 11 2012 10:24PM
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skithesprings
Posts: 9086 - Karma: 1,349
forgot, credit to this man^

I didn't feel like actually looking up articles so I copy pastad
Jan 11 2012 10:26PM
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skithesprings
Posts: 9086 - Karma: 1,349
simply put, ski bases are very textured, the wax adheres to the textured surface when melted.
Jan 11 2012 10:30PM
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KyleA
Posts: 865 - Karma: 510
Waxing is around today because it was necessary in the times of wooden based skis.  The wood was able to absorb water and wax was used to keep them dry and it did offer gliding benefits.  With newer composite skis came UHMW bases which eliminated the need for wax due to the hydrophobicity of the material.  Ideally, unaltered P-tex would be used as bases of skis, but it is nearly impossible to get a completely flat base out of a ski press.  Therefore the bases must be sanded flat which abrades the surface and hinders the bases from sliding on snow.  Wax is used to smooth the bases out to bring the p-tex as close to its original state as possible.  Wax will make skis temporarily faster, but it is not as important as everyone seems to think for the longevity of their skis.
Jan 11 2012 10:40PM
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DrZoidberg
Posts: 5674 - Karma: 4,227
That other thread had some link to a paper about this. The idea is that if the base had pores large enough to absorb even basic hydrocarbon waxes, which are larger then water molecules, then the base would easily absorb water.

But if the pores are very small, smaller then water molecules, and do open when heated and absorb the large hydrocarbons then the pores thing would make sense. Then they close up after cooling so they don't absorb water.
Jan 12 2012 12:26PM
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KyleA
Posts: 865 - Karma: 510
I'm no MSE so I don't exactly know the answer to this, but If you were to heat the bases up, wouldn't the molecules expand and fill the voids or pores?  And when the bases contracted the molecules would contract revealing any existing dislocations?
Jan 12 2012 2:13PM
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KyleA
Posts: 865 - Karma: 510
^Now that I think about it this is probably not the case.
With the material constrained in such a way that it is when adhered to the ski I thought the expansion might be different.  But I guess it would not be possible to expand with out the creation of voids. 
Jan 12 2012 2:28PM
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