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Waxing skis

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fssnivek
Posts: 283 - Karma: 10
after you finish waxing a ski, is it supposed to feel smooth all over the base?
or is it supposed to feel a bit grippy kinda like some rubber?
i finished waxing my skis and some parts(near the middle) are smooth and the other parts(near the tips) feel grippy. not just grippy, but a little bumpy, i scraped those parts again, but i still feel it. would it just be a messed up base?
maybe there's something wrong with the way i wax
this is how i do it
step 1. base cleaner if needed(i have public enemies so i see dirt and crap over the white bases)
step 2. copper brush, use it on the base to get the dirt particles out
step 3. crayon the wax onto the base so i have some layer of protection just incase i dont get any     dripped wax on some areas
step 4. drip wax onto base
step 5. hot scrape
step 6. cool down then scrape and brush
finished.
anything wrong?
Dec 20 2008 6:22PM
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Tucks
Posts: 2120 - Karma: 161
http://www.swixschool.com/
Dec 20 2008 6:42PM
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headlight
Posts: 165 - Karma: 15

Possibilities - It is difficult to judge a skibase by putting your finger on the base to feel if it is slippery. But the bumpy parts have me worried. Too hot an iron may singe / or burn the base, it could blister or detach. I don't know what kinda dirt u ran over ? Ski resorts have grease from machines, exhaust and ground dirt etc..

Most advanced wax monkeys stay away from base cleaners. A hot scrape should b enough. Only if u r really desperate would I dare use a base cleaner. How do u know u removed it out of your base before ironing ? What happens if base cleaner gets ironed etc...

U may have ironed in splotches. The base cleaner and / ironing too hot may have lifted the base. Seen it happen to a pair of Salomons especially tip and tail where it curves. There is little core material to hold heat in that area so takes a lot of heat to iron in wax.

If u r getting dirt - try a moly wax because it repels dirt. - but it often turns your base grey or makes splotches.

For finishing try a polishing brush - like horsehair as a finishing brush or buff it with a cloth. Use a lower temp and go slower. HOw cool did the ski go down to? Try giving it another brushin the next day.

Some guys test with a spray / spritz of water and if the water droplets are flat its a bad wax job if the water droplets stay high it repels well. Some even do a last brush with a spray of water to get rid of electrostatic forces.

Try a stone grind as a final desperate measure - at a quality shop and with a good machine with the stone having been set flat. See it it brings back the base & structure. 

If it skis OK u don't have a problem.

Dec 20 2008 10:11PM
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chazz.
Posts: 2721 - Karma: 23
I would stay away from base cleaners, not only do they clean the dirt out, they take all the wax out of the base. The reason you are waxing in the first place is to load the pores of the base up with wax, so everytime you use base cleaner you are kinda reversing all of your previous work. The more you wax a ski the faster it gets, and everytime you wax the impurities rise to the surface and then get scraped off, so essentially you are already cleaning the base.
Dec 20 2008 10:53PM
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Silence
Posts: 16030 - Karma: 149
For dirty bases i'd hot scrape and then rewax then a cool scrape. Stay away from base cleaner unless you are doing some serious base work
Dec 21 2008 3:22AM
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AJizzle
Posts: 1882 - Karma: 522
Don't hot scrape unless ur reapplying wax afterward.  I always go with a good; wax, cool scrape, brass brush, nylon brush, then finish with horsehair.  You def. want to bring out the structure of the base when ur done, and it should def feel smooth
Dec 21 2008 5:12AM
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fssnivek
Posts: 283 - Karma: 10
aww crap, i might have burned my bases then
cuz it does feel a little bit like blisters....is there anyway i can repair this?
Dec 21 2008 6:03AM
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KravtZ
Posts: 6637 - Karma: 2,629
sry dude once u burn the bases ur pretty much fucked and cant really repair it at alll
Dec 21 2008 9:51AM
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