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does it need a base grind?
its got this stuff on it and ive tried scraping it off. theyre just not as fast as they were ya know, and it really sucks not having the slickness.
so i thought maybe it was my bases, but i built a single pipe urban style rail and it slid just fine.
see pics
should i take a sander and gently sand them down?
note there is like this orangish film on the pipe. its not dirt although there is a little dirt on there, but when i spray them down the film is still present
I used to use all sorts of retarded shit to get my pvc rails slick. I even once tried crisco. Almost anything that is slippery will work. Wax is great, furniture polish was the best I've ever used.
What are you landing on? It looks like it may be dirt on your bases that is then getting pressed onto the pipe while you slide. If you look at your in run you can see a dirt path so your skis are presumably pretty dirty on the base. Maybe have a wax block and a brush at the top to clean off the bases before you drop in. That is what some dry slopes have at the top.
take a candle and slide that shit up, not too much though. I dont get why people backyard ski pvc, its much more grippy and makes everything easy, metal is more realistic and helps you learn more i think.
tomPietrowskiWhat are you landing on? It looks like it may be dirt on your bases that is then getting pressed onto the pipe while you slide. If you look at your in run you can see a dirt path so your skis are presumably pretty dirty on the base. Maybe have a wax block and a brush at the top to clean off the bases before you drop in. That is what some dry slopes have at the top.
Well, depends if I'm sucking or not. Cus at the end of the rails I just have a tarp (that's all I could find) and then If you fall off early it's like half soft rubber and the other half dirt. and as you mentioned the diet getting pushed into the rail theg was my 4th theory but didnt think it actually was the problem. How would I get the dirt ouT? Maybe scrub with a stiff brush then if that doesn't work use a super fine grade sand paper?
Soap and/or wax helps a ton, plus if you can keep ur skis cleaner before you go down that is helpful, i know i have carpet at the top of my setup that gets the dirt off pretty nice
shin-bangReally? I tried scraping it with my ski but didn't do Much. Guess I'll need to pick up some wax
for the some of the tougher areas i used a wax scraper, but this is because wax and dirt built up on my tube so the wax scraper did more work than the ski edge
SDrvperSoap and/or wax helps a ton, plus if you can keep ur skis cleaner before you go down that is helpful, i know i have carpet at the top of my setup that gets the dirt off pretty nice
yea i have the whole top turfed, and when i made the drop in theres a little lip sticking up so it basically wipes your skis before you go down.
shin-bangnote there is like this orangish film on the pipe. its not dirt although there is a little dirt on there, but when i spray them down the film is still present
could the black tarps and the sun/heat have anything to do with this?
shin-bangyea i have the whole top turfed, and when i made the drop in theres a little lip sticking up so it basically wipes your skis before you go down.
store list : rail wax
Just buy a box of IKEA or dollar store candles, works fine. Wax your skis more, clean your in run and take a scotch pad to your pvc. It is a relatively soft plastic, if you put enough effort into it you can cut through the stuff with twine. Also invest $20 in two more tarps or use green wGraorks soap so you don't kill your grass, maybe plant some too. Grass is a bit better than straight dirt, but an outdoor carpet or tarp would be better.
jackdonovancould the black tarps and the sun/heat have anything to do with this?
Potentially. I know if you paint light coloured pvc a darker colour the sun will melt or at the very least warp it. Heating it to a certain level could help the dirt to become that much more embedded in it, and yes the problem seems entirely dirt related.
i decided to do some research and it was the combination of the uv rays, and me scraping my edges on it.
heres what i found
The exposure of PVC to the UV component of sunlight causes PVC molecules in the first .001" to .002" of exposed surface to become permanently converted to a complex structure typified by polyene formations. The result is a brownish discoloration, often called "UV discoloration", "UV degradation", or more commonly "sunburned". UV discoloration does not occur where PVC is not exposed to sunlight, and ceases when exposure ends.
The discoloration process is time-dependent, and can be slowed with the addition of UV absorbers in the PVC compound. The most common additive used for this purpose is titanium dioxide, which also functions as a pigment.
Research has been done to determine the effects of long-term (two year) sunlight exposure on PVC pipe (see "UNITR-5: The Effects of Ultraviolet Aging on PVC Pipe", by the Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association.) Other than visible discoloration, the following summarizes the results on pipe physical properties:
Physical Property Performance Characterstic Effect of Sunlight Exposure
Impact Strength Impact Resistance Decrease
Tensile Strength Pressure Capacity No Effect
Modulus of Elasticity Pipe Stiffness No Effect
so i tried scrubbing with dish scratcher and soap, tried sand paper, a file, then course sand paper.
turns out the rail was sunburned and when i slid the rail it scraped some of the sunburn off, so that explains the brown streaks. lol maybe ill try sanding the whole thing down gently. ill let yall know how it goes if i end up doing it
Maybe it wore down to the inner layer which is much more rough. Happened to me last year but if you just drill new holes and rotate tie pvc a little then you'll be on the smooth part again.
