Waxing the snowboard

[tsondaboy 0]

Has anyone out there tried to do it by himself?

I am the “do it yourself” type and I wanna start doing it from this season.

So, before I start putting a burning hot iron on the board, I could use some tips from someone that already done it. I have downloaded some manuals about this mater but I need some practical advice.

[connackers 0]

Just started trying to do it last season, so no expert. But i think the best thing to do is just to give it a go.

 

Unless you really delibrately make an effort to you`re not going to destroy your board by waxing it badly, just effect its performance a little.

 

There`s lots of good advice on the internet, just be prepared to make a lot of mess and for it to take a long time if you haven`t done it before.

 

If you`re worried about melting the base, don`t. It will take a lot of heat, you can check by feeling the other side of the board as you wax - it should get warm but not hot

[spook 0]

You can use any iron, there's no need to buy an expensive snowboard wax specific iron made by burton or whoever. But your iron ain't going to be suitable for clothes after you use it for wax.

Keep the iron temp reasonably medium/low - if your wax starts smoking the iron is too hot.

Press wax to the warm iron and drip wax along your board. Then apply the iron to your base, moving it around slowly and letting it soak in evenly.

Let your board cool down for an hour or so.

Scrape all the wax off as thoroughly as possible - any wax not scrapped off the surface of the base will only slow you down.

Go and ride fast.

 

Some people also scrub the base with a brillo pad after they scrape, but i've never done this, although i probably should.

And there is a theory that you should use harder was near your edges, as this part of your board has more snow contact that the middle. Harder was in these areas will last longer. Again, i've never done it.

Oh, and there's different wax types for diff conditions.

[tsondaboy 0]

ok with that, but I have 2 questions.

a) Befor start puting new wax on the board, do you remoove the old one first?

How do you aply first the base/cleaning wax and then the normal wax?

[nzlegend 1]

I use that instant stuff "Swix" it good enough for a weekend hack like me and its cheap and easy.

It comes with a cleaner and a wax.

[spook 0]

yeah, i have no idea about cleaning wax or base layers. i just generally make sure my board is free of any grime, give it a quick wipe, and then away i go. i'm not into tecnhical tuning or waxing, i just like a bit of speed, and i've found that basic waxing over the past 3 seasons has done me fine.

i also put a coat of wax on at the end of the season, and then clean it off just before the next season starts, so that my base doesn't dry out over summer. anyone else do this?

[Telleboy 0]

I run a ski and snowboard workshop in Hakuba,2 hints, Remove old wax, I find that citrus cleaner from old Komeri works same as any other ski brand cleaner, its all the same stuff, sprey it on then use a metal scraper (blunt) and scrape from tip to tail, do everything tip to tail, once youve scraped dry it off with bog roll. If youve tuned youre edges first make sure all the edge filings are taken off the base. Next like everyone else said, melt on your wax, a steam iron is not so good, you want a flat based iron, if the wax smokes while your melting or spreading your irons too hot, spread the wax on every part of the board, lots of people miss spots around the edges. leave it for a while to let the wax soak in, then use a plastic scraper and remove about 70-80% of the wax, youll see when you have taken enough off cos your base will look kind of shiney, then buff with a cloth just to make it look good, now your finished but remember always tip to tail with every part of tuning. If you ever in Hakuba, come around and Ill show you some stuff you can do at home, over a beer of course. Happy tuning

[Thunderpants 0]

...i do the scraping at the resort. It makes a mess at home!

Good waxing really makes a difference, you get better speed and easier turning.

I think spray-on wax is only good for one run, after first run, it is all worn off.

ATB

Thunder

[dizzy 0]

i've never worked at a ski shop, but i've never had a problem waxing my own boards. scraping's definitely gonna make a mess, so have a tarp on the floor or do it outside.i use the same iron for my clothes, but when i wax my board, i wrap it with aluminium foil first. this way, wax doesn't get in2 the holes. two or three layers is enough. just remember to take off the aluminum B4 U iron Ur clothes again! to spread the wax out evenly, move the iron in circular motions like daniel-san sanding the floor. good luck.

[indosnm 0]

Wise man once tell me..."wax on, wax off"

[sakebomb 0]

Good advice Telleboy. I actually found a second hand wax iron cheap, less than 1000yen in a used goods shop. Makes life easier and I don't have to destroy the house iron. It is a messy job scraping of but I bought a drop sheet from daiso so cleaning up is easier if you are doing it inside.

[indosnm 0]

same here sakeB.

I got one from a used shop for a few hundred yen.

I also scrap the wax off outside in the cold. I get more off when its cooler.

[Fattwins 0]

ps cheap irons can damage your base. cheaper irons are weak teflon (spelling) and it gets scratched all to heck. these scratches can melt lines into your base. I use a covering of tin foil and waxing paper to solve this problem

[indosnm 0]

but fats, my Iron was only cheap because it was bout in a 2nd hand shop! In it's day it was the pimp daddy of irons..

[Fattwins 0]

mine was cheap too. an out metal made heavy iron rocks. but new cheap-oos are teflon so they get beat up by anything. This is the type of iron Im talking about

[sakebomb 0]

The one I scored is a board/ski waxing iron specifically made for waxing your gear. Just put the wax inside give it a minute and of you go. I haven't been to a shop to get my board waxed since I came to Japan. Doing it myself is more rewarding and convenient.

[connackers 0]

How about edge tuning, does anyone do that themselves?

 

Want to try but the only tuners i can get are all in japanese and am a bit worried about getting the settings wrong.

[Fattwins 0]

I dont worry too much I just keep the bases in good shape and the edges sharp. I dont worry about bevilling (spelling) cause I dont ski groomed too much.

[quattro 1]

One thing to consider and it’s a good reason to tune your own skis. Most shops do not hand tune your skis. They are usually placed on what equates to a large belt sander which grinds down a good bit of your base and edges. Do this one too many times and needless to say you will be in the market for some new boards.

When they hot wax a layer of wax is rolled onto your ski. It is not ironed in and will usually come off after a few runs.

Generally I try to stay away from having shops touch my skis for tuning and do it myself

[Davo 1]

Any tips for waxing a brand new board, or is it just like doing it normally?

[neurozoo 0]

All this useful information can be applied to a new snowboard too.. My biggest tips include using a short bristled nylon brush after the final craping. This does 2 things, pushes the wax deeper into the pores of the P-tex and polishes it smooth as hell. Go tip to tail like stated previously. But the thing about a new snowboard is it has 90 degree edges. That'll catch while landing spins on firm snow, so if your into the park/pipe use a simple de-tuner file on the nose/tail areas (from where the binding ends to just after the curve of the tips). If your lucky enought to ride powder all year and arent too freestylish..leve the edges alone.. simple.

[neurozoo 0]

oops.. also at most board shops you can find those nylon brushes..right next to them bid corks. almost forgot that tip. After brushing the board. Rub that cork HARD tip-to-tail.. this creates an ultra mirror finish, you'll see, trust me. a good combination of waxing, scraping good, brushing and corking will make that wax-job last longer than some relationships..

[Telleboy 0]

I just tuned a friends new board the other day and the factory tune was CRAP! Edges weren`t even 90ﾟ sqaure, so a good idea is to tune your gear before you use it the first time. Watch japanese brand boards as alot of then are experimenting with new base plastics at the mo. The Ogasaka board I tuned had a weird base, it took so long to wax it as the wax just refused to to soak in and just kept flaking off, I think they saw her coming, damn thing cost her 60 000 yen,

[connackers 0]

Just seen some info on another forum which advises against using cleaning fluid on the base each time you wax, as it dries it out.

 

Instead wax your board and scrape off the wax while warm to clean it and then wax it properly. Only use cleaning fluid every now and again.

 

http://www.adrenalintrip.net/forums/viewtopic.php?siteid=3&topicdays=45&topic=72078&forum=1&7

[Telleboy 0]

It really depends on how often you wax your board.If its like in the southern hemisphere were you must wax every 4 - 5 days riding then they are right it does dry your base out, but if its like over here and you only wax a few times every season then all sorts of crap can stick to your base when all the old wax is gone. using wax as a cleaner does work well but its a pretty expencive way to go about it.