Ski waxing

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 earlsdonwhu 03 Apr 2017
Sadly, my skiing is now over for the year and before i put several pairs of ( alpine) skis away I want to wax them.....never done it myself before.. Looking to get an iron etc but am bewildered by choice of waxes. Can anyone recommend me something pretty universal? I see there are some spray on ones plus more traditional blocks to melt.
Thanks
 top cat 03 Apr 2017
In reply to earlsdonwhu:

For summer storage I use cheap candle wax and leave it as a thick layer. At the start of winter I scrap this off and then wax with proper ski wax. For touring I just use a 'universal' wide temperature range hard wax. The spray waxes are fine for use when away from home / power point, but I rarely use them.
 doz 03 Apr 2017
In reply to earlsdonwhu:

I use Butta - www.butta.co.uk
works great, smells lovely and doesn't spread fluorocarbons all over the mountains
 tjin 03 Apr 2017
In reply to earlsdonwhu:

I have one from Swix. A dedicated skiwaxing iron is worth it, if you do it your self regularly. I can dial in the correct temperature as states on the wax packaging and it's pretty consisitant in temperature.

Do note, that the return of investment of ski maintence is not that great. So doing waxing is one thing, but if you start to go on sharpening and proper repairs, then it might not be worth it....
OP earlsdonwhu 03 Apr 2017
In reply to tjin:

Thanks all.
 blurty 03 Apr 2017
In reply to earlsdonwhu:
Don't know if you've got the gear already, but I bought my kit from Jon at the Piste Office. It was good value at the time.

The bench clamps he has are very good
Post edited at 12:40
 Dark-Cloud 03 Apr 2017
In reply to tjin:

> Do note, that the return of investment of ski maintenance is not that great. So doing waxing is one thing, but if you start to go on sharpening and proper repairs, then it might not be worth it....

Really ? I reckon i spent around £120 on kit for waxing, edge sharpening and general repairs, last time i looked a decent wax and edge would be anywhere from £20 upwards, that's a pretty good return on investments to me, especially with 4 pairs of skis between two of us to look after.
 brian_m 03 Apr 2017
In reply to earlsdonwhu:

This is a good universal wax, https://www.datawax.com/ski-snowboard/snow-waxes/universal-hydrocarbon

An old iron that won't be used for clothes again works fine.
tri-nitro-tuolumne 03 Apr 2017
In reply to earlsdonwhu:

April / May is a good time to buy a waxing iron / clamps etc, you can usually get them in a sale.
 tjin 03 Apr 2017
In reply to Dark-Cloud:

Clamps, sharpeners, side planner, proper base repair filler machine, side and base sander and time all adds up quickly.

Just waxing, yes; just need a iron, wax, scraper and brushes.
 Dark-Cloud 03 Apr 2017
In reply to tjin:

> proper base repair filler machine, side and base sander

You don't need all that for home servicing though really which is what we are talking about here, just keep on top of the edges and base with diamond files, base repairs are easy enough with the base repair candles, just get a machine grind every season or so deafening on the amount of days you do.

 dsh 03 Apr 2017
In reply to earlsdonwhu:
> Sadly, my skiing is now over for the year and before i put several pairs of ( alpine) skis away I want to wax them.....never done it myself before.. Looking to get an iron etc but am bewildered by choice of waxes. Can anyone recommend me something pretty universal? I see there are some spray on ones plus more traditional blocks to melt.Thanks

Waxing is the easiest ski maintenance, and definitely pays for itself if you ski more than a couple of days a season (plus you'll often do a better job than the shops). I wax at home beforehand every time I go skiing, if I'm on an extened trip I'll bring wax if it's longer than 3-4 days or if it's abrasive or spring conditions . Not necessary but I definitely notice the difference. Once you get the hang of it, it's only a few minutes of actual work, but you do need to wait for the wax to cool before scraping. You can also do a hot-scrape, this is to help clean out the bases though, and you need to apply more wax after. I do this once a season, before storing.

As a minimum you'll want a waxing iron, wax, plastic scraper for wax, ptex candle to fill in any gouges on the bases, metal scraper for ptex.

I also use a brass brush and a nylon brush after scraping, not necessary but definitely helps get a nice finish , and inexpensive.

For the wax unless you're racing I'd stick to hydrocarbon wax. The fluoro wax is more expensive and harmful to your health if inhaled. All temp wax is fine, cold and warm weather wax is nice to have, warm especially helpful in sticky spring conditions.

Don't buy break retainers - they're rubber bands with a brand logo and 1000% markup.

If you want to get into sharpening, you'll need an edge tool, coarse/medium/fine diamond stones, a file, and gummi stones. Also some way of holding the ski steady. However, I ski a reasonable amount (30 days this season) but have still only sharpened my skis once this season; so it's not as much of a money saver, it's just nice to be able to do if you need it, instead of having to wait at the service desk in the morning. Although if you need sharp edges then there's no fresh tracks to be had so you can wait a few minutes. The main reason I sharpen is to remove burrs from the edges. And I have never done the base edges (myself), only the side.
Post edited at 17:14
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OP earlsdonwhu 03 Apr 2017
In reply to dsh:

Thanks for the tips
 Dark-Cloud 04 Apr 2017
In reply to dsh:

> coarse/medium/fine diamond stones,

Look no further for diamond files, these do the job just fine and are a third of the price of one ski branded one:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/three-piece-mini-diamond-file-set-a54uq?cmpid=ppc...

 Jim 1003 06 Apr 2017
In reply to earlsdonwhu:

Just buy the Decathlon universal wax in liquid form, 5 minutes to apply, I use it every day prior to skiing, stops your skis being dry.
 SteveJC94 20 Apr 2017
In reply to earlsdonwhu:

Can highly recommend Toko irons. We use them at work for waxing customers skis and the one we've got has lasted 5 seasons waxing thousands of skis a year. Good gear lasts. Make sure you edge your skis first otherwise you'll scratch the base of your iron on the base edge burrs. The Holmenkol universal natural wax is the best I've used but if you want your wax to last a long time, go for a fluorocarbon or graphite wax instead.
OP earlsdonwhu 20 Apr 2017
In reply to earlsdonwhu:

Thanks again all.
 Gigga 06 Jun 2017
In reply to Dark-Cloud:

Top tip
 mike123 06 Jun 2017
In reply to Dark-Cloud:
Those files look so similar to branded ski files that I'd be tempted to buy a load and stick em on eBay ......
My tuppeneth on home waxing is that the kit pays for itself pretty quickly and if you are reasonably practical it's a very easy and satisfying job. Lots of you tube tutorials to help. The only thing I can't bring myself to spend the money on is dedicated clamps but every summer I look on eBay for some real ones to replace the two Aldi mini vices(£3 ish) and various bits of oak piled at either end that do the job presently.
edit - wax is mostly "all purpose ski wax " off eBay and occasionally a bit of holmenkol when I feel flush . Can't say I really notice the difference though.
Post edited at 17:25
Phil Ev 18 Jul 2017
In reply to earlsdonwhu:

Be careful with some of the quick fix waxes (sprays and liquids) if you are ever using skins, they can ruin the glues.

Universal hot wax is usually best.

In reply to earlsdonwhu:

I have a ski/skin glide wax stick that is designed to be applied in the field. I'm no wax expert but for storage something like that should be fine right? Saves all the hassle of heating things up.
Phil Ev 18 Jul 2017
In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:

Is it the Colltex one? Should be fine. Run it down the sides of the edges to to help prevent corrosion.

I've used vasaline and lip balm on edges over summer before, easier to put on and take off than trying to iron wax over the edges which I've never had much success with.

Cheers
In reply to Phil Ev:

It is! Was trying to remember the brand

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