How to sharpen scrapers?

Scraper sharpeners are the best. Sandpaper works too. I put the sandpaper on the bench, sticking out from under my tool box, then run it up and down against the toolbox to ensure it's going at a 90 degree angle.
 
I thought the same thing but i hucked the $16 for a swix sharpener on racewax.com and it is so nice to have. Skis used to take 30-50 passes and now it takes 10 or less. Its a fantastic investment.
 
I stopped scraping my bases a few years ago. Just started to use less wax in the waxing process... It still feels wrong, hey ... Skis still feel great.

it may add some seconds to my dual slalom time.. but then again, I have never skied DS in my life .. so.
 
scraper sharpeners are like $20 and their main benefit is that they are precision to have a 90* angle when they sharpen the scraper. otherwise, just get a file. your dad or grandpa probably has one laying around that he isn't using, otherwise just stop by ace or menards or whatever and pick one up. also, tip, use base cleaner/mineral oil on the scraper before you sharpen it to clean off wax, it helps loads
 
13772674:rubyshila said:
scraper sharpeners are like $20 and their main benefit is that they are precision to have a 90* angle when they sharpen the scraper. otherwise, just get a file. your dad or grandpa probably has one laying around that he isn't using, otherwise just stop by ace or menards or whatever and pick one up. also, tip, use base cleaner/mineral oil on the scraper before you sharpen it to clean off wax, it helps loads
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Could I use rubbing Alcohol to clean the scraper?
 
13772683:JacksonScott said:
Could I use rubbing Alcohol to clean the scraper?
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tbh idk if that'd work, but you could try. use a rag or paper towel to apply, and make sure to let any solvents air dry before you put the scraper back on your skis.
 
rub wax on like your waxing a ledge, iron on wax. No scrape, no clean up. One run and any excess wax is gone. Obviously not as good but you probably won't notice and you won't have wax all over the fucking place.
 
13772695:hemlockjibber8 said:
rub wax on like your waxing a ledge, iron on wax. No scrape, no clean up. One run and any excess wax is gone. Obviously not as good but you probably won't notice and you won't have wax all over the fucking place.
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You might as well just not wax...
 
13772695:hemlockjibber8 said:
rub wax on like your waxing a ledge, iron on wax. No scrape, no clean up. One run and any excess wax is gone. Obviously not as good but you probably won't notice and you won't have wax all over the fucking place.
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That's not how wax works, and wont affect the bases at all.
 
13772695:hemlockjibber8 said:
rub wax on like your waxing a ledge, iron on wax. No scrape, no clean up. One run and any excess wax is gone. Obviously not as good but you probably won't notice and you won't have wax all over the fucking place.
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To those saying this technique does nothing ... am I mising something?

If you rub on wax and then iron it , assuming that you are getting enough and even heat distribution, then this technique is spot on. Dripping gobs of excess wax everywhere only so you can scrape it off doesn't do anything extra...except waste wax.

this is how I wax now. No complaints. you can still scrape, but there is so little residue you can also just ride.

Can someone School me on why i may as well not wax if i'm waxing this way?
 
13772708:Hugh_Conway_jr said:
To those saying this technique does nothing ... am I mising something?

If you rub on wax and then iron it , assuming that you are getting enough and even heat distribution, then this technique is spot on. Dripping gobs of excess wax everywhere only so you can scrape it off doesn't do anything extra...except waste wax.

this is how I wax now. No complaints. you can still scrape, but there is so little residue you can also just ride.

Can someone School me on why i may as well not wax if i'm waxing this way?
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When you melt the wax, it soaks into the porous bases on your skis, making your wax job last longer and helping preserve your bases. Just rubbing it on and then scrapping it of doesn't do anything. Like I said, if you're rubbing a block of wax on your skis, you might as well just not wax, you aren't doing anything for you skis.
 
13772712:eheath said:
When you melt the wax, it soaks into the porous bases on your skis, making your wax job last longer and helping preserve your bases. Just rubbing it on and then scrapping it of doesn't do anything. Like I said, if you're rubbing a block of wax on your skis, you might as well just not wax, you aren't doing anything for you skis.
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You are clearly not reading the part where we iron on the wax.
 
13772714:Hugh_Conway_jr said:
You are clearly not reading the part where we iron on the wax.
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You're right, ha!

Ski shops this this all the time I'm pretty sure to save wax. Carry on.
 
13772708:Hugh_Conway_jr said:
To those saying this technique does nothing ... am I mising something?

If you rub on wax and then iron it , assuming that you are getting enough and even heat distribution, then this technique is spot on. Dripping gobs of excess wax everywhere only so you can scrape it off doesn't do anything extra...except waste wax.

this is how I wax now. No complaints. you can still scrape, but there is so little residue you can also just ride.

Can someone School me on why i may as well not wax if i'm waxing this way?
Click to expand...

If you were to take a close up photo of your bases, you'd see that they're grooved. This is called "structure". What this is for is to provide a place for the water to run off and to the side of the base, so you don't get suction (aka "wet friction"). Those grooves are set by a machine. While we do have some pretty amazing precision technology, the grooves are still deeper than we need, which is why we wax our skis - to fill up the grooves a little bit. Scraping helps to take off some of the excess, then brushing brings more wax out of the grooves, or "structure" of the base, allowing for "ideal" lack of suction. I feel I should also mention that there are different kind of waxes - some repel water very well (fluorocarbon) and some not as well (hydrocarbon). The fluorocarbon ones that are super expensive that racers use - they're very temperature sensitive. They really aren't necessary for anything other than the FIS or WC circuits.

Having said all of that, if you have grown up with your skis being waxed, scraped, and brushed regularly, you will notice a difference in the performance of your ski sliding on the snow if you choose not to scrape & brush. If you're used to not scraping & brushing, then carry on not doing so. It won't harm the skis - I'd say it's better to wax and not scrape than not waxing at all. If the snow is more gritty & granular (cold & old), it'll clear off the excess wax a lot faster than new snow at warmer temps.

Sorry for the run-on, but I hope that answers your question!
 
13772697:eheath said:
You might as well just not wax...
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13772702:Elg said:
That's not how wax works, and wont affect the bases at all.
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and todays lesson is in ski waxing and reading comprehension. haha.

I learned that technique from Hugo Harrison so if you use it you are guaranteed to ski like him.

You will also save yourself from being poisoned by melting so much wax and you will find that you don't even go through half a block in a season.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ski-wax-chemicals-buildup-blood/
 
13772720:rubyshila said:
If you were to take a close up photo of your bases, you'd see that they're grooved. This is called "structure". What this is for is to provide a place for the water to run off and to the side of the base, so you don't get suction (aka "wet friction"). Those grooves are set by a machine. While we do have some pretty amazing precision technology, the grooves are still deeper than we need, which is why we wax our skis - to fill up the grooves a little bit. Scraping helps to take off some of the excess, then brushing brings more wax out of the grooves, or "structure" of the base, allowing for "ideal" lack of suction. I feel I should also mention that there are different kind of waxes - some repel water very well (fluorocarbon) and some not as well (hydrocarbon). The fluorocarbon ones that are super expensive that racers use - they're very temperature sensitive. They really aren't necessary for anything other than the FIS or WC circuits.

Having said all of that, if you have grown up with your skis being waxed, scraped, and brushed regularly, you will notice a difference in the performance of your ski sliding on the snow if you choose not to scrape & brush. If you're used to not scraping & brushing, then carry on not doing so. It won't harm the skis - I'd say it's better to wax and not scrape than not waxing at all. If the snow is more gritty & granular (cold & old), it'll clear off the excess wax a lot faster than new snow at warmer temps.

Sorry for the run-on, but I hope that answers your question!
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i used to care enough to wax my skis and use corks and texture brushed and fluro and temperature specific formulations .... then I Woke up one day and realized i was wasting my time.

sure, waxing can be cathartic and you can get all sciencey about it.. but at the end of the day, I notice zero performance benefits from following FIS waxing standards. I think most people focus more time than needed on waxing for their application... I find that the best waxing technique, and the most overlooked is the consistent application of even heat to the base... and a good clean before i get started.

I am now using paraffin wax (yes for canning from the grocery store), applied thinly, heated evenly. never scraped. ... the only time I change my formulation is in the spring.
 
13772729:Hugh_Conway_jr said:
i used to care enough to wax my skis and use corks and texture brushed and fluro and temperature specific formulations .... then I Woke up one day and realized i was wasting my time.

sure, waxing can be cathartic and you can get all sciencey about it.. but at the end of the day, I notice zero performance benefits from following FIS waxing standards. I think most people focus more time than needed on waxing for their application... I find that the best waxing technique, and the most overlooked is the consistent application of even heat to the base... and a good clean before i get started.

I am now using paraffin wax (yes for canning from the grocery store), applied thinly, heated evenly. never scraped. ... the only time I change my formulation is in the spring.
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Yeah, FIS waxing is for a pretty specific application, so if you're in the park or skiing pow or whatever, you won't notice a difference. When you're skiing injected or salted day in day out, you start to notice differences, but so few people do that anyway...keeping wax in the base to prevent base burn is the biggest thing, and wiping your skis down before throwing them in your truck/locker whatever.
 
13772716:eheath said:
You're right, ha!

Ski shops this this all the time I'm pretty sure to save wax. Carry on.
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Someone please correct me, but wouldn't this burn your base?
 
Get a file/sand paper and run the scraper across make sure it's flat and you not on a angle then you just makeing it duler
 
I just run mine through a little edge sharpening tool it seems to do a decent job probably not as good as an actual scraper sharpener though
 
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