Wax not adhering to base?

scurry4

scurry4

Member
First off, let me say I searched, and read through a dozen posts that didnt help and couldnt find anything on this specifically.

I have new skis, only used twice now, no rails or anything, and it seems like after I wax them and let them sit, when I scrape it just lifts certain areas of wax straight off, or it chips off, its an all temp wax, and im using a clothes iron, I have the temp down, just hot enough so it doesnt smoke. Should I be going slower with the iron or something? Any ideas?
 
wax really only lasts for a few good runs anyways

just gonna point that out

but ive got nooo clue on that kind of waxing anyways
 
not true. a good hot wax will last for a few days of solid skiing.

and to the thread creator, get an actual ski iron, it just works better. and what are you scraping with? dont use metal scrapers. and yea you should deff let it sit and let the wax absorb into the base.
 
It may look like it's completely flaking off sometimes. I know like in the middle of scraping, it chips off a little in places. But that is just part of the wax. If you do the scratch test, you'll see there is still more wax under that. Also even if it did flake off completely a bit, if you keep scraping it'll make it more even. Then when you buff, it will distribute the wax all over and make it nice and even.
 
and also not true, a ski iron is the same thing just marketed for a little more money because its a "ski iron", and metal scrapers are no different from plastic scrapers.

after you hot wax them, do it at night and let them set overnight in a warm room, then scrape them in morning.

also, before you wax them, let them sit in a warm room for a couple hours to warm up. you dont want to wax them straight from being outside.

and lastly, right after you finsih waxing them, buff your skis with a cork.
 
yeah you really have no idea do you. with hard wax it'll last like a week or so. the longer you wax your skis for the more wax will get into the pores. and make sure you get the wax everywhere. like when its liquid make sure it spreads out over the whole surface of the ski. some waxes will only chip off. these are what i like to call bitch waxes. just because they chip off doesnt mean it didnt get into your bases. you should be ok.
 
Alright thanks everyone, so it sounds like my problem might have been that I am doing the work in less than 40 degree fahrenheight temp?

Since this is only like my third time waxing, I think im using way too much wax aswell, because I dont want to burn the bases.

Also, Im buffing with a green scotch pad thing or whatever, is that ok, or should I find a better nylon brush? What do you mean by cork?

Thanks again everyone, mostly.
 
My wax does nothing close to chipping off, and it's a huge pain getting it off. I'm still using the Swix all-temp that came with my iron, but my skis have been pretty good for a few days after waxing for sure. The one time I didn't really take all the wax off was preseason and I was sticking to rails really bad but I think it was because I never really got to even take a more then 20yd run so it never got a chance to come off. I just scrape for like 20minutes now.

I've just been buffing with a like 1inch wide circle paint brush. I put it in my fist so the brissles come out like 1cm making it much more solid and it works pretty well.

 
cork is the original thing the old tech's used to use and probly still use. there harder to find now but its basically just a block of cork you buff your base with, like you would with a scothbright pad. i find it a bit more effective.

and cork as in the material used to seal wine.
 
I really don't feel the paint brissles are going to be abrasive enough to do anything. You really need to rub the wax into the base and polish it, and I think a Scotchbrite pad will work better for you.
 
Yea I'll try that out. I'm not sure if I explained it well enough but the way I hold the brush the brissles aren't able to bend, and I push down pretty hard. I can definitely see it buffing out the base but I'll definitely try out a Scothbrite bad
 
not true. ski iron are different than clothes irons. the controls for temperature are more finely tuned so the temperature is more accurate. the temperature is also more evenly distributed through the whole iron. in clothes irons the iron can be many different temperatures in many different places. also the shape is different in ski irons. many have beveled edges so they dont just push wax along it actually lets the wax under to be melted. also all clothes irons made today have little steam whole for where the steam comes out. wax often gets stuck in the wholes and will harden till the next time you wax so you will have a different type of wax in there or if you have hot scraped there will be dirt and other shit in there that is not good for your bases that will get into your next wax job. no good

also the difference between between metal and plastic scrapers. they are both made for a reason. if there was no difference they would only be one type. the shape is different. in plastic scrapers they are wider making wax removal easier. im guessing you use your scraper wrong so you have no idea what this means. a metal scraper is thinner and when you angle it you will dig into your bases and that will cause scratches which isnt good. oh and a metal scraper is made of metal which is harder than ptex so when you scrape you will make scratches. which arent good. a plastic scraper is made of plastic which is softer than metal and will cause many less scratches.

in the wax cult (which is damn dead) we have many many debates on whether you need to let your skis cool and for how long you need to let them cool. well what we came to is that you dont need to let them cool for nearly an entire night. the wax absorption of wax into a base takes place while youre ironing. the longer you iron the more wax gets absorbed. you only need to let the wax cool long enough so that when you scrape the excess of youre not pulling the stuff out of the pores.

how ever when you first start waxing you should have had your skis warmed up. it will make the pores open up easier. and is a little easier on your bases.

and lastly to finish off your wax job you should brush your skis with the appropriate brush for the conditions. this will get the little bits and pieces your scrape job missed. corking isnt needed unless its cold or youre using powders which is a bit too technical for this thread.
 
I shopped around and found an iron that only had 4 small holes near the front, I dont even use that end of it, but i was thinking about soddering them, It has a decently thick plate as well, even though its alu., when you say beveled edges, do you mean there just rounded off? I was thinking about grinding the edges on mine for that reason, so it doesnt catch, think that would help?

I'll be doing it inside for now on though, thats for sure, I was doing it in my barn before.
 
yeah rounded. its not really needed cause youre just hard waxing. and its not like youre world cup racing. youll be fine with what youre using and doing.
 
dude it sounds like when you we're spreding wax with the iron,you burnt your base, so the pores are not absorbing cause there sealed shut, take them in and get a base grind get them to put some base cleaner on them, then when you wax next make sure your iron isn't so hot, i wax let it sink in for awhile and then while its still on when i take a shower i put them in the bathroom with the humidity from the steam opens the pores and sinks it in even more, then i scrape up. tricks of the trade
 
id be getting some base cleaner onto them, getting all the wax out and then starting from scratch - might take a few times but it will be worth it...
 
i just use the squeeze on wax it actually works pretty good and it is easy so i am happy, oh yeah and about the question sorry bro i don't really know
 
Yeah you might have sealed your base if it really isn't absorbing but I doubt it, it's quite hard to do, you'd have to have your iron really high.

Clothes irons ARE just the same. Yeah, they don't regulate as finely as a Swix or whatever but if you pay attention to things it's not a big problem. MY boos in Whistler was an ex-Swix WC tech and we used an old clothes iron for half the year once our good wax iron broke. Same in my current shop - when we asked our buyer for a backup iron he said just to buy an old clothes iron. The older the better really, no steam holes is best and the thicker the plate the better.

You should only need to do two slow passes (one minute per pass) or three if you're really wanting to make sure, to get good absobtion. And use a plastic scraper, you can damage your base very easily with a metal one if you don't know what you're doing.
 
THANK YOU!

word, it only needs to sit for about 20 minutes max to absorb. but no less then 10-15. as for buffing it out, i havean atachment for my drill that is a rotating brush that woks well. and i use thatWITH a scotchbrite pad. seems to work great
 
i have a cork, hella old, it was my dads, and ive never used it, ive always used it for wrapping the scotchbrite pad around it, ill have to try the cork sometime
 
Haha It's not really a technical term of anything, but I just meant how you scratch the base with your finger, and you can see if there is any wax on it or not because it will scratch off some wax and make a faint line. O yeah, and isn't using a cork really best for only certain temp race waxes? For us park kids who are just gonna disaster to rails and boxes, a simple scotchbrite buff and basic wax should be fine IMO.
 
sounds really knowlegable on this subject. i was always confused on hot long to let it sit and cool before you scraped. so i tried a couple different combos and found it was easiest after prob 15 minutes. not sure but i'm going to try what this guy says and do a little bit longer.

also i have one ball jay wax and it's all temp, but i think it's a snowboard brand. does it matter? i figured bases are bases.

What is the correct angle to scrape??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top