# Sticky  gen. maintenance tips



## boarderaholic

About Waxing Your Board 

Posted by KyleWeevers
Prepare for a long ass post people, I'll give you all the knowledge I have gotten over the past 7 years that I've been a tech in regards to wax:

I will start by saying no matter what base type you have a wax job will always be beneficial, having a smooth clean surface to glide on will help you keep speed on the flats, and will also help in maneuvering through pow. Extruded bases do not have to be waxed quite as often as sintered bases and this is because extruded bases are more porous. The bad thing about that is they can get deeper scratches and gouges than a sintered base.

Sintered bases should be waxed often. How often would be determined by the snow you ride. If its man made gun blown snow, wax it every time. Man made snow crystals are very sharp, and larger than snow from the heavens, and because of this it will rip the wax right off your base by the end of the day. If its light fluffy powder you can go as long as 4 - 5 riding days without a new wax coat.

Types and Temperature of waxes:

There are many different types of waxes out there, but the most common is flouro based waxes. They are fairly long lasting, and can take a rough rider. The other type as Snowolf mentioned is graphite. Graphite comes in one colour; black. It will be noticeable on a white base and people will think you need a wax job. .That is until you flash by 'em laughing your ass off. Graphite wax is harder and creates better glide with the snow than flouro wax does. Thus it is a faster wax. It doesn't have the same staying power, but it will make you ride faster.

The whole purpose of wax:

The whole purpose of wax is not to reduce friction, but to increase. It is a huge misconception that wax will help decrease friction. To fully explain this we must examine a few other things that are related to the base of our beloved snowboards. 

Base pattern: Have you ever looked at a dried out base and noticed that there is a sort of pattern to it? It looks like a bunch of dotted lines staggered one after another running lengthwise down the board. This pattern is the start of what creates the all important glide of a snowboard, by making these patterns you are creating channels for which water runs down and moves your snowboard. Many shops offer a stone grind as part of their full tune packages and what the stone does is embeds the pattern into your base.

Now when you wax your board you fill in the grooves of the base patten to create a level surface and scrape away all the excess. This helps the flow of water that is created from the friction of gliding your board on the snow. The base pattern then directs the water down the channels and gets you rockin' faster.

This is why when you get scratches and gouges that run widthwise on your board they will slow you down more than a scratch or gouge that runs lengthwise. Also when you get scratches and deeper gouges you allow water to pool inside them and create more drag for yourself as you ride.

So in the end we use wax to increase the friction between the board and the snow to the point where water is created, and then the snowboard glides on the water, the quicker you go from snow to water, the quicker you get down the mountain. And we use the water channels created through base patterns and waxing to help direct the water through the running length of the board so that it escapes quickly.

Temperatures of wax:

Its as easy as match the colour to the temp. But for a longer explanation I'll explain the differences between warm and cold waxes. Cold waxes are much harder and as such need more heat and friction to soften them. Generally when it is colder outside snow crystals are more jagged and hard which means more friction on the board which means a colder wax will last longer. Inversely a warm wax is soft and does not need much heat to warm up and create the required glide. If you were to use warm wax on a cold day it would be pointless because the jagged ice crystals would burn off the wax in short order, and if you were to use a cold wax on a warm day, you would have to ride for 1/2 the day and not stop after that to finally get the wax to where you get a glide out of it.

That being said, whether its a cold or warm day I generally will put cold wax around the edges of my board because they will heat up faster than any other part of the board, the edges see more friction than any other part of the board so I use a cold wax for a good over all coat to make sure I get the entire use of my board rather than just the middle of it.


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## boarderaholic

Ok, I took that from the basic how-to thread and just re-copied it here. I'll type up a REAL basic maintenance guide tonight, when I get home from school.


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## Slaughterhouse

Yeah, I can post some stuff if someone can get any use out of it. It just became so redundant on SB.C that I stopped replying to questions like "How do you wax a board" or "How do you detune". Perhaps seeing as this website is a breath of fresh air...


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## killclimbz

Another general maintenance tip. Don't follow me around if you value the base of your board...


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## Guest

Slaughterhouse said:


> It just became so redundant


which is why i thought a sticky would be good! that way it's all right there for them...no questions needed (unless they just don't understand).


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## Slaughterhouse

killclimbz said:


> Another general maintenance tip. Don't follow me around if you value the base of your board...



I've actually repaired two boards like this, lol. One was so bad that I actually use the board to experiment on, like T-bolting. The other board I just recently bought at a Value Village (a discount store meant for the absolute poor...like the Salvation Army) for $3.99. You certainly look like you have a challenge there though, lol. :laugh:


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## Guest

here is another one ... when waxing TRY not to drip wax on the floor ... it makes things well... slippery. my poor cat slid across my kitchen into the wall because there was wax all over the place not to mention i about fell on my ass .... yea here is my second point ... drinking+waxing your board= a mess in the morning !


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## Slaughterhouse

Punkmouse said:


> here is another one ... when waxing TRY not to drip wax on the floor ... it makes things well... slippery. my poor cat slid across my kitchen into the wall because there was wax all over the place not to mention i about fell on my ass .... yea here is my second point ... drinking+waxing your board= a mess in the morning !


Lol, damn cats! To add to that, getting stoned and waxing your board is a nightmare as well. Especially the scraping. Oh god...it just feels like its taking FOREVER and EVER and EVER......


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## killclimbz

It's my rock board. No way in hell with multiple blow edges and stuff that I even want to spend the time fixing it. When there is less than 10" of snow on the ground, that's the stick I ride...


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## Slaughterhouse

killclimbz said:


> It's my rock board. No way in hell with multiple blow edges and stuff that I even want to spend the time fixing it. When there is less than 10" of snow on the ground, that's the stick I ride...


Totally! The horror of coming around the bend and finding moguls with all sorts of bizarre things sticking out of it, particularly if your on "the good board". Crunch scrape crunch


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## boarderaholic

Eh. If anyone wants to add anything, feel free. Just make sure someone else hasn't posted it already.


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## Guest

if you are putting your board away for travel after you are done riding ... *DRY YOUR EDGES!!!!*


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## Guest

Tighten Your Screws Before Riding ......


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## killclimbz

Wash your hands after using the restroom...


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## Guest

Lol Gooooooood One ...... 

Curtosy Flush!


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## Guest

Go for it!


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## Guest

4 bongs mpd??? Sounds like you got a rediculous tolerence. 3 ROOR hits at like 7PM and I'm good for the whole night.


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## PaoloSmythe

and after you have scraped.... i suggest you get a stiff bristled brush; not quite wire wool, but say somethign your grandpa uses to clean his dentures with!

then use the brush to score tiny lines in your finished wax job, that run parallel to your edges. this helps to create the water conduit channels referred to in this threads initial monster post. (oh i also and finally use a cloth / rag to lightly rub / brush off any loose scrapings / bits of crap)


a question!

my nitro has a carbon base. i use graphite wax on it.... but what for the fat gouges? is p-tex really all that can be used?


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## Slaughterhouse

PaoloSmythe said:


> a question!
> 
> my nitro has a carbon base. i use graphite wax on it.... but what for the fat gouges? is p-tex really all that can be used?


There is a ski/snowboard supply outfit in the States called Tognar. They have a product that resembles soft and skinny p-tex. This stuff is much harder than p-tex sticks and can even bond to metal. If I get a core shot or deep gouge I'll use a thin skim of epoxy, followed by this base weld material to fill up the majority of the gouge. Then for cosmetic purposes I'll follow up with a p-tex stick although it's nice the greatest looking stuff. Swix has this other product that looks like a powder. You sprinkle the powder into the gouge and I'm not sure how, but you apply some heat to it. I believe they designed it for sintered bases.


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## PaoloSmythe

wow! alternatives to watching german transvestites in kinky boots on youtube!

(don't stop shaving yer legs yet tho, slaughter )


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## Slaughterhouse

PaoloSmythe said:


> wow! alternatives to watching german transvestites in kinky boots on youtube!
> 
> (don't stop shaving yer legs yet tho, slaughter )



Too late, but I hope you enjoyed the boots!


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## Guest

nice vid Snowolf


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## Guest

oh and i never knew about leaving ur board after the scraping if ur riding on slush. 

slush is basically the only thing i have to ride on >_>


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## Grimdog

Snowolf said:


> I posted these in the how to section. It was suggested to me to put this information in here as well. I put together a video demonstrating a complete wax job from start to finish. I tried to keep it as short as I could, yet still provide detailed information.
> 
> *Complete detailed snowboard waxing demonstration video:*
> 
> Part One
> 
> Part Two
> 
> Part Three



Here is a PDF manual put out by KUU Sport that I have used in the past for reference. It also goes into edges and base repair.


KUUsport – Alpine Wax, Nordic Wax, Snowboard Wax, and Tuning Products


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## Guest

Thanks for going to the trouble to make those videos, Snowolf. Those were awesome. Now I've got no trepidation on waxing my new board.


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## Guest

This is a great thread. It got even better once monkey porn was mentioned!


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## Guest

5 knuckle shufl said:


> This is a great thread. It got even better once monkey porn was mentioned!


ROFL...Let's keep this about maintenance before this gets weird. haha


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## Guest

Snowolf said:


> You`re very welcome; it is great to hear that has helped you out and made you ready to do your own waxing. It will save you a lot of time and money.
> I am no video guy so they are a bit "home movie" quality but this is such a straight forward thing to do. I was intimidated at first until I watched a guy wax a board then I was off and running.


Yeah it was a pretty helpful video. I grabbed some supplies from a buddy and waxed down my old board. Not difficult to do at all. I will have to read into all the other maintenance and binding adjustability.


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## kri$han

Great thread! There's a board shop near me that does waxing for $10, and since I have an extruded base, I wouldda just gone to them every 5 times i rode to get 'er waxed, rather than doing it myself, but it looks so easy!... I just wouldn't know when to stop scraping...

ooh, and about Bindings, how tight should one tighten the screws? I'll prolly assemble my setup this week cuz I hear we're getting some snow this weekend, but I've always taken my board in to get assembled and waxed...


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## kri$han

^ what, no torque spec?

 j/k, k thx...


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## Guest

what about edges? how do you do them? make them all 90 degrees? write up on that anywhere?


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## Grimdog

I have a graphite base on one of my boards. Should I be using a graphite wax for the base or does it really matter?


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## ShortAssassin

Any advice on storing boards during the off season? Is it recommended that you take the bindings off?


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## boarderaholic

ShortAssassin said:


> Any advice on storing boards during the off season? Is it recommended that you take the bindings off?


Take the bindings off, slap a nice thick layer of wax on the base, and store out of direct sunlight and keep it out of places with dramatic temp changes.


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## ShortAssassin

boarderaholic said:


> Take the bindings off, slap a nice thick layer of wax on the base, and store out of direct sunlight and keep it out of places with dramatic temp changes.


Thanks, does the position matter? Leaning against a wall, lying flat, etc?


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## Mr. Right

Snowolf said:


> I posted these in the how to section. It was suggested to me to put this information in here as well. I put together a video demonstrating a complete wax job from start to finish. I tried to keep it as short as I could, yet still provide detailed information.
> 
> *Complete detailed snowboard waxing demonstration video:*
> 
> Part One
> 
> Part Two
> 
> Part Three


So in video 2 I believe it was when you are scraping, you mention more wax buildup/harder removal around the binding mounting areas. I believe you said that that part of the board may be sucked in a little bit from the binding tightening so I started thinking. My sister put some bindings on her board a while back and I think the hardware was too long because there were 4 raised bumps on the bottom of the board where each mounting screw went, they went away when we backed the screws out and put shorter ones in. If the base gets sucked in where you mount bindings, does that mean they are on too tight? Is it just a natural thing? I've wondered about this stuff for a while now, and wonder when I see irregularities in the base where the bindings mount if it may be causing damage, or be a sign of damage/defect. Sorry for being long winded, but you got me thinking and the video taught me a handful of new things even though I've been waxing my own board for 2.5 years for the most part.

And great job on the videos btw, informative, to the point, but not so fast the viewer has to rewind to get something. Good job!


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## ShortAssassin

Just finished watching the waxing videos. Great job Snowolf, I have the confidence to try it without fear up totally messing up my board now lol. Now I just have to learn about edge maintenance.


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## Guest

ShortAssassin said:


> Thanks, does the position matter? Leaning against a wall, lying flat, etc?


lying flat is best, i've heard.


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## Guest

How bout some edge input. I am noob to edge maintenance, so don't take this as correct, but instead as a place to start. I probably am missing steps and other info.

Assuming my edges just have general wear and tear, ie; some rust, some burrs, some dull spots and some smashed impact spots.


step 1: debur with diamond stone on base edge and side edge. (can I slide stone in both directions on edge or only one direction?)
step 2: sharpen side edge with side edge tool only in one direction
step 3: optional: sharpen base edge with file or side edge tool only in one direction (is this always needed?)
step 4: optional: detune middle and tips of board.

*where does the gummy stone come into play??


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## Slaughterhouse

A gummi stone is not really necessary but is good for removing tiny burrs left behind from filing, etc. It is also useful for detuning sharp edges as it dulls the edge without removing any of the actual metal. But, sometimes if you are riding in really icy conditions, having those tiny little burrs can help you dig your edge in.


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## Mr. Right

So on edge tuning anyway, I'm ready to dive into it here. Now I'm wondering do the little pocket edge tuners work well? I was watching this video YouTube - Snowboard Tuning Part 2 - Edge Sharpening and I kind of like the file holder the guy is using. I just don't think it would be as accurate to wrap tape around the top of the file to get the correct bevel. I mostly freeride and I've been getting into moguls lately so my 2 year old un-molested edges aren't cutting it anymore. Do I need a file guide like the guy has in the video or is a normal little pocket edge tool enough?


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## Guest

Okay, I'm new to waxing...and seem to be coming across the same problems no matter what I do.










I just get these spots when I start scraping that get white and eventually open up.










And on the girlfriends board when I start scraping the edge it just cracks out like mad, creating the white spots.

I figure I'm just being paranoid and not scraping enough off, but I just need some better advice than my own nagging thoughts.

Thanks
Ben


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## Grimdog

Keep scraping man. Scrape until you think your done and then scrape a little more. You need to scrape all the wax off.


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## Grimdog

Snowolf said:


> The hand held file guide is good for sharpening your edges, use it to file only the side edge; do not try to use it on the base edge. For filing the base edge, you need to get a decent file guide that is set at the angle you want (1 degree is standard for most riding, but they make them up with higher angles. The idea of using the Sharpie pen is sound....it gives you something to visually monitor your progress and helps prevent removing too much metal. Base edges need to be as uniform as possible, so be careful and take your time. Also, you want to maintain a 89 or 90 degree angle on your edges so if you have a 1 or 2 degree base edge bevel, be sure to match that on your side edge. An ideal free ride set up is a 1 degree base edge and a 2 degree side edge; this makes a very sharp, 89 degree edge that holds it`s edge well on ice.
> 
> You can ruin a board very easily by messing up the steel edges, so do not go cheap on this equipment, get good stuff and learn to use it properly.
> 
> A diamond stone or any knife sharpening stone is great to lightly hone down the filed edge; use a light touch and just go over it a few passes to remove file burrs. The hand held file guide is ideal to take in the car to run a few passes down your edge to get a good sharp edge again. I run one down my edges every couple of weeks to maintain a sharp edge.


I always have a KUU Sport "Ice Buster" side edge file in my backpack but leave the base edge sharpening for the garage where I can pay more attention.


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## Guest

im using paste wax inbetween hot waxes and im wondering if the direction i wax(paste) matters?
cause ive read on forums and such that you should follow grooves, but the can says circular patterns?(wax on wax off lol)
so yeah which should i do/does it really matter? and i rub it in with a cloth/paper towel afterwards.
i always move from tip to tail when going in circles btw


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## Guest

I really can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.

I get those little cloud spots with the eroded hole in the middle, and once I get rid of them there is no wax left.

The other thing is the bottom of my board looks terrible after a run or two. The wax cracks, and seperates. It rides really fast, but it seems that I either have too much wax on it, or none.


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## kri$han

Thanks to snowolf again, man... I just tried waxing my board for the forst time, and I think it turned out great... I compared it to my other board that was waxed, and ridden once and it feels similar, but more smooth, and maybe a little more 'soft' cuz of the newly applied wax. 

I had to scrape for a long-ass time tho, and I think my Dakine 10" scraper isnt perfectly level, cuz the edges seemed to take more wax off than the middle of the scraper (even with even pressure applied, lol).

I hope it works well tomorrow


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## Minger

Stupid question: Are there any sites with a wax scraper for cheap? I'm looking online and the cheapest I'm seeing is ~10+!

I just think thats a bit much for a piece of plastic =/


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## Guest

Every time I try to buy wax for my skis my parents insist that nobody waxes their skis any more. I'm sure they will do the same when I buy a snowboard. What should I say to them?

I could just buy my own wax, but that's no fun.


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## Minger

pretend that wax really helps against damaging the base and be like 'zomfg if i dont then it wills cratch up like crazy!' or something.


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## Guest

Edge noob here... So how often should I sharpen my base edges? 

I have an Atomic Hatchet and it came from the factory with a 2.5 degree bevel. So does that mean that it came with a 2.5 degree base bevel and 0 degree side bevel?

Thanks


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## Guest

Can someone recommend a good file guide for tuning edges?


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## ttchad

Somebody answer MonkeyMan! I have the same question.


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## Guest

n00b qeustion here:

Are we using the same kind of wax that we wax our car with? Like a McGuire wax? Thanks


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## ttchad

*Addicted to racing*

Addicted to racing! What kind of bike have you got?
- Just go buy some ONE BALL JAY all temp online.
- Then rub it on nice and hard for about 5 minutes 
- Use a blow dryer to heat it up. You only need to melt the wax.
- Do not worry about heating the board. 
-Now scrape!
- Go ride


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## Guest

enthus31 said:


> Can someone recommend a good file guide for tuning edges?


I saw this one at a shop and almost bought it, except it was priced at $49.00. Here it's cheaper - SnowShack FK Tools Multi-tuner Base & Side Edge Beveler

It does side and base edge.

but if you have the money there is always svst tools or the beast.


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## Guest

ttchad said:


> Addicted to racing! What kind of bike have you got?
> - Just go buy some ONE BALL JAY all temp online.
> - Then rub it on nice and hard for about 5 minutes
> - Use a blow dryer to heat it up. You only need to melt the wax.
> - Do not worry about heating the board.
> -Now scrape!
> - Go ride


Don't have a bike. Just cars.  Thanks for the info on the wax.


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## Guest

Snowolf said:


> I posted these in the how to section. It was suggested to me to put this information in here as well. I put together a video demonstrating a complete wax job from start to finish. I tried to keep it as short as I could, yet still provide detailed information.
> 
> *Complete detailed snowboard waxing demonstration video:*
> 
> Part One
> 
> Part Two
> 
> Part Three



Gr8 post

thanks for sharing


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## Mr. Right

mbehr22 said:


> Gr8 post
> 
> thanks for sharing


Ala sno wolf he did a great job and made it go quicker for me.


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## Mr. Right

ttchad said:


> Addicted to racing! What kind of bike have you got?
> - Just go buy some ONE BALL JAY all temp online.
> - Then rub it on nice and hard for about 5 minutes
> - Use a blow dryer to heat it up. You only need to melt the wax.
> - Do not worry about heating the board.
> -Now scrape!
> - Go ride


I agree and disagree. An iron on the board will really help work the wax into the pores of the base, giving deeper wax penetration and therefore lasting longer. I burn a good hot wax off my board in a good day of riding lately so an iron is definitely in order. If you are going to rub wax on your board and can't get an iron, that is the perfect method.


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## blasphemy

soo i didnt go through all the pages.. maybe this question have already been asked.. i got a virgin board , and i ride natural but packed snow, so how many times i can ride it b4 waxing ?


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## Guest

blasphemy said:


> soo i didnt go through all the pages.. maybe this question have already been asked.. i got a virgin board , and i ride natural but packed snow, so how many times i can ride it b4 waxing ?


If I were you I would wax it before you EVER go out. The wax that it comes with is just factory wax to keep the board from drying out. After that 1st time out though, I like to wax every half dozen times or so... some people do it EVERY time they go out. For me that's just too expensive and a little bit on the overkill side for me... Just my $0.02. Hope this helps!


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## blasphemy

i would like to do it myself but this board is too precious for me to be my 1st one to wax , + the shop that waxes is near the resort and far away from here so i think ill ride it without waxing for the 1st time and on my way back home ill keep it for the shop to wax


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## Minger

If its so precious, wouldn't you rather DIY the waxing instead of having a complete stranger do it? 

I'd go with the wax - I just feel more comfortable with it.


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## Jeffksf

After waxing the bottom I like to use a little car wax on the topsheet to give it that showroom shine and to help keep snow from sticking to the top sheet.


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## Guest

Jeffksf said:


> After waxing the bottom I like to use a little car wax on the topsheet to give it that showroom shine and to help keep snow from sticking to the top sheet.


just spray rain-x on the top of it.


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## Guest

Wow.. okay some of you are GROSELY mis/un informed about how a snowboard works. Let me explain to you guys the basis of a snowboard, what all the different base characteristics mean, and then I'll explain how you ACTUALLY wax a snowboard. Last, I'll tell you all how to do it for incredibly cheap.


*How a snowboard base works (movement):*

If you take the time to put a snowboard down on the ground, and look at it, you'll notice the tip and tail contact first, and the rest of the board arcs up. This is known as camber. Camber serves a multitude of purposes, such as turning, popping, and more. It's purpose in relationship to the base, and movement, is that when the board has weight put on it, the weight is primarily distributed to the tip and tail.

Wax in itself isn't actually very slick. However, wax and water is a slick combination. Wax and snow... not so much. What makes a board move is that there is so much friction from the interaction of the wax on the board, and the pressure at the pressure point (nose) that it acutally MELTS the snow, and you ride on a thin layer of water. If you've ever followed behind a buddy, and notice they left a particularly shiney trail behind them, it's because the water they melted promptly froze once the friction was removed.

*What all the snowboard base terms mean, along with the numbers, and the science of it all:*

Don't be confused by all the newfangled marketing. There are three main factors to considering just how high quality a snowboards base is. They are the base type, the molecular weight, and the strucure. For example, a Sintered (type) 7600 (Molecular weight) Stone Ground (structure).

First we'll discuss the base type. There pretty much are two different types: Extruded, and Sintered. *Extruded* means that the base material is taken in a raw large quanity form, cut to size, and then applied to the snowboard. These bases generally hold less wax, are less durable, and are slower than their sintered counterparts. While often being touted as "Easy to maintain" bases, they aren't really that easy to maintain. While they can be used while dry (without much wax) without sustaining very much damage, they also dry out (run out of wax) faster. *Sintered *bases are created by taking the base material, and grindingit into a fine dust. The dust is then slowly sprinkled onto the base of the board at a high temperature, forming the base. Sintered bases are far more durable bases, and hold significantly more wax. The disadvantage however, is that once the base runs dry, it is prone to damage. The bases however hold wax for significantly longer, and therefore require less waxing.

When considering what base types to get, consider your skill level, what skill level you want to be, and your dedication to the sport. If you just want to go riding once and a while, not stress about waxing, and don't feel the need to be as fast as possible, then go with Extruded. If you're looking for a high quality, druable, and exceptionally fast base, go with sintered.


The next factor to consider is the *bases molecular weight*. As stated before you will often see bases that state "Extruded 3300" or "sintered 7600". What does that number mean? That number is the molecular weight. Essentially, the higher weight the molecules, the large they are. Larger molecules are stronger, but also larger. These larger molecules essentially have more space between the molecules, and therefore can store more wax in the space between the molecules. Therefore, you can base a lot of your estimation of a boards quality on the number. If you've got a 1000 series base... you can safely bet that the kid on the 7600 series baes is going to run circles around you.


The last factor is the *base structure*. The base structured is often described as base ground, and a variety of other terms. While this varies a lot between manufacturers, and has no definitive text for quality, there is one visual aesthetic to look for. A base with a dimpled structure, sort of akin to a golf ball, is faster. This is because if you take two wet surfaces (aka, snow... and your base with the snow it melted) and put them together, you've got SUCTION. Suction in the case of snowboarding slows you down. If you've ever traveled accross excessively slushy snow, and felt your board stopping, that's suction for you. A structured/dimpled base however helps break up the suction force, and is therefore faster.



*Waxing a snowboard: How you legitimately get wax into a board... and what's a bunch of BS:*

So, the next thing to understand is WHY you hotwax a snowboard. The reason is simple actually. A base, is a porous material. It becomes exceptionally porous when heated, because the molecules expand. At this point, the liquid heated wax is free to flow inbetween the expanded molecules of the base, and thereby the base ABSORBS the wax. When the base cools it settles, and retains the wax inside of it.

WAX IS NOT A LAYER ONTOP OF YOUR BASE, IT IS IN YOUR BASE!


When it comes to waxing, considering what wax to get is a big factor. While most the marketing involved with waxes (One Ball Jay's hype) are largely over rated, there are some legitimate things to consider. One of which is temperature. For the most part you can get away with all temperature wax on any given day. However, to really be fast a wax aimed for the general temperature range in which you will operate is best. As a lot of us can't wax slope side however, I won't go into much detail here. Get a nice all temperature wax. 

Rub on wax is a silly concept. You're trying to forcefully jam SOLID molecules of wax, through solid molecules of base. You've got three chances of actually accomplishing this: A fat chance, a slim chance, and no chance. You might get some wax slightly in there, but it'll last all of twenty minutes. It's a scam for lazy people. Stop believing it okay? It will increase how slippery your riding surface is however, so there is that benefit. It serves a minimal gain at your contact points. Rub on liquid waxes, along with rain-x and all those other stupid ideas are silly as well. They come out of the board just as easily as they go onto the board... durrrrrrr 


*How to actually wax your snowboard (Budget tips included)*

Here are the steps for the most thurough waxing. I will document what steps you can skip when. I will also document the expensive options, and the EXPENSIVE options available to you.


First -- Remove old wax / clean base:

Cleaning the base of old wax, dirt, and other things that get in there is a good thing to do once in a while. Depending on how often you ride, it may be a good idea to do this every so often. MOST riders won't need to do this besides right before the season begins. However, it's good to know how it works.

There are two ways to do this, the expensive but easy way, and then the thrifty and not that much more complex way. The easy but expensive method, is to purchase base cleaning solution from a shop. Research the options available in the store and their prices. A base cleaner is a base cleaner so brand names be damned. Also, check out the ski sections of your local shops. Ski waxing supplies are often cheaper and damn near identical in composition. When you get the cleaner, it will have directions. Most directions simply read: Apply to board, rub in. Douse in water to remove. Wait until dry. Clean with damp cloth again to ensure removal.

Then... there's the thrifty way. Goto your local hardware store (See end of document for FULL list of good stuff to get at hardware store) and purchase a good sized container of kerosine or lamp oil. If getting lamp oil purchase UNSCENTED as the chemical additives are no good and harder to wash off. Don't fret about the oil or kerosine being that flamable. It's actually not that bad. Douse a rag in kerosine, and rub the hell out of your base. This will thuroughly remove the wax from your base. Rub thuroughly, then douse in water to remove. Whipe again with a DIFFERENT wet cloth.


Now that your base is clean, waxing the board is next. A note on purchasing wax: All temperature wax is advised for beginners or even your average rider. The fancy stuff is just overkill for anything but the most advanced riders. A great way to get cheap wax is to goto the skiier side of your shop (Snowboarders perpetually try and sell you ove priced one ball jay products) and ask for a brick of generic all temperature wax. For $12 you'll get a MASSIVE brick of wax that will wax your board, and all of your friends boards for the whole season.

Start by getting your iron to an ideal temperature. YES you can use a laundry iron. Simply adjust the temperature to be right between cotton and wool, and if the iron starts smoking promptly remove it from the board and adjust the temperature DOWN (towards off). Press the wax that you have against the iron, and drip so as the board is fairly well covered. Be sure to thuroughly dose the edges as they are your primary riding surface. Once the board is covered a fair bit in wax (a drip or two per square inch), apply the iron to the base which is covered in wax. Travel in SLOW circular motions, and heat up all the wax and spread it out accross the base. You will want to do this until you can feel the opposite side of the board being warm for the better part of the board. This ensures that the base has warmed up and expanded to absorb all of the wax that it can.


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## Guest

At this point, let the base cool all the way down. Walk away for a good twenty minutes or so. At this point there is the option to deep soak your base, which is where you repeat the prior process described, adding additional wax as you feel is nescessary. By repeating the soaking process 2-4 times you esnure that the base truely has soaked up all of the wax that it can, and helps ensure the longevity of it. I advise waxing your board like this at the start of every season. When waxing your board mid season you generally only need to do a single soak, as just your edges will run dry.

Next is scraping the excess wax off the board. As the wax is soaked into the base, everything that can be scraped off is excess. You can buy a scraper at a shop for cheap (go generic with scrapers to save $) or you can buy a small piece of square fiberglass from the hardware store. Make sure it's as wide as your board to ensure proper scraping. Start at one end of the board (tip or tail) and drag the scraper down the board, removing the excess wax. NEVER go horizontally as you'll damage the boards base potentially and it's structure. Proceed until all the excess wax has been removed. BE THUROUGH! Excess wax just results in additional friction, and as it is poorly shaped (unlike a smooth base) it will resist water flowing over it. Wax once again... isn't slick...


So once you've thuroughly removed all excess wax, you'll want to buff your board. Scotch Brite pads actually work the best. Get em, rub the piss out of your boad, and it'll come out smooth. Once again, tip to tail travels on those brushing. Once that is done, and the board is smooth, you'll want to STRUCTURE the base. You do this with a fine bristled brush. You drag from tip to tail harshly. This leaves grooves in the base. These grooves allow water to travel faster accross the base, and in retrospect result in you traveling faster. It also helps reduce the suction cup effect of two smooth surfaces with water inbetween them. A brush can be bought at your snowboard shop for $12-15, or a brush can be bought at a hardware store for $4. The choice is yours...

Once that's done, your board is done! It's ready to rip! Get out there and enjoy your properly waxed snowboard!


*Items to purchase at a hardware store / goodwill to save on money*

-A hard bristled wide brush.
-A gallon of kerosine or lamp oil.
-Scotch brite pads.
-Fiber glass rectangle for scraping board





*Other important notes*
-Leave wax in your snowboard over the summer. It helps prevent the base from being damage.
-Always wax a snowboard when you get it. They say they wax a snowboard at the factory... but it's half assed at best. Not waxing it will quickly result in damage, ESPESCIALLY if it's a high quality base.
-Research a companies products before buying them. Just cause people say they are good, and they have cool graphics, doesn't mean shit. The quality of the base tells a LOT about how serious the company is about offering good products. A lot of companies sell shitty bases on board and hide it in lingo. EASY TO MAINTAIN being the main one.


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## Guest

PS: You should sticky this


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## Minger

nice post. 

Maybe I'll go shopping for teh scotch brite and the brush, as well as a fiber glass for a scraper...instead of using a metal ruler/paint scraper


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## Guest

Minger said:


> nice post.
> 
> Maybe I'll go shopping for teh scotch brite and the brush, as well as a fiber glass for a scraper...instead of using a metal ruler/paint scraper



For sure. Also, if you're using a board that hasn't had the base cleaned anytime in the past year, or you bought it used, get the kerosine and clean your base out.


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## Minger

board was new still in wrapping, but I think my dad has a big thing of kerosine in the garage... Same thing used for gas but the container is blue


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## NYCboarder

ok so I had to wax my board for the first time by myself. I used an iron around the house (put some alumminum foil on it so i wouldn't ruin it.. one thing is i dont have a scraper lol.. im kinda snowed in for they day and there is no ski shop near me. i got the scotch brite ready to go. can i use something else for a scraper around the house mayb?
i see people said dont use a plastic paint scraper (dry wall thing) or a ruler or a cd case :laugh:.. i can get to a homedepot but would they have a fiber glass one?

also i was kind of nervous hot waxing it myself so i did not go to heavy on the wax and did not go to long with the iron.


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## Guest

Read what I wrote and go crazy with the wax. Soak it in MULTIPLE times to get a proper soaking goingo n. Also, a paint scraper, while not ideal, aught to work. Rulers and all that jazz work too, but don't use metal on the board of course. Use a plastic as it won't damage the board. be sure the edge is a 90 degree angle, and not textured/serated like a plastic ruler oculd potentially be with all those CM or IN tick marks. That shit will potentially tear up your base.


EDIT: Also, make sure to adjust the temperature as I documented above. If it starts to smoke TURN IT DOWN!


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## Mr. Right

NYCboarder said:


> ok so I had to wax my board for the first time by myself. I used an iron around the house (put some alumminum foil on it so i wouldn't ruin it.. one thing is i dont have a scraper lol.. im kinda snowed in for they day and there is no ski shop near me. i got the scotch brite ready to go. can i use something else for a scraper around the house mayb?
> i see people said dont use a plastic paint scraper (dry wall thing) or a ruler or a cd case :laugh:.. i can get to a homedepot but would they have a fiber glass one?
> 
> also i was kind of nervous hot waxing it myself so i did not go to heavy on the wax and did not go to long with the iron.


Honestly my oneballjay scraper is nothing more than 1/4 plexiglass. Anything that is flat and stiff that won't break should work fine. A CD case might actually work if you didn't put enough pressure on it to shatter it. I bet the shop at your local mountain would have a scraper you could borrow for 10 minutes. A plastic drywall tool may be a little soft but could work. A metal one (putty knife) will work fine but be careful not to gouge your base.


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## NYCboarder

i got it to work fine with the cd case.. like a charm .. i think im ready to use the scotch brite cuz i dont want to scrape 2 much and start scraping off some of the base coat


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## Mr. Right

As long as you get it scraped down pretty well a 1/2 day of riding will rip the rest of that shit right off.


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## Guest

Scraping off the actual base ("base coat") itself won't happen if you're using a semi hard plastic tool. Keep in mind you aren't leaving a layer of wax behind, the wax is actually inside the pores of the base material itself.


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## NYCboarder

yea i know it gets soaked up but i was just worried.. first time doing it lol


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## Minger

When I went to grab stuff today...I just realized that scotch brite == the sponge things I use for dishes.

And a sheet of acrylic for $1 worked great, enough to make ~3 scrapers or something...even just by cutting with a knife (with 3 usable sides each! ...because of my inability to cut in straight lines)


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## Guest

Citrus cleaner is good, but as it's an acid, and not a base, It would seem to me that it could potentially damage the base more so than kerosine.


While kerosine is similar to diesel, it evaporates very fast when spread out. I don't believe it leaves an oily residue. I could be incorrect, however I have been using kerosine on my base for the past 4-5 years (before I bought cleaner) with pretty good success.



The horse hair brush is a good recommendation as well. The videos are great for begginers, as words sometimes just aren't enough!




Also, where are you riding at on Hood? I'm riding meadows myself.


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## NYCboarder

Is the scotch bright used in place of the hard horse hair brush?
because i dont have that kind of brush.. only the scotch bright


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## Slaughterhouse

I get by nicely with just a Scotch-Brite pad! Just really buff that board so your pad glides across from tip to tail of your base with little to no resistance (by shooting your pad across the base like a shuffleboard). When the snow is wetter though (think spring-like temps) then you want to have a more "grooving" on your base. That prevents a "suction-cup" situation between your base and the snow. That is where a brush really shines through but I've even used a nylon hand broom that you can find just about anywhere. Remember, your not trying to gouge your base.


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## NYCboarder

Slaughterhouse said:


> I get by nicely with just a Scotch-Brite pad! Just really buff that board so your pad glides across from tip to tail of your base with little to no resistance (by shooting your pad across the base like a shuffleboard). When the snow is wetter though (think spring-like temps) then you want to have a more "grooving" on your base. That prevents a "suction-cup" situation between your base and the snow. That is where a brush really shines through but I've even used a nylon hand broom that you can find just about anywhere. Remember, your not trying to gouge your base.


ok so there is few pads by scotch brite.. which 1 do u use? the easy erase? scouring pad? or scrubbing sponge? lol i have been using the scouring bad.. like a brillo pad but not as abrasive.. i use it to even out what i didn't get off in the scrape. it does leave scoure lines from tip to tail like u stated above


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## Guest

Snowolf said:


> I am an instructor at Mt. Hood Meadows....we should take some turns some time. I work on Thursdays and Fridays...:thumbsup:



Word. I ride Wednesdays, saturdays, and Sundays. Thursday and Fridays I've got class at PSU. You ride any of those days?


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## Guest

so what are the best tools for base and side edging? I have seen a bunch online but most seem to be pretty cheap


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## Guest

OK, after some detailed reseach on all products i went with these tools. This gives me exactly what i need to create an 89 degree edge. A reminder that this angle is for my all mountain board and used for carving and griping ice later in the year, not the park(it can also be used for the park but i have a specific board that has much duller edges). I went with the same brand SWIX for everything and included EVERY tool needed for sharpening the edges. You dont have to buy anything else other than the items listed below. The file fits in both the side and base edger. SWIX is a high quality product used by professionals. The entire kit should cost $100 which is not bad at all if you constantly cut your edges and this way you can also help out family and friends.

*Base Edger - SWIX 1 Degree file guide (picture shows .5 but i got a1 degree edger)*










*Side Edge - SWIX 2(88) Degree edge file guide with roller and clamp. *










*File - SWIX 2nd cut chrome 8" file*











*Diamond Stone - SWIX Fine diamond stone*











*Gummy Stone - figured i would throw it in here just because*


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## Guest

link: multi tuner

What about this multi tuner? it can do base and side edge any where from 90 to 85 degrees in .5 degree increments? Anybody used it?

Thinking of buying it while it's on sale.


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## Guest

I personally dont really trust the multi-tuners. The files in them are not of very good quality. If they dont use them in any ski shop I wouldnt use it on my board. Thats my general rule. If you screw up the base edge you might as well buy a new board so i wont take that chance


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## Slaughterhouse

The pads I use are green in colour. I just use a generic brand scrub pad (flat green pad, usually comes in a pack). You can get them at Safeway or pretty much anywhere else. When you use them, you will find the pad builds up with wax that scraping couldn't remove. You can wash the pads or just throw them away after a few uses. I have used a much courser black stripping pad but I only used it for structuring the base for warm snow (as opposed to using a brush) BUT it can be damn tricky. If you do use it, always make sure to go from tip to tail and do NOT press hard. Try to keep your passes down to a minimum, you do not need to do much. All you are trying to achieve is breaking the static or suction effect of wet snow on a mirror smooth base.


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## crazyface

should you use ptex on any gash that you have on your base? or do you only use ptex for really deep gashes?


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## jeri534

How often should I deburr my edges?

And how often should I get them tuned/sharpened?

thanks


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## Minger

I believe sharpening your edges varies on what you ride and personal preference - If you do more park and rails, then basically never, opposed to all mountain...then figure you'd at least have to do it sometimes.


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## Jeffksf

Another thing I do is after I clean the base, if needed, usually wit hSwix base cleaner or paint thinner I block sand it with 150-220 grit paper. This does a few things, ruffs up the base enough to let the wax really bond to the base, it helps get any rubbed in dirt out, smooths out any rail scuffs, and removes any old wax.


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## Guest

Jeffksf said:


> Another thing I do is after I clean the base, if needed, usually wit hSwix base cleaner or paint thinner I block sand it with 150-220 grit paper. This does a few things, ruffs up the base enough to let the wax really bond to the base, it helps get any rubbed in dirt out, smooths out any rail scuffs, and removes any old wax.





and you find this works well? I have always thought about doing this but was always a little nervous.


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## Jeffksf

I've been doing it that way for 15 years on many different boards and I've never had a problem and everyone loves my wax jobs.
If you think about what board goes thru you can't really damage it trying different tuning methods, so don't be afraid to try something out. Granted if you used a powered sander and didn't pay attention you could screw it up, so don't use power tools.


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## indoblazin

Jeffksf said:


> "...everyone loves my wax jobs."


lol........


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## scottland

So I tried something new last night, and it turned out to be a neat little trick. Makes scrapping wax 10x easier, and probably helps clean your board some too.

After you iron your wax into your board, let it sit the normal time you would before you start to scrap (20-30min, whatever you do). Then right before you scrap, run your iron over the whole board one more time to heat the wax back up. The first iron/cooling session should have allowed the base to soak up all the wax it was going to, and scrapping warm waxing is 100x easier than hard cool wax. Plus i've heard warm scrapping helps clean the base, but I don't know about that


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## Minger

Anyone have any input on scottland? I'm not too sure about it, since I'm assuming it would have already absorbed into the base...but I want further input


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## Guest

Okay I've given a general search and can't find anything online about this, so what is the general opinion on weighting boards to get more flex from them. Personally I do it and find it to be no big deal but other people say that it kills your board. When I do it I am sure to do it with the bindings off and make it a 6 day process, that is with one day of weights (about 100 lbs) over the middle on the top and one day on the base (I put a plastic bag under the weights to avoid them making direct contact) then the same above and below the binding areas for the other four days. This is all with the nose and tail of the board resting on two chairs. It seems to have helped break in my board and given it much more flex.


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## Jeffksf

thelowerclass said:


> Okay I've given a general search and can't find anything online about this, so what is the general opinion on weighting boards to get more flex from them. Personally I do it and find it to be no big deal but other people say that it kills your board. When I do it I am sure to do it with the bindings off and make it a 6 day process, that is with one day of weights (about 100 lbs) over the middle on the top and one day on the base (I put a plastic bag under the weights to avoid them making direct contact) then the same above and below the binding areas for the other four days. This is all with the nose and tail of the board resting on two chairs. It seems to have helped break in my board and given it much more flex.


Wouldn't it be easier to just get the board with the flex you want to begin with?


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## Guest

They don't make boards that soft lol. I have a forum manual which is on level with the artifact and www for flex.


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## Minger

Why do you need it that soft anyways? If you weigh that little, then look into a girls' board.


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## Guest

I weigh like 140, but its a 156 that I couldn't turn down at $100 off mid-season.


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## Guest

A few questions i have for waxing and storing.

When storing the boards for the summer should i take the bindings off and leave the coat of wax on? (like not scrap it)

and can you re use the wax that you scraped off?


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## Guest

yes take the bindings off, and yeah its fine to leave the wax on. I don't know about reusing it.


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## Grimdog

BeeDee said:


> A few questions i have for waxing and storing.
> 
> When storing the boards for the summer should i take the bindings off and leave the coat of wax on? (like not scrap it)
> 
> and can you re use the wax that you scraped off?



Don't reuse it. It's a pain in the ass and it has the potential to be less than clean.


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## ttchad

*Edge and bevels?*

Do you guys polish your edges? I used 400 & 600 grit emory on my 90 degree edge but now it does not feel sharp. I have a 1 degree bevel on my base. Any tips on sharpening and polishing it short of buying a diamond file and guide?


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## Guest

I have some stain marks on my base from riding rails. Would a wax job take those stains off? or should I use kerosene/base cleaner to ensure those stains will be removed before waxing?


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## Guest

in the off-season, ensure the edges are dry and then rub a small layer of vaseline over them. This helps prevent rust. 

A tech told me in a course we did that you should wax a brand new board 3 times before use. This may be overkill though from what everyone else is saying?

i thought the suction through from having your bindings in was a definate no-no? which is why ya should atleast loosen before waxing?


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## Guest

Damn Snow, you are Snowboarding encyclopedia. Ever thought of writing a book?


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## Celt943

Snowolf,

Your other videos were great, you should put one together on edge maintenace.


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## cartifes

I just bought my first board, it should be coming in the mail within the week. I saw earlier in this thread that you should put some wax on your board for the summer, and I was wondering if I should put a coat of wax onto it when it gets here or if the factory coat's good enough for the rest of the summer and if it'd be the same to just wait and wax it till closer to when I'm taking it out.


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## Guest

bleh i have been drooling since may and ill be drooling till dec........but in all seriousness for a new board, do the wax job multiple times, or just once?


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## Guest

From what I know, new boards come pre-waxed already. So you should be fine for a couple of days. It also depends on what conditions you are riding and the temp of the snow.

My Rome Agent came pre-waxed, but the first time out was in mount hood during May, the snow was very rough and sticky and it ate through the wax in the first couple hours. For the next the Snowolf had to put some black summer wax which lasted much longer and gave the board a better feeling.


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## Guest

well the first time i take the board out will be at gatlinburg tn. ............(i just had a moment of clarity) yea i am gonna have to put a new coat on it, cause that is all mainly man made out there. after that though, its gonna hopefully be at least 2days at sierra-at-tahoe and two days at kirkwood, down near lake tahoe. then it shuold be about 5 days at mt shasta maybe 2 at ashland then bachelor and hell i should go up to hood also. depends on when my vacation will start. cause i should have about 30+ days off total, hmmm 2days of flying.....4-5 days of driving hmmm god my wife is gonna hate me hahaha if i pushed hard i could get 23-24 days in there of slope time


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## NYCboarder

if i bought a board last season rode it ect.. never sharpened it yet.(didn't feel like i needed to) if i do get it sharpened and dont state what way i want it sharpened whats the default? 
because even reading about the bevel an all.. i am lost on what the hells going on lol


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## Guest

I do not recommend using ANY solvents on your boards base and I know that many experienced techs,including me never do. It can seriously damage the base by drying it out and decreasing it ability to absorb wax... if you do use solvents go for the enviromentally friendly citrus type and use it sparingly!! NEVER USE KEROSENE!! NOT GOOD and no snoboard manufacturer would suggest you do so!!! the best method to remove dirt, old wax and any impurities is to hot scrape with an all temp fluorocarbon wax several times...time consuming yes but the best way to treat your base and keep its pores clean if you have a cheapy extruded base (no offense)this is not as critical; As it has been mentioned earlier, a high molecular weight base is a high end wax absorbing base material it is worth treating with kid gloves take care of it by not using any harsh solvents or very litte if you do. NEVER KEROSENE,DIESEL FUEL my knuckledraggin brethren and sistren. The biggest mistake I see noobs make is applying way too much wax as most it will be scraped off anyway use wax sparingly but always enough to never ever put a hot iron on a dry board...if youriron smokes it too hot..most commercially available irons designed for waxing skis and snowboard have built in thermostats,but if you are using your mums old iron be very careful of using only the medium setting and if the wax smokes, turn it down until it smokes no more..be patient more on edge tuning later... also case hardened areas on your boards edge (burrs) DO NOT GRIP THE SNOW BETTER... they actually sslow you down and make for a much lesst smooth ride!!nothing has benn mentioned about the diff between hydrocarbon waxes and flurocarbon waxes and how they relate to temperature, humidity snow quality..etc etc. also grahpite waxes... I will post soon regarding these differences asap... proper waxing based upon conditions is not hard or complicated but I definately consider it an art form.... but no worries blokes and sheila's its still easy peasy and evem u noobs can get the gist of it no worries. I will post.."breaking the code, How to chose a winning wax by Dr. Thanos Karydas....its da bomb shred the gnar all!!


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## Guest

most maufacturers have a standard out of the factory base bevel for the base and side edge; and thats a one degree bevel on both edges ..base/side depending on how you ride, the type of conditions encountered these parameters of base beveeling can be changed to increase performance. A good example would be beveling you base edges 2 or 3 degrees to decrease edge catch when grinding rails and boxes...lots of jib board come beveled this way from the factory including boards from Atomic and Burton..to name but just a few.. I have more info regarding base bevel just be more specific and I will try to answer you querys. or pont you to someone who can..cheers mates!!


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## Guest

*factory wax jobs are rolled on!! not hotwaxed*



Simply^Ride said:


> From what I know, new boards come pre-waxed already. So you should be fine for a couple of days. It also depends on what conditions you are riding and the temp of the snow.
> 
> My Rome Agent came pre-waxed, but the first time out was in mount hood during May, the snow was very rough and sticky and it ate through the wax in the first couple hours. For the next the Snowolf had to put some black summer wax which lasted much longer and gave the board a better feeling.


I recommend hot scraping to remove the factory wax (or use solvent sparingly if you must,and be sure allow it to fully evaporate) before applying a fresh hot wax. Most snowboard factorys only roll on a wax layer and its kind of a joke.. some of the higher end offering may have a genuine hot wax but I suggest you remove the factory wax job and apply some fresh stuff....when your base becomes dry it will be obvious that it needs wax..soo when somebodys asks how often should I wax my board this all depends on on how and where you ride...ie snow conditions humdidity temperature etc.. its diff for every rider..a dry base is obvious unless you are sightless... just pay attention and take care of your base.... it worth it..when in doubt? hot srcape and apply the fresh!!


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## Guest

no no no.....use automotive wax on the top sheet ONLY!!!!!!!!!!! not the base. the waxes are different formulation completely....


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## Guest

These are some crazy good posts i feel like a board tech from just reading/watching them!...special thanks to the vids snowwolf. but i have a few questions what should i clean my board with kerosene or citrus smelling stuff?..and what would you guys reccomend..i take trips out about 5 times a year and board for like 4 days each trip..would you advise waxing before each trip or waxing during the trips so like every two times on the slopes? (hopefully your not confused lolz)


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## legallyillegal

dReWiZ said:


> These are some crazy good posts i feel like a board tech from just reading/watching them!...special thanks to the vids snowwolf. but i have a few questions what should i clean my board with kerosene or citrus smelling stuff?..and what would you guys reccomend..i take trips out about 5 times a year and board for like 4 days each trip..would you advise waxing before each trip or waxing during the trips so like every two times on the slopes? (hopefully your not confused lolz)


All you really need to clean your base is a good soft wire brush.
Wax before every trip and you should be fine.


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## Guest

legallyillegal said:


> All you really need to clean your base is a good soft wire brush.
> Wax before every trip and you should be fine.


Thanks man thats what i will do...how it sucks being a n00b


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## Guest

brushing the base does not "clean" it. Brushing opens up or exposes the structure in your base which helps it slide better and easier. Cleaning it involves either small amounts of solvent to remove dirt, pine tar what ever,. Hot scraping is another way to clean the base but more labor intensive.

Chk snowolfs tuning tips stickied on this site.. not a hassle its a labor of love taking of you stick.. keep the base moisturized and the edges smooth and your board will treat you well.. SEE snowolfs tuning and waxing techniques. 
NEVER USE KEROSENE ON YOUR BASE!!!!!

DID YOU READ MY EARLIER POST????? NEVER EVER!!!!!


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## Guest

Is there any difference in types of all temp wax?

or is wax just wax..any certain brand i should look for?


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## legallyillegal

There's no real difference unless you're a serious racer.

Cheap wax will do you fine.


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## Guest

legallyillegal said:


> There's no real difference unless you're a serious racer.
> 
> Cheap wax will do you fine.


Yep for the most part...its more important to just keep it waxed by never letting it get dry. :thumbsup:


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## Guest

legallyillegal said:


> There's no real difference unless you're a serious racer.
> 
> Cheap wax will do you fine.



thanks thanks...what about the like soy wax stuff? i heard its good for the environment but is it good for my board?


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## legallyillegal

If it goes on your board, it's good for your board.


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## Guest

howlong do you have to scrape?


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## legallyillegal

As long as you want.


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## Guest

legallyillegal said:


> As long as you want.


rephrase = how long does it takes to get all the wax of: 10, 15, 30 minuts???


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## Guest

falconis said:


> rephrase = how long does it takes to get all the wax of: 10, 15, 30 minuts???



UNtil you have removed all the surface wax... remember, we are tryig to remove all surface wax.. 5-10 minutes max. Don't over apply the wax because you will just end up scraping it all off and it will end up in the trash. I rub on first, and then drip on with the iron for complete coverage...DON'T OVERAPPLY, but never put a hot iron on a base w/o wax.

brush and polish with a scoth brite when done scraping; doing this exposes the "structure" of the base making sliding easier with less suction.. BRUSHING imo is the most important step that most forget.

When you wax and scrape, brush, and polish you temporaliy bury the Structure, by brushing and then polishing you reveal the structure once more.

I recommend an all temp wax combined with a cold wax combo, and maybe a fluorocarbon overlay depending upon ambient temp. snow temp and humidity..

CHK SNOWOLFS WAXING AND TUNING TIPS STICKED ON THIS SITE. I would be happy to answer any other questions you have

lemme know. cheers.


----------



## Guest

don't stress about putting too much the first time. you're probably going to put on too much anyway but you'll get better at gauging how much to use the more you do it.


----------



## Guest

did the wax job , i did a reasonable job 
the only problem is that i kinda forgot to turn of the iron and burned my table.
also their is wax all over the floure... my roommate is gonna kill me


----------



## Vlaze

That poor floor


----------



## NYCboarder

is this a good base cleaner? 
Simple green....Simple Green
is it safe to use?


----------



## max_tm

scottland said:


> So I tried something new last night, and it turned out to be a neat little trick. Makes scrapping wax 10x easier, and probably helps clean your board some too.
> 
> After you iron your wax into your board, let it sit the normal time you would before you start to scrap (20-30min, whatever you do). Then right before you scrap, run your iron over the whole board one more time to heat the wax back up. The first iron/cooling session should have allowed the base to soak up all the wax it was going to, and scrapping warm waxing is 100x easier than hard cool wax. Plus i've heard warm scrapping helps clean the base, but I don't know about that


So I realize that this is a pretty old post, but just wanted to say that it sounds like you're hot waxing your board, which is actually a method to REMOVE wax (as opposed to a base cleaner). Scrape the wax cold.


----------



## legallyillegal

Actually just running the iron over 1 or 2 times will only warm up the excess wax. Not enough heat will be applied to open up the p-tex.


----------



## Guest

I read that its a good idea to take some colder temp wax (I usually put all-temp on my board) and rub it / drip it along the edges before you iron the board to help protect them more from harsher snow.

Since I will be riding a lot of man made snow and its pretty cold around here, would that be a good idea to prevent edge burn?


----------



## Guest

man made snow has sharp edges and will burn the base. I would suggest using a combination of of diff temp waxes on your base. If you are using graphite, rub it on fists, never drip on graphite!! rub on, then iron in.

I use a combo of grahpite,all temp, and cold...sometimes if it is wet, I use fluorocarbon all temp overlays for wet Pac NW conditions. If you need more info let me know.


----------



## boarder3

if i have a new board and ride about half normal runs and half freestyle, would I need to do anyhting else to my board besides hot wax. Would i have to do anything with the edges. I have heardof edges coming really sharp but they seam pretty smooth. Any help is apprecieated.


----------



## legallyillegal

Not really, unless you know what you're doing... in which case you wouldn't be asking anyways.

If you want, you can take a ceramic stone or any other fine grit polishing stone and detune the contact points.


----------



## boarder3

Yea I really don't know what I am doing. I am just going to leave the edges as thee are. If for some reason that would affect my riding negatively can someon please put in some input..thanks


----------



## Guest

Just depends how/what you're riding. YOu can tune the edges to catch less likely on rails, etc, but reduces turning ease/grip. You can optimize them for carving or ice. YOu can go middle of the road. Sharpening is almost a no brainer with a tool made for it, Sharpie marker, and a diamond stone to polish and de-bur. Probably want to detune tip and tail at a minimum.


----------



## Guest

Can I use the flat side of a computer RAM stick as a scraper? I ordered a tuning kit from tramdock, and it came without the scraper, so I'm salvaging whatever I can.


----------



## alf

Dalau said:


> Can I use the flat side of a computer RAM stick as a scraper? I ordered a tuning kit from tramdock, and it came without the scraper, so I'm salvaging whatever I can.


Usually you need a fair amount of force for scraping, so I think your old ram stick'd
break. I've had good luck with a plastic car windshield scraper though.


----------



## Guest

alf said:


> Usually you need a fair amount of force for scraping, so I think your old ram stick'd
> break. I've had good luck with a plastic car windshield scraper though.


heh. I tried it the other night, and was scraping for about 30 mins. One ram stick got dull, and I had to go to another.... and I also couldn't apply a lot of force, because the stick is so thin (both in terms of the thickness and the width) that it hurts the fingers in a way similar to when you learn how to play the guitar. I've got a real scraper coming in the mail tho, so this should be the last of my ram scrapers. =)


edit: I also put on too much wax, so that's another reason it took so long to scrape.


----------



## Guest

*Brass air fittings*

Now that is a lot of brass air fittings Wholesale Tools With Free Shipping World Wide From China Distributor there is just about every type 
of air fitting that you could want. Wholesale prices too. I guess these could be used as small water pipe fitting also. I 
used some of the parts to make my babington wvo burner.


----------



## Dawg Catcher

what does that have to do with anything gem maintenance wise?


----------



## Guest

*Brass air fittings*

Brass air fittings


Now that is a lot of brass air fittings Wholesale Tools With Free Shipping World Wide From China Distributor there is just about every type 
of air fitting that you could want. Wholesale prices too. I guess these could be used as small water pipe fitting also. I 
used some of the parts to make my babington wvo burner.


----------



## chowman94

baobei get the fuck out of here you spamming bitch before i shove one of those brass air fittings up your ass!


----------



## NYCboarder

i gave my board the shop for a 1degree bevel... what is the diff if the bevel was made on base edge or side edge? 

base edge i understand brings it up off the snow and decreases liklihood of catching an edge... but what is the point of the side edge bevel?


----------



## Guest

What does a dry base look like and how do I know if I should wax again? I read through all of the posts in this thread and couldn't find any info on how to spot a dry base. If my base is slightly shiny, is that a thin layer of wax or just really polished wood?


----------



## Dawg Catcher

well your base shouldnt be wood unless you are riding a home made board. but the shininess is possibly a thin layer of wax. dry base is usually opaque or white in color


----------



## Guest

Dalau said:


> What does a dry base look like and how do I know if I should wax again? I read through all of the posts in this thread and couldn't find any info on how to spot a dry base. If my base is slightly shiny, is that a thin layer of wax or just really polished wood?


Dry base' looks similar to chapped lips. The more you wax the board the better for the base.


----------



## Guest

krazykay5487 said:


> Dry base' looks similar to chapped lips. The more you wax the board the better for the base.


Hmmm thats a good one.. It should be obvious. Chk along the edges, this is where the wax will be depleted first. The base will appear to be dry..ie chapped base ha ha...When your base is dry the P-tex (base material) shrinks due to lack of wax, so mosturize your base and keep it loaded with wax, and your board will slide and glide effortlessly and you will be happy camper..


----------



## Guest

*2 questions*

1. The aforementioned question on Simple Green...would that work as a base cleaner? Any input appreciated

2. When I hot wax my board i get wax scrapings on the topsheet when i go to adjust the board. Is there anything anyone would recommend to remove these tricky, sticky little scrapings and their residue?

Thanks!!


----------



## Dawg Catcher

trick i use its just take your plastic scraper and scrape em off ride your board they will go away. simple green works but you must use caution your base is a porous element putting anything on it it soaks it up. for general waxings i just use my wire brush and give it a good brushing other if you require a deep cleaning try hot waxing its and scraping immediately otherwise known as a wax clean.


----------



## Guest

If u are using simple green use it sparingly... as you would any solvent. You must however give it sufficient time to evaporate before you apply any heat or wax. LET IT EVAPORATE FIRST. FYI I have never heard the term "wax clean" as a tech for several years we called it a "hot scrape" its great way to clean the base w/o solvent but it is labor intensive.

When we hot scrape, we are removing excess wax (pulling it out of the base) becaues the pores are still opened and more wax will come off that had been previously impregnated into it.. got it?


----------



## Dawg Catcher

yeah you got what i was saying the people who i have explained this too have often misunderstood hot scrape and the purpose of it leading to burned bases. but you got what i was saying with the other terminology


----------



## jeri534

Whats the general guideline on how many riding days between waxes?


----------



## legallyillegal

3-5 days, depending on conditions and amount of riding


----------



## Guest

thanks for the tips on the dried out base. I've got another question, and I feel it's better put here than making a new thread.

Should a nice hot waxed, scraped, brushed base result in a:
1) very thin layer of wax covering the texture of the base, so wax is the only material physically contacting the snow?
OR
2) wax woven (figuratively) into the base, so both wax and the base material are in contact with the snow?

This would be much help for me to determine how much to scrape after a hot wax. Thanks!


----------



## legallyillegal

Number 2 is the optimal choice.

Basically, scrape until nothing is coming off anymore.


----------



## Guest

yep we are concerned with the wax we have impregnated into the base, not any surface wax. I brush, and then scotch brite to remove any fine hairs and this will polish the base... smoothe as a babies bum/// and fast as hell.


----------



## Guest

Well I have attempted to wax my board twice now and both times I dont seem to get the same results as the shop. Each time I seem to be getting better but there are a couple questions I have. 

After I wax and scrape following all the directions I have read on this board and others I find that sometimes some of the scratches are still on the board. These are not large by any means maybe 0.5" to 1" long and just a millimeter or two deep. The wax does seem to fill them in but I can clearly see them and feel them when I run my fingers over the base. 

Do these scratches need to be ground down (for lack of a better word) to be level with the base before I wax? Should the scraping level it off if done correctly?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

-Conor


----------



## Guest

Snowolf said:


> Glad you backed them off...that is definitiely not a good thing. The sucking in part is very noraml and why when a shop does a base grind and wax, the bindings are removed (well, that and the board won`t go through the machine with them on...:laugh: ) for everyday wax jobs, I do not bother with loosening the bindings. Thanks for the kind words.
> 
> 
> I will work on the edge maintenance as soon as I get some free time.


everytime i wax my board i loosen the bindings. I dont take them off though...


----------



## Dawg Catcher

Nostromos said:


> Well I have attempted to wax my board twice now and both times I dont seem to get the same results as the shop. Each time I seem to be getting better but there are a couple questions I have.
> 
> After I wax and scrape following all the directions I have read on this board and others I find that sometimes some of the scratches are still on the board. These are not large by any means maybe 0.5" to 1" long and just a millimeter or two deep. The wax does seem to fill them in but I can clearly see them and feel them when I run my fingers over the base.
> 
> Do these scratches need to be ground down (for lack of a better word) to be level with the base before I wax? Should the scraping level it off if done correctly?
> 
> Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
> 
> -Conor


waxing is not meant to fill in scratches. anything that small should not present an issue if it really bothers you just fill it in with a Ptex candle although i wouldnt really worry about it till you get a core shot.


----------



## Guest

exuse me im about to buy a burton jacket, would you give any advise on what size i am 150 punds and 6 feet


----------



## legallyillegal

chest size?

wrong thread?


----------



## Guest

Dawg Catcher said:


> waxing is not meant to fill in scratches. anything that small should not present an issue if it really bothers you just fill it in with a Ptex candle although i wouldnt really worry about it till you get a core shot.


That's pretty much what I figured. I bought my first good board, a Custom X, and have been taking really good care of it. This last time out it took on a couple scrapes and is not as pristine as it once was. I suppose I was worried about decreased performance now that the base isn't pristine anymore.


----------



## Dawg Catcher

it depends how deep your scratches are. if its not too deep just wax and they will fill in if they are deep ptex em. if it really bothers you alot get a stone grind.


----------



## NYCboarder

On my topsheet right next to my bindings im getting a little discoloration.... i do not have any rust in the bindings or screws... has anyone else had this problem? or anyone know a way to remove it?


----------



## legallyillegal

My Waxing Method:

Clean your iron. I don't care how.

Turn your iron on. If it wisps, don't worry.

Prepare the board. Scrub the base with a nylon brush (this will remove surface shit). Use a base cleaner if you want/need to. Brass/copper/other soft metal brush optional.

Do the edges. Deburr.

Wipe the iron with a paper towel. Be careful not to burn yourself (I recommend you fold the paper towel over a few times). This will remove any remaining crap/residue/anything.

Apply wax to the board. Drip it. Crayon it. It doesn't matter.

Iron that shit in. Give the edges and contact points the most love. Periodically feel the topsheet. If it's cool, keep ironing. If it's hot, leave that area alone.

Let it cool.

If you want to, you can clean the iron and repeat the iron-in process. Make sure that base has soaked up all it can. Why scrape and apply a "second coat"? That makes no sense. It just wastes wax.

Let it cool.

Now, scrape. You don't need to scrapescrapescrapescrapescrapescrape. Give your board a moderate scrape. Basically scrape it until it looks a factory wax from a glance. Takes me maybe 2 minutes tops.

Take a nylon brush (I use a Swix dual brush - it has short, stiff nylon bristles on one side and felt on the other - $15) and start scrubbing your base. Left, right, up, down, in circles, who gives a fuck. HOLY FUCKING DUST!

Get a spray bottle, fill it with water, and spray your base. Or just use a wet towel. Or anything. Continue scrubbing with the brush. Where's the dust? Look at those big dust-filled water droplets.

Scrub. Grease your elbows. You'll know when you can stop. 

Take a scrubby pad to your base if you want to.

Dry everything off and store your board in a warm, dry area.


----------



## Guest

Question: What do the black spots mean? 

Details: I just hot-waxed my board for the first time yesterday. It's a brand new board. I first brushed off the factory wax layer, then dripped wax and ironed. I ironed until the outlines of the dots of wax disappeared, meaning that the bottom layer (closest to base) of wax had melted. These dots appeared before the scraping stage.... sometime during the ironing. I tried to see if I could get rid of them by adding a bit more wax over those areas and re-ironing. The spots didn't go away during the scraping or brushing stages. I used Whacks Wax, which has a black color.


----------



## skunkworks

Dalau said:


> Question: What do the black spots mean?
> 
> Details: I just hot-waxed my board for the first time yesterday. It's a brand new board. I first brushed off the factory wax layer, then dripped wax and ironed. I ironed until the outlines of the dots of wax disappeared, meaning that the bottom layer (closest to base) of wax had melted. These dots appeared before the scraping stage.... sometime during the ironing. I tried to see if I could get rid of them by adding a bit more wax over those areas and re-ironing. The spots didn't go away during the scraping or brushing stages. I used Whacks Wax, which has a black color.


This is what I read from the post by boarderaholic on page one of this topic:

There are many different types of waxes out there, but the most common is flouro based waxes. They are fairly long lasting, and can take a rough rider. The other type as Snowolf mentioned is graphite. Graphite comes in one colour; black. It will be noticeable on a white base and people will think you need a wax job. .That is until you flash by 'em laughing your ass off. Graphite wax is harder and creates better glide with the snow than flouro wax does. Thus it is a faster wax. It doesn't have the same staying power, but it will make you ride faster.

and I think whacks wax is saturated with Molybdenum powder which I think is similar to graphite so the black spots may be normal and will go away with time. I'm not sure since I've never used whacks wax before but it does make sense.


----------



## skunkworks

oneplankawanka said:


> man made snow has sharp edges and will burn the base. I would suggest using a combination of of diff temp waxes on your base. If you are using graphite, rub it on fists, *never drip on graphite*!! rub on, then iron in.


Why can't you drip on graphite? Is Molybdenum enriched wax the similar in property as graphite wax?


----------



## Guest

particulate does not spread well. Tends to impregnate where is is applied. dripping... bad form.


----------



## Guest

Thanks all for your help!

I rode yesterday and I can say that it was FAST! I noticed today that the edges are wicked dry, so I just brushed off the old wax and redid a new wax job. This time I "crayoned" the entire surface, with extra crayoning at the edges... then I dripped a [i/little[/i] bit of wax in various places to give the iron a thin surface to slide on. After the crayoning, the board looks like half-burnt toast (about 4x more black spots than in the above photo.) lol.


----------



## skunkworks

I started waxing my board after reading how easy it is form this forum; special thanks for all who were very infomative and helpful especially oneplankawanka, legallyillegal, captainowns, slaughterhouse, and snowolf with his video. I think I'm doing a pretty good job and the fact that I'm taking pride in my hard work when I'm flying down the mountain. I do have one question, why am I scraping more wax off close to the edge than the rest of the board. Here's a picture to illustrate what I mean. Is this normal, am I scraping it unevenly.



















And I couldn't get the dirty streaks on the white part of my board even with base cleaner and hard rubbing with paper towel, I'm thinking of using Gojo and see if I can get it out. Would Gojo be ok?










Thanks in advance for your help


----------



## Guest

skunkworks said:


> I started waxing my board after reading how easy it is form this forum; special thanks for all who were very infomative and helpful especially oneplankawanka, legallyillegal, captainowns, slaughterhouse, and snowolf with his video. I think I'm doing a pretty good job and the fact that I'm taking pride in my hard work when I'm flying down the mountain. I do have one question, why am I scraping more wax off close to the edge than the rest of the board. Here's a picture to illustrate what I mean. Is this normal, am I scraping it unevenly.
> 
> http://i44.tinypic.com/osc2eo.jpg
> 
> http://i41.tinypic.com/23hlfub.jpg
> 
> And I couldn't get the dirty streaks on the white part of my board even with base cleaner and hard rubbing with paper towel, I'm thinking of using Gojo and see if I can get it out. Would Gojo be ok?
> 
> http://i41.tinypic.com/2nta8o7.jpg
> 
> Thanks in advance for your help


Just wondering. Why are you scraping diagonally? If you're scraping lightly, it shouldn't be a problem until you hit the base and once you get there, you can brush everything nicely. Otherwise, you might run the risk of "scraping against the grain" and creating new impressions on the board.


----------



## skunkworks

Thanks for your reply. I"m not scraping diagonally. I'm brushing at a 45 degree angle at the last pass like this guy in the video:



YouTube - Document Snowboard shows you how to wax your stick

I'm going to try it out tomorrow at Mt High so I'll see if I notice any improvement. Maybe I'm pushing down a little harder on the edge so when I wax again I'll pay closer attention and see if it comes out better.


----------



## UncleRico

I'm up in Canada and was looking for cheap wax to use for my and my buddies planks.

BULK CANWAX Slide Ski/Snowboard Wax 1.6 kg ski wax - (eBay.ca item 230326641659 end time 21-Mar-09 10:57:58 EDT)

These look pretty generic, but does anyone have any experience with them? They're stupidly cheap with free shipping and 'best offers'


----------



## legallyillegal

that's not cheap

2.5kg of toko universal for $50 USD is cheap


----------



## JD808

*Factory bevel*

Just got a Never summer sl-r and was wondering if anyone knew what the factory side and base bevel were?


----------



## legallyillegal

0/0


10char


----------



## Guest

one/one....


----------



## JD808

1/1 being the same as what some people would call 1 degree base bevel 89 degree side bevel correct?
Thats exactly what I wanted, thanks!


----------



## UncleRico

legallyillegal said:


> that's not cheap
> 
> 2.5kg of toko universal for $50 USD is cheap


Where would I find this. To be shipped to Canada?


----------



## Guest

yup




10char


----------



## skunkworks

skunkworks said:


> Thanks for your reply. I"m not scraping diagonally. I'm brushing at a 45 degree angle at the last pass like this guy in the video:
> 
> 
> 
> YouTube - Document Snowboard shows you how to wax your stick
> 
> I'm going to try it out tomorrow at Mt High so I'll see if I notice any improvement. Maybe I'm pushing down a little harder on the edge so when I wax again I'll pay closer attention and see if it comes out better.


Oh what a difference, brushing diagonally works, I'm waving bye bye to everyone on the mountain. :laugh: I"m kidding I didn't notice any difference but all honesty I am going faster by waxing my own stick and the wax is alot more evenly, more so than any shop.


----------



## milner_7

Had a hot wax done on my stick today. Its like there is still wax on the base and edges. I am not going to use it again this year. If I bag it and store it for the summer and then scrape the left over wax it should be ok? When you run your hand over the base you can feel the wax. I used a small plastic ruler to scrape and see if there was wax and there was. I am a little vexed that they did not do a good job at the shop.


----------



## crazyface

milner_7 said:


> Had a hot wax done on my stick today. Its like there is still wax on the base and edges. I am not going to use it again this year. If I bag it and store it for the summer and then scrape the left over wax it should be ok? When you run your hand over the base you can feel the wax. I used a small plastic ruler to scrape and see if there was wax and there was. I am a little vexed that they did not do a good job at the shop.


they might have expected you to be finished for the season and left the wax on on purpose. you are supposed to put a thick coat of wax on the base of your board and leave it on at the end of every season for storage. then you scrape the wax off before you go out for the first time next year.


----------



## milner_7

crazyface said:


> they might have expected you to be finished for the season and left the wax on on purpose. you are supposed to put a thick coat of wax on the base of your board and leave it on at the end of every season for storage. then you scrape the wax off before you go out for the first time next year.


Yeah thats what I have read on here. Thats what I was thinking anyway.


----------



## milner_7

Hey there.

Was wondering if anyone can answer this? I had a hot wax done as I stated above. There are dark spots. They look like blotches. I scraped the excess wax on the board after I got it done and they are still there even after a day of riding. They were not there before I had the hot wax done. Will base cleaner remove these? I am going to wax and leave it on over the summer so is base cleaner a good bet to clear this up?


----------



## legallyillegal

scrub it off with a stiff nylon brush


----------



## ShortAssassin

Hey everyone, question about summer storage. I know it's recommended to put a nice thick layer of wax on the board, but the last time I rode it was slushy so my base is kinda dirty. Now I've read that base cleaner actually dries out your base, so I was wondering how to clean my base before waxing? Also, when I'm ready to ride again in the winter, should I re-wax the board? Or just scrape what I put on for the summer?


----------



## legallyillegal

clean it, wax it, forget it


----------



## Guest

OK so I learnt the hard way not to use Loctite on your bindings, especially if they're plastic  I need to use something because everything comes loose even if I tighten it the day I'm boarding and I don't want to have to keep tightening while on the mountain. People have suggested so far: toothpaste (apparently Union bindings approve this, or someone is making fun of me), teflon plumbers tape. Anything else work?

I've heard people say to use Rain-X on the topsheet to make snow and water fall off it easier, is Rain-X safe to use?

Also heard of putting Vaseline (petroleum jelly) in the binding holes you're not using to prevent rust? Is this safe also?

Cleaning the base, not safe to use Kerosene, check. Is Prepsol (Liquid hydrocarbons) safe to use? If not what type of citrus cleaning agent is?


----------



## m_jel

insomniac said:


> OK so I learnt the hard way not to use Loctite on your bindings, especially if they're plastic  I need to use something because everything comes loose even if I tighten it the day I'm boarding and I don't want to have to keep tightening while on the mountain. People have suggested so far: toothpaste (apparently Union bindings approve this, or someone is making fun of me), teflon plumbers tape. Anything else work?
> 
> I've heard people say to use Rain-X on the topsheet to make snow and water fall off it easier, is Rain-X safe to use?
> 
> Also heard of putting Vaseline (petroleum jelly) in the binding holes you're not using to prevent rust? Is this safe also?
> 
> Cleaning the base, not safe to use Kerosene, check. Is Prepsol (Liquid hydrocarbons) safe to use? If not what type of citrus cleaning agent is?


I've heard toothpaste, one of the weaker loctite's, tape, basically everything you've said, i've heard, although I've never had the need to use any of it.

Forget the rain-x, dunno about prepsol, and you can use pretty much any orange/citrus based cleaner


----------



## Guest

blue loctite, no worries. I use automotive wax on the topsheet tip and tail only not between the binders, rain x would work if its not a matt finish. Use any solvent base cleaner sparingly and make sure you let it evaporate completly before applying wax.


----------



## snowjeeper

so what happens if you just left the wax on the board like after riding once, then put it away for the summer? I didn't do any special prep when I put our boards out in the garage.


----------



## m_jel

meh, nothing, it might dry out a bit, but nothing spectacular


----------



## DC5R

Wow, 23 pages?!


----------



## Guest

NJ SHREDDER 28 said:


> 4 bongs mpd??? Sounds like you got a rediculous tolerence. 3 ROOR hits at like 7PM and I'm good for the whole night.


4 bongs more like 4 vaporizors for me


----------



## jooost

Does anyone have any good methods for testing how good of a wax-job you've done? Pushing a towel across the base makes the towel fly right off.. but still, not sure how accurate that is.


----------



## legallyillegal

use water and see how well it runs off


----------



## milner_7

Anyone ever experienced wax staining the base? I used a red coloured all temp wax when I put the summer coat on end of season and did the scrape and buff today and the white sections on my base have turned a pinkish colour in spots and I can't seem to get rid of it. Do you think it go away after a day of riding?


----------



## legallyillegal

Hmmm... translucent red wax on a semi-translucent white base... nope no idea why it would look pink.


----------



## milner_7

legallyillegal said:


> Hmmm... translucent red wax on a semi-translucent white base... nope no idea why it would look pink.


Thanks genius.


----------



## Guest

milner_7 said:


> Anyone ever experienced wax staining the base? I used a red coloured all temp wax when I put the summer coat on end of season and did the scrape and buff today and the white sections on my base have turned a pinkish colour in spots and I can't seem to get rid of it. Do you think it go away after a day of riding?


it could but it will take some since the red has soaked into the pours of the ptext for a while.. time will tell


----------



## m_jel

burtonrider97 said:


> depends how long you left the wax on for and how well u scraped... i use blue wax on my white base and yet to have any major staining


he said he left it over summer. There's your answer before you even asked


----------



## Guest

m_jel said:


> he said he left it over summer. There's your answer before you even asked


calm down turbo


----------



## m_jel

burtonrider97 said:


> calm down turbo


Bud, before you join up, start s**t with people and post some uneducated info all within 3 days, learn to read the question that you're unsuccessfully answering.


----------



## Guest

m_jel said:


> Bud, before you join up, start s**t with people and post some uneducated info all within 3 days, learn to read the question that you're unsuccessfully answering.


i edited it.. so now stfu


----------



## Bones

milner_7 said:


> Anyone ever experienced wax staining the base? I used a red coloured all temp wax when I put the summer coat on end of season and did the scrape and buff today and the white sections on my base have turned a pinkish colour in spots and I can't seem to get rid of it. Do you think it go away after a day of riding?


I used graphite wax for a season and got serious staining in my bright yellow sintered base (rode great though). Took more like a few weeks for it all to disappear (after changing to regular wax), but it eventually came out.

Take it as a learning tool. Even though the pink is deep into your base and even though you wax regularly on top of it (with a different colour), it will wear off little by little. Shows you that more than just the surface of your base interacts with snow.


----------



## milner_7

Bones said:


> I used graphite wax for a season and got serious staining in my bright yellow sintered base (rode great though). Took more like a few weeks for it all to disappear (after changing to regular wax), but it eventually came out.
> 
> Take it as a learning tool. Even though the pink is deep into your base and even though you wax regularly on top of it (with a different colour), it will wear off little by little. Shows you that more than just the surface of your base interacts with snow.


Cheers. I will be looking at using a different wax


----------



## DJ FroZone

CAPiTA Outdoor Living Snowboard 2008 : Snowboards | evo outlet

thats my board 158 any tips for maitence specifally for this?


----------



## m_jel

DJ FroZone said:


> CAPiTA Outdoor Living Snowboard 2008 : Snowboards | evo outlet
> 
> thats my board 158 any tips for maitence specifally for this?


umm, same as any other board?


----------



## skunkworks

I'm starting to try something to clean the base of my snowboard. The beauty of living in Southern Cali is that even during the winter daytime highs still get around 70's or even 80's so I leave my board outside with the base facing up for 15 mins. The sun warms up the wax and I can scrap it all off. I've found that it works even better than hot-scrapping. I don't even have to use base cleaner, (I could if I the base still looks a little dirty) and I wipe if down with paper towel and it's good for a new wax.

For those who finds the color of the wax is staining the base of their board could try this, since this should remove most of the wax but I guess it only works if it gets warm enough during the day.


----------



## Guest

I'm going to be waxing my own board and for a few friends and had a question about some of the equipment that will be needed to wax a board. I bought a basic swix iron, and now I need to buy a brush, scrapper, and wax. 

1. I've watched some videos of guys scrapping boards and some use metal scrappers. Are these putty knifes? Any recommendations?
2. How many applications can I get from 3/4 pound block from hertel or how long would the 2.5kg toko last? 
3. Any recommendation on where to buy a cheap nylon brush? Hardware store (home depot/lowes) carry tapico(?), but no nylon. 

Read that the 2.5kg toko was ~$32/50 on tognar, but they've raised it to $75. Has there been a price increase in the past 9 months?


----------



## skunkworks

1) Yes I believe it's a putty knife, but I would recommend using a plastic scraper and see how you like it before using the putty knife.

2) If you're looking for a cheap brush I find them at dollartree store: Dollar Tree, Inc.: Search Results on brush

try to find the stiffest brush would work best.

3) I myself use around 26 grams or an ounce of wax for each snowboard but I've read it can be cut down to 12 grams for each wax. So for me a pound of wax would last me around 16 wax jobs.

Hope this helps


----------



## Guest

I've got a bit of a noob question.

My board has a sintered base with a black and white design, and while waxing and scraping last night, I noticed that the shavings had the color of the design underneath. So, either the wax took on the color of the base (wax color is pink), or I've scraped through the wax and into the base.

Is it possible, with a fiberglass scraper, to scrape off too much wax and start taking out the base?

Also, how hard/durable is the base? I've got some shallow gouges in the base, but when I scratch at them with just my fingernail, it looks like I can sort of "even out" the edges of the gouges, if that makes sense. So I'm not sure if those small gouges are just in the wax, or into the base.


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## Guest

skunkworks said:


> 1) Yes I believe it's a putty knife, but I would recommend using a plastic scraper and see how you like it before using the putty knife.
> 
> 2) If you're looking for a cheap brush I find them at dollartree store: Dollar Tree, Inc.: Search Results on brush
> 
> try to find the stiffest brush would work best.
> 
> 3) I myself use around 26 grams or an ounce of wax for each snowboard but I've read it can be cut down to 12 grams for each wax. So for me a pound of wax would last me around 16 wax jobs.
> 
> Hope this helps


I ended up buying a putty knife because the hardware store I went to said they had some scraps of acrylic laying around I could buy cheap, but when I went there they didn't have any and had a $14 sheet of 18x24. So I waxed my board and maybe it was too dim in my garage, but I couldn't see any dust when I was brushing off old wax and during structuring/buffing. Other than that my board looks great, going to test it out tomorrow. Thanks for the help and info guys!


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## Frozen208

legallyillegal said:


> use water and see how well it runs off


I am guessing the better it runs off the better the condition of the wax job?


----------



## Guest

I did a quick search and I didn't see this anywhere.

Here's a guide with more information than most people will ever need about waxing, tuning and repairing. (From Tognar)

Ski Snowboard tuning repair waxing


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## millerman

hey guys i have been riding my whole life nd my uncle owns a shop so he tells me everything u need to know about keeping ur board .. if anyones wants advice or has questions just message me


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## oliveryochest

millerman said:


> hey guys i have been riding my whole life nd my uncle owns a shop so he tells me everything u need to know about keeping ur board .. if anyones wants advice or has questions just message me


The whole point of a forum is people who have the same interest come to a place to share and provide knowledge and experience. What is the point of this. You can easily start a thread or share your knowledge in this thread.


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## Guest

i didn't feel like reading all of the 25 pages of the guide, so i don't know if this came up or not, but i'm new to waxing and dont have a waxing iron so can i just use a regular iron? do the holes pose a problem? is there any way to be able to use it?


----------



## GC24

shrededmacaroni said:


> i didn't feel like reading all of the 25 pages of the guide, so i don't know if this came up or not, but i'm new to waxing and dont have a waxing iron so can i just use a regular iron? do the holes pose a problem? is there any way to be able to use it?


Regular irons work fine; however, after you use it to wax your board you will not want to iron clothes with it.
I suggest picking up a $7 iron from target or wal mart.


----------



## SchultzLS2

GC24 said:


> Regular irons work fine; however, after you use it to wax your board you will not want to iron clothes with it.
> I suggest picking up a $7 iron from target or wal mart.


If any wax gets in the holes just keep the iron on after you iron your board and wipe it off good while hot with a dry cloth or paper towel. You'll never be able to tell u used it.


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## Guest

so will the old wax stuck in the holes burn after a while and just come out? or will it be a problem?


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## GC24

shrededmacaroni said:


> so will the old wax stuck in the holes burn after a while and just come out? or will it be a problem?


It will heat up melt and drip through the holes provided you have the holes pointing down.


----------



## Guest

GC24 said:


> It will heat up melt and drip through the holes provided you have the holes pointing down.


ok thanks a lot.


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## mickyg

Just out of curiosity, if you get it waxed at the shop do they do as good a job as you can do at home? ie - do they scrape the grooves into it at the end and stuff?


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## Bones

mickyg said:


> Just out of curiosity, if you get it waxed at the shop do they do as good a job as you can do at home? ie - do they scrape the grooves into it at the end and stuff?


There are 3 local shops near me that hot wax. They all charge about $25. One just uses a machine and the wax is gone pretty quick. One does it by hand, but it's hit and miss. The last does a good job and does base grinds, etc. 

I do as good a job as the good shop if not better (cuz it's my board!). I use them for complicated stuff.


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## mrpez

is it good to rinse off your board after using it?


----------



## Frozen208

Snowolf said:


> The hand held file guide is good for sharpening your edges, use it to file only the side edge; do not try to use it on the base edge. For filing the base edge, you need to get a decent file guide that is set at the angle you want (1 degree is standard for most riding, but they make them up with higher angles. The idea of using the Sharpie pen is sound....it gives you something to visually monitor your progress and helps prevent removing too much metal. Base edges need to be as uniform as possible, so be careful and take your time. Also, you want to maintain a 89 or 90 degree angle on your edges so if you have a 1 or 2 degree base edge bevel, be sure to match that on your side edge. An ideal free ride set up is a 1 degree base edge and a 2 degree side edge; this makes a very sharp, 89 degree edge that holds it`s edge well on ice.
> 
> You can ruin a board very easily by messing up the steel edges, so do not go cheap on this equipment, get good stuff and learn to use it properly.
> 
> A diamond stone or any knife sharpening stone is great to lightly hone down the filed edge; use a light touch and just go over it a few passes to remove file burrs. The hand held file guide is ideal to take in the car to run a few passes down your edge to get a good sharp edge again. I run one down my edges every couple of weeks to maintain a sharp edge.


So I should not use this for the base edge then? One side is 90* the other is 88*, one question does anyone know if I want to use the 90* side should it be face up or down? And I know it has been gone over but I don't want to ruin my edge, I should use 90* side right? I ride either Mt. High or Snow Summit and it seems to be pretty icy or at least real hard packed most times.


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## TXBDan

^i saw that in the Dakine kit at REI today. i didn't realize it was 90deg AND 88deg. i thought it was only 90. if i had known i prob would have got the kit instead of just the scraper. 



So i did my first wax job today on my Sierra Crew. It went well (scraped wax w a plastic Dakine scraper for a good hour) and i think she's all good. Except i did notice that there is a noticeable bump/edge/feel where the colors change on the bottom of the board. I assume they're separate pieces of plastic. Is this normal?


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## Guest

hey i just got my sierra crew today, do i need to wax it or file any edges before i take it out or is it good to go>


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## pacificdrums

Notoriousmlg said:


> hey i just got my sierra crew today, do i need to wax it or file any edges before i take it out or is it good to go>


I would do a good hot wax on it and it should be good to go.


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## Guest

killclimbz said:


> It's my rock board. No way in hell with multiple blow edges and stuff that I even want to spend the time fixing it. When there is less than 10" of snow on the ground, that's the stick I ride...


10 inches is a blessing where im from.

:laugh:


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## hpin

I'm going to wax and tune my board this weekend. I got an iron, wax, gummy stone, 88/90 bevel guide, and a plastic scrapper. I just want to sharpen the edge for now and not change the angle, how do I know what bevel came with the board from the factory? Looks like 0 and 90 to me, btw the board is a GNU CHB series. Also on the side edge, the sidewall goes all the way up to the metal edge. When I file the edge, I'm going to rub up against the sidewall too, is that normal or do I need a sidewall cutter too?


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## Guest

I do not want to promote but it is a nice youtube movie about waxing the board that I find very helpfull 
Maybe for someone els it will be also helpfull 


video how to wax (youtube)


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## Denzo 2000

Can anyone suggest a good hot wax? Or are they all pretty much the same? I see all the waxes that say rub on, spray on, paste, gel, etc. Do I need to make sure it says "hot wax?" or are they all hot wax? 

Also, do I need to get a snowboard waxing iron, or would a regular iron work (assuming I clean it before and after waxing). And I heard you can put aluminum foil over it so you don't really have to clean it and you won't ruin a good iron. Has anyone tried this?

And I just got a new deck and I'm not sure if I'll get a chance to use it this season. Should I wax it before the summer of will the manufacturers wax be good enough?


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## Guest

Sorry I cant help about wax!
But pay attention when you use the iron with wax, the base of iron should be flat without any holes in it. Otherwise the wax will get into this holes when you warm up your wax. 
Hope this info will help!
Oh and yes you can use different types of irons but the best ones where you can adjust the temp preciously.
And don't ruin your mothers iron, cheap ones will do fine for waxing!:thumbsup:


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## Guest

first waxing went well..... scraped and put a second layer on. Now, just scraping and scraping and scraping and scraping...... If the snow takes the wax off fairly quickly, why do I have to scrape so much of it back off?


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## n2i1c3k7

is this a way to detune burrs just using a file or something other than a gummy stone?


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## vote4pedro

i just waxed my board to put it away for the summer. this was the first time i did it myself. i was wondering if i used too much wax. i used an entire 85 gram puck, which seemed to be just enough to completely coat the board. does this sound right? or should i have been spreading it out more?

here's what it looked like when i put it away...


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## legallyillegal

holy hell that's a ton of wax


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## KIRKRIDER

Good luckk scraping that! Way too much man!


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## vote4pedro

lol... that's what i thought. oh well. how many waxes should you get out of a puck?


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## legallyillegal

more than one


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## vote4pedro

cool. i'll spread it out more next time.


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## LTshredTN

im gna be waxing all my boards for the first time here before long...after ironing in the wax, how is the best way to brush off the rest?? go in any certain pattern like strokes from nose to tail or what?? thanks


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## AngryHugo

I always scrape and brush nose to tail. Keep your scrapes and brushes as straight as possible. The pores in the base run lengthwise, so you want to work with them and not against them.


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## LTshredTN

AngryHugo said:


> I always scrape and brush nose to tail. Keep your scrapes and brushes as straight as possible. The pores in the base run lengthwise, so you want to work with them and not against them.



thanks thats what i kinda figured but i wanted to make sure


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## legallyillegal

there are no pores (in the sense that you think), and it does not matter which direction you scrape and brush


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## vote4pedro

there's a good waxing guide with videos a few links down from this thread.

http://www.snowboardingforum.com/boards/7010-guides-waxing-tuning-board-repair.html

according to it and other guides i've read, the reason you scrape and brush nose to tail is to create grooves for the water to flow.


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## legallyillegal

grooves in what? the wax you just scraped off?


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## vote4pedro

there's still some wax there. or else why did you bother putting it on?

according to the guide, it creates microscopic grooves for better water flow and a little more speed.


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## legallyillegal

wax goes in the base, not on

anything left over is just rudimentary abrasion resistance


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## vote4pedro

it goes in and on. it's pretty obvious to the touch when your board needs to be waxed. 

and for what it's worth, wax isn't used for "abrasion resistance," it's actually there to increase friction to melt the snow faster. you're essentially hydroplaning on a thin layer of water between your board and the snow. the grooves allow the water to flow freely, reducing drag. 

anyway, i don't claim to be an expert. i'm just repeating what every guide out there says. who knows. maybe they're all wrong and you're right.


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## legallyillegal

i bet all those "guides" claim that your base will oxidize if you don't wax it


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## vote4pedro

that's a new one to me. i'm mainly going off the guide posted here. 

http://www.snowboardingforum.com/boards/7010-guides-waxing-tuning-board-repair.html

here's the relevant section...

_Next is scraping the excess wax off the board. As the wax is soaked into the base, everything that can be scraped off is excess. You can buy a scraper at a shop for cheap (go generic with scrapers to save $) or you can buy a small piece of square fiberglass from the hardware store. Make sure it's as wide as your board to ensure proper scraping.* Start at one end of the board (tip or tail) and drag the scraper down the board, removing the excess wax. NEVER go horizontally as you'll damage the boards base potentially and it's structure.* Proceed until all the excess wax has been removed. BE THUROUGH! Excess wax just results in additional friction, and as it is poorly shaped (unlike a smooth base) it will resist water flowing over it. Wax once again... isn't slick...


So once you've thuroughly removed all excess wax, you'll want to buff your board. Scotch Brite pads actually work the best. Get em, rub the piss out of your boad, and it'll come out smooth. Once again, tip to tail travels on those brushing. Once that is done, and the board is smooth, you'll want to STRUCTURE the base. You do this with a fine bristled brush.* You drag from tip to tail harshly. This leaves grooves in the base. These grooves allow water to travel faster accross the base, and in retrospect result in you traveling faster. It also helps reduce the suction cup effect of two smooth surfaces with water inbetween them. *A brush can be bought at your snowboard shop for $12-15, or a brush can be bought at a hardware store for $4. The choice is yours..._


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## LTshredTN

also some help with edges, i wna tune up them from last year, there alittle rusty, how do i go about sharping them and gettin the rusty spots off? i know theres diamond & gummy stones used for some stuff


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## legallyillegal

vote4pedro said:


> that's a new one to me. i'm mainly going off the guide posted here.


if your scraper is damaging your base by going horizontal or diagonal, you can be damn sure that it'll also damage your base if you go longitudinal


and if you're attempting to put a structure in a base using a brush...  bad things will happen

what the brush does is remove the wax from a *pre-existing* structure


----------



## vote4pedro

maybe it's just me, but i think i'll go with the guy who's worked in a board shop for 10 years waxing boards. especially when he's saying the same thing every other guide is saying.

it makes perfect sense to me that scraping against the grain could damage your board. the scraper could easily catch in the grain. scraping with the grain that's obviously not a problem.

but hey, if you want to wax your board that way, more power to you.


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## legallyillegal

what grain? it isn't fibrous wood


----------



## vote4pedro

do you prefer the word structure? it runs from tip to tail. scraping across it can damage your board. if you don't care, go for it.


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## HoboMaster

All I know is that I got my board hotwaxed twice last year.

Twice, in over 35 days of riding.

It always went so fast I didn't think I needed to! :FacePalm:


----------



## m_jel

HoboMaster said:


> All I know is that I got my board hotwaxed twice last year.
> 
> Twice, in over 35 days of riding.
> 
> It always went so fast I didn't think I needed to! :FacePalm:


i used to think that way until i started waxing my own stuff, and when its a fresh wax, you'll definitely notice when it's time to throw on some more


----------



## vote4pedro

m_jel said:


> i used to think that way until i started waxing my own stuff, and when its a fresh wax, you'll definitely notice when it's time to throw on some more


i notice the biggest difference in turns. should be effortless with a fresh wax.


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## mOnky

^ huh?

10char


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## vote4pedro

spam .


----------



## HoboMaster

Chinese Spammer. Flagged him


----------



## kysnowboarder

Last year one of the gear dudes at telluride suggested when I finished riding for the season that I should put a coat of wax on my board and not scrap it. They said this would keep my sintered base from drying out. 

I did not do this and now my base looks like the base of the board has dried out. It has a white chalking kind of look (seems like the wax is what has dried out) My thinking is that I just remove whats left of the old wax and then rewax...scrap per Snowolf's videos and everything will be ok?


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## veazer

Just wax it, and it should be fine

The reason he told you to leave that on there is so that the extra wax, not the base, will be in contact with the elements. It's like a sheath for a knife.


----------



## kysnowboarder

veazer said:


> Just wax it, and it should be fine
> 
> The reason he told you to leave that on there is so that the extra wax, not the base, will be in contact with the elements. It's like a sheath for a knife.


Waxing the board to care of the problem...Waxed this past sunday and went for first ride of the season on Monday...board road great


----------



## Yankeefanmvp

So If I buy
1. Wax
2. Scrapper
3. Base cleaner

And have an Iron will I be able to get away with it


----------



## vote4pedro

Yankeefanmvp said:


> So If I buy
> 1. Wax
> 2. Scrapper
> 3. Base cleaner
> 
> And have an Iron will I be able to get away with it


as long as you don't plan on ironing clothes with that iron again.


----------



## Hodgepodge

vote4pedro said:


> as long as you don't plan on ironing clothes with that iron again.


get some wax paper and put it over the iron. that way when you wax you wont get the holes all clogged up, and you can iron your clothing! and no, the wax paper doesn't melt...


----------



## Yankeefanmvp

Thats a good idea thanks. I saw someone else post that they use aluminum.... do you think I can get away without a base cleaner for now.... and this may be retarded but would like windex work?


----------



## Hodgepodge

Yankeefanmvp said:


> Thats a good idea thanks. I saw someone else post that they use aluminum.... do you think I can get away without a base cleaner for now.... and this may be retarded but would like windex work?


i mean yeah something like that should work. i usually use something like goo gone spray to get the old wax and dirt off before waxing.


----------



## Yankeefanmvp

Ok good, don't want to spend extra money I don't neeed to


----------



## EthanCass

How many rails has that thing hit...!!!


----------



## Yankeefanmvp

EthanCass said:


> How many rails has that thing hit...!!!


I don't do terrain yet, I like free riding really, but I will hit some small jumps


----------



## EthanCass

Yankeefanmvp said:


> I don't do terrain yet, I like free riding really, but I will hit some small jumps


Yeah... the older I get the more I keep to freeriding. Safer on the bones and the board.


----------



## Yankeefanmvp

EthanCass said:


> Yeah... the older I get the more I keep to freeriding. Safer on the bones and the board.


haha true dat, Im young, but I just enjoy going fast down a mountain then doing jumps, tricks, and grinds


----------



## waxfu

How the heck do i get the dang wax of the top of my board? I got wax all over it when I was scraping and now it's a pain to get if off. I don't want scape it off because it might damage the sheen?


----------



## Yankeefanmvp

1. Dont put that much wax next time
2. Scrape harder
3. Scrape for a longer amount of time
4. Scrape like you have never before


----------



## Jas86

Hey guys i have a brand new board I'll be taking onto an airplane. Is just the cover enough? I have a cover like this:










Is it enough? Anybody ever brought a board on an airplane? How do they treat it?


----------



## Cobra

So... I got this kit. Figured having separate carrying case for all the tools besides the iron would come in handy vs the ultimate kit that stores the iron in the case as well.










My main question here is- whats the best temperature for the iron when waxing? I figured too low and it may not open up those pores and too high will kill them. 

I waxed my wood last night and pretty much tried about 110* setting. Melted wax very fast, got the board very warm (could still touch it just fine right after wax layer cooled from being liquid), else the operation seemed to go just fine. Scraped everything off afterwards, used the polishing pad the kit came with.


----------



## PanHandler

to set the iron temp, turn it up till just before the wax starts smoking. Smoking wax=bad. There is no set temperature because all waxes are different, so experiment till you get it just under smoking. do not use the melted wax that was smoking on your board.


----------



## honeycomb

Does everyone melt and drip the wax on? I just rub the wax onto the board then melt it in with the iron. Most of the time I don't even have to scrape it, just buff while it's still warm and it's good to go.


----------



## mOnky

dunno about everyone but i drip, iron, scrape, buff


----------



## PanHandler

honeycomb said:


> Does everyone melt and drip the wax on? I just rub the wax onto the board then melt it in with the iron. Most of the time I don't even have to scrape it, just buff while it's still warm and it's good to go.


you should always always have to scrape some wax off. when the pores are open in the base theyll soak up a ton of wax, then they contract when they cool and squeeze wax back out. so there should always be wax to scrape off. If there isnt then you probably arent getting the pores full like you should be, and thus just wasting time.


----------



## Qball

Something I actually picked up from one of Torstein's videos:

Instead of dripping the wax onto the board, rub the wax against the iron to melt it a bit, then rub the wax onto the board. Repeat this until you have an even coat then melt the wax into the base with the iron. I've found that using this method keeps me from using too much wax and saves me some scraping time.


----------



## honeycomb

That's basically what I do, the reason I don't bother scraping is I live in Ohio with fake snow that rips the extra off the board for me. I make sure I get it warm enough with the iron for the board to absorb the wax. With just rubbing it on and melting it in there isn't much to scrape anyway.


----------



## bsmaven

Couple of ideas to make waxing easier. I have used the rub the wax on method instead of dripping makes scraping easier. If you are not sure of temperature for the wax check website or go to tognar.com they have some temps listed for different waxes, I wouldn't go above 140 degrees C (centigrade not fahrenheit) assuming you have a real wax iron with temps on it. When you scrape over edges you will get nicks from sharp edges on you plexiglass scraper, use sandpaper to smooth out. Nobody has talked about all the wax stuck on your scraper. I use goo gone from home depot to remove wax from scraper with paper towel cleans it right off. Not sure if you could use it on top sheet to clean wax that got on there. Afraid to use any chemicals, citrus or kerosene on either side of board but have used the base cleaners. Read tognar for cleaning, they suggest using a soft wax and scraping while hot, a few times. I have tried this and it does take a lot of junk off your base but its messy and a pain just like scraping is always a pain. Anyway my two cents.


----------



## bsmaven

even though I got hot tips also have questions. Just bought a gnu riders choice and waxed it good. Rode ice all day looks like it was never waxed. I was thinking maybe just looks that way, cause its a black sintered base? last board was a white base, maybe sintered not sure but hard to tell. Both bases have lots of fine scratches so look the same that way but black base shows that whitish dull finish more...maybe cause its easier to see on black base. Hope one day of riding on black sintered base means have to wax every time out. Now I have seen that sintered base needs more frequent waxing and that it sucks up wax better. That seems contradictory...doesn't it?


----------



## skunkworks

Even though the black sintered base may look 'dry' with the whitish marks which is more obvious than a white base. There are still wax in the pores of your snowboard. I was riding a Salomon board with sintered base which has a black base showing whitish mark even after half a day. However after a few days on the slope before I re-wax it I would leave it in southern CA sun which may get up to the 80's and I can see there are still plenty of wax coming up when I would wipe it down. So I'm not sure if you have that option but leave your board in the sun when it gets to 70 or 80 degrees and you can see all the wax that's still in your board. Hope this helps.


----------



## skunkworks

There seems to still be alot of confusion on how much wax to use, what temp the iron should be, and how much to scrape. I learn how to wax a couple of years ago from wolf on here from watching his video and I enjoy it so much that I would wax it after one day on the slope and was doing it for all my friends for FREE. I like to use the melt then rub method more than the dripping because I can manage the amount of wax to use alot better but I do drip a alittle more wax on the edge of any where I think may need it.


----------



## skunkworks

What temp to use on your iron:

So long as it's not smoking then you're fine. I use the Dakine iron and I like to start with a little more than 100 then move up from there meaning if I feel it's not melting the wax as nicely then I turn it up a notch and then another notch until I see the wax are melting nicely then that's the temp I would stick with then when I'm done I simply unplug the iron and not touch the temp so next time that's the temp that the iron will stay in when I wax my board again.


----------



## skunkworks

How much wax to scrap from the board:

Now this is totally subjective but what I've found if there's plenty of snow like we have now in southern CA or the rest of the country. I don't have to scrap it as much or maybe even leave everything the way it is which will last a very long time, sometimes as long as 6 days on the slope but if I were to be hitting rails or boxes then I would scrape some of them since the thick wax left on the board will not slide as nicely on the boxes and will pick up alot of dirt from the boxes. And when we're closer to March or April when snow is melting I would scrap as much as I can because the wax left on my snowboard would pick up everything from the dirty snow; I have a 03 Burton Dragon with white base and the dirt from last year is still on the base, I simply haven't had time to clean it thoroughly. Other than picking up dirt and making your snowboard base dirty I don't think there's any performance disadvantage of not scrapping your board as much since I pass everyone on the flat part of big bear even when I don't scrap my board.


----------



## KIRKRIDER

skunkworks said:


> How much wax to scrap from the board:
> 
> Now this is totally subjective but what I've found if there's plenty of snow like we have now in southern CA or the rest of the country. I don't have to scrap it as much or maybe even leave everything the way it is which will last a very long time, sometimes as long as 6 days on the slope but if I were to be hitting rails or boxes then I would scrape some of them since the thick wax left on the board will not slide as nicely on the boxes and will pick up alot of dirt from the boxes. And when we're closer to March or April when snow is melting I would scrap as much as I can because the wax left on my snowboard would pick up everything from the dirty snow; I have a 03 Burton Dragon with white base and the dirt from last year is still on the base, I simply haven't had time to clean it thoroughly. Other than picking up dirt and making your snowboard base dirty I don't think there's any performance disadvantage of not scrapping your board as much since I pass everyone on the flat part of big bear even when I don't scrap my board.


How much do you weight? What board? I think that weight is much more of a factor than anything else to go faster. I can wax perfectly one of the best base available (Arbor) but when I ride with a friend, heavier than me, he passess me on flat no matter what!
I'll try the non-scrape method....maybe on harder snow.


----------



## skunkworks

maybe weight does have something to do with it, I weight a little over 170 but I was able to pass friends weighting over 200. Maybe something to do with board placement because when I started boarding even on flat ground like that part linking top of goldenwest to shirley lake at Squaw I used to edge my board just a bit and found that I was going as fast. Now I put my board absolutely flat and was able to pick up more speed. Try not scrapping as much wax and tell us how that turn out.


----------



## kayin

skunkworks said:


> There seems to still be alot of confusion on how much wax to use, what temp the iron should be, and how much to scrape. I learn how to wax a couple of years ago from wolf on here from watching his video and I enjoy it so much that I would wax it after one day on the slope and was doing it for all my friends for FREE. I like to use the melt then rub method more than the dripping because I can manage the amount of wax to use alot better but I do drip a alittle more wax on the edge of any where I think may need it.


I'm with you, but i'm using a household iron so i find that rubbing helps me get even more even distribution of wax than dripping. The holes in my iron don't help either.

and sometimes its fun to wax with friends..i remember one night we got a bunch of people together before were were heading out that weekend...did 3 boards that night while everyone sat around a table with me and just talked about the most random subjects! it was great fun!


----------



## spqr rider

can anyone reccomend a good summer storage wax? I'd rather not get into my nice stuff...


----------



## KIRKRIDER

skunkworks said:


> maybe weight does have something to do with it, I weight a little over 170 but I was able to pass friends weighting over 200. Maybe something to do with board placement because when I started boarding even on flat ground like that part linking top of goldenwest to shirley lake at Squaw I used to edge my board just a bit and found that I was going as fast. Now I put my board absolutely flat and was able to pick up more speed. Try not scrapping as much wax and tell us how that turn out.


Tried yesterday actually. Fat wax job and scraped just one hard pass, with a new scraper. Got some of it but left much more than usual, that gave me much more room to play with brush and cork later. Also added strips of colder wax on the edges. Usually I scrape down to a thin even layer. Not this time.

Conditions:
28-34F, maybe 10" of windblown powder and some hardpack, much softer toward the end of the day. The board felt effectively faster, smoother and overall more nimble. I'm a fan! Bethween conditions and wax job I was able to cruise flats where I usually get stuck...and passed quite a few skiers...not to mention other riders.


----------



## skunkworks

Glad to hear you figure out how to blow by everyone. So the thick wax does go faster. I wax to protect my base so I usually don't care about going fast but as I've said I do blow by everyone on the flats. It's strange every article I've ever read about waxing tells us to take off as much wax as possible in order to go fast but I find that the more wax I leave on the faster I go. 

I do take more wax off in the spring so my nice white base on my Burton dragon doesn't turn black


----------



## skunkworks

spqr rider said:


> can anyone reccomend a good summer storage wax? I'd rather not get into my nice stuff...


use candle wax.... he he :laugh:

I'm kidding of course but you can use hertel which is price reasonably

a couple of seasons ago, I score a box of 4 kilo of toko shop wax which should last me a couple of lifetime


----------



## KIRKRIDER

skunkworks said:


> Glad to hear you figure out how to blow by everyone. So the thick wax does go faster. I wax to protect my base so I usually don't care about going fast but as I've said I do blow by everyone on the flats. It's strange every article I've ever read about waxing tells us to take off as much wax as possible in order to go fast but I find that the more wax I leave on the faster I go.
> 
> I do take more wax off in the spring so my nice white base on my Burton dragon doesn't turn black


That's what I always do...scrape to the bone. More testing required, but yes, the board was faster...there is one spot where I always have to step off the board and push...past a tiny hill at the end of a uphill slope...not this time. That didn't suck.

More testing tomorrow


----------



## SlickmisterN

*Floss*



insomniac said:


> OK so I learnt the hard way not to use Loctite on your bindings, especially if they're plastic  I need to use something because everything comes loose even if I tighten it the day I'm boarding and I don't want to have to keep tightening while on the mountain. People have suggested so far: toothpaste (apparently Union bindings approve this, or someone is making fun of me), teflon plumbers tape. Anything else work?
> 
> I've heard people say to use Rain-X on the topsheet to make snow and water fall off it easier, is Rain-X safe to use?
> 
> Also heard of putting Vaseline (petroleum jelly) in the binding holes you're not using to prevent rust? Is this safe also?
> 
> Cleaning the base, not safe to use Kerosene, check. Is Prepsol (Liquid hydrocarbons) safe to use? If not what type of citrus cleaning agent is?


Depending on the type, a bit of waxed dental floss wrapped around a few of the final threads and a firm twist will do the trick every time! Trust me, yall should try this if you're have problems with the screws coming loose. The exact floss I like to use is "Johnson & Johnson/Reach Clean Burst Berry Mint Waxed Floss" but I think clean and fresh mint will work too


----------



## kayin

i was going to try plumbers tape, but i'll try this first since I have it already!!

and i wax the top sheet of my board with car wax and "scratch doctor" seems to work fine for dissipating water and if its good enough for car clear coat, should be fine for snowboards. Haven't noticed any discoloration or anything yet.


----------



## davidj

So I purchased an Angus Amptek midwide... can't wait for it to arrive. Does
it come beveled and de-tuned for all-mountain riding, right out of the box? 
Or do I need to get it set up for what I want to do - carving, jumps, bumps,
powder and groomers (no halfpipe yet, no riding metal either).

If I need to set it up, a 90 angle with 1 degree base bevel should be
fairly all round, yet forgiving, right?


----------



## Minger

I'm a big fan of 90/90 personally (Its what Nitro uses). I would say ride it first, then tweak it to your preferences.


----------



## danimaltron

After a lot of neglect on my snowboard (2005'ish Gnu Altered Genetics) I cleaned and waxed my snowboard in preparation for this season. The base was very dry, but now it looks quite good. I scraped it for a long time.

The only thing I noticed is that on the both sides of the base, there are scuffs running parallel to the edges. The scuffs are not very deep. But they are slightly visible after waxing, as the wax has settled into some of these light scuff marks. And you can subtly feel it by running your hand over the area... it just feels a bit rough. Is this normal? Is there any way to polish these scuffs out? Should I re-wax this area?

I was using a acrylic One Ball Jay scraper... is it possible the scraper damaged these areas a little bit? I did spend extra time there as I waxed more heavily on these high contact areas. The scraper has all rounded corners except one is a 90 degree corner. I used this edge to scrape the sides to be more accurate. I hope that corner didn't somehow scuff the board up. I obviously was holding the scraper flat and not gouging it with the corner, but I'm not sure.


----------



## LuckyRVA

Are the scuffs white in color and near the edges?

If so, sounds like the wax didn't seep into the base enough. Try re-waxing and applying the iron to your board for more time to let it warm up more.


----------



## danimaltron

LuckyRVA said:


> Are the scuffs white in color and near the edges?
> 
> If so, sounds like the wax didn't seep into the base enough. Try re-waxing and applying the iron to your board for more time to let it warm up more.


Yes they are. Kind of a cloudy white, and you can see faint white lines running along the edge. It actually does look similar to how the entire base looked prior to waxing... but maybe slightly more pronounced now. It would make sense if it didn't soak it up properly... the base was very dry to begin with. I'll try rewaxing the edges.

Thanks


----------



## ThunderChunky

Does anybody have advice for when it get's really warm out and all that dirt and oil shit gets on the bottom of your board turning it all black. Just wondering if anyone knows how to prevent this or anything else.


----------



## Cr0_Reps_Smit

ThunderChunky said:


> Does anybody have advice for when it get's really warm out and all that dirt and oil shit gets on the bottom of your board turning it all black. Just wondering if anyone knows how to prevent this or anything else.


theres no way to prevent it but to get it off use a cheap wax, iron it in, but instead of letting it cool before scraping just scrape it as soon as youre done while its still hot and it will pull up a good amount of dirt and grime. you might have to do a pass or 2 to get all the dirt off.


----------



## ThunderChunky

Alright thanks, I usually just wash it all off with a sponge. Which do you think is better for my board the hot wax thing?


----------



## Cr0_Reps_Smit

ThunderChunky said:


> Alright thanks, I usually just wash it all off with a sponge. Which do you think is better for my board the hot wax thing?


washing it with a sponge could do more harm then good to your base depending on what you use to clean it. if you go that route the best thing to use is some kind of citrus based cleaner but i think hot waxing is better cause it wont dry your base out.


----------



## glm

What do you guys do with all the wax shaving after you're done scraping? I always muck up my basement by making it really slippery


----------



## CheeseForSteeze

Shopvac. If you don't have one a dustpan works well.


----------



## -relk-

I will admit I did not read the whole thread so I hope this is has not been answered yet.

When companies mention the temperature on waxes, is that the air temp or snow temp? If it is snow temp, how do you tell what that would be?

Where to buy scotch brite pads in Canada?

For base repair, do I just need to buy some ptex, drip it in the gouge, and then scrape off the excess?


----------



## snowklinger

here is a good explanation of air temp vs snow temp.

probably works better for me since my google isn't canadian :cheeky4:

Toko eBlast Snow versus Air Temperature


----------



## grafta

-relk- said:


> Where to buy scotch brite pads in Canada?


Any drugstore or supermarket that has cleaning products.


----------



## seominju

I'm not sure if this was specifically answered,
but how do you get the factory wax off your board?


----------



## snowklinger

seominju said:


> I'm not sure if this was specifically answered,
> but how do you get the factory wax off your board?


why do you want to remove the factory wax?

don't.


just wax right over the factory job.

you could go ride it one time, that would get rid of it.


----------



## seominju

snowklinger said:


> why do you want to remove the factory wax?
> 
> don't.
> 
> 
> just wax right over the factory job.
> 
> you could go ride it one time, that would get rid of it.


Sorry, I didn't know. This is my first time purchasing a new board. I was reading through the threads about maintenance/wax, and I got the impression that you had to remove whatever stuff was on your board first before applying new wax.

So I can just go ahead with the normal process of waxing without doing anything beforehand?


----------



## KnoxBoarderX

New boards come already waxed, so just take it for a ride. I would wait a few times before waxing it again.


----------



## snowklinger

yea the only real reason to try to remove stuff from your base is if it gets really dirty. sintered bases will just soak and soak wax and get faster over time. the factory job is barely going to penetrate (its just a roll-on most likely). you can still follow steps for deep soaking if you wish.


----------



## newnew

i'm sure it's been discussed...but i just opened this thread and it's 36 pages in...."how often should i wax my board"? is there a generic rule of thumb or just whenever you feel your board is sticking to the snow?


----------



## Kaelan2011

*Wax job*

Hello lads,

I recently purchased my new snowboard and decided I wanted to wax it myself. Checked all the how-to's, watched snowwolfs guides on it, etc. But I'm having doubts whether I did it right, so I hope you can help me out. Since I only board on trips, I haven't been able to test how it rides yet.

My two main worries are that 1) after waxing (before scraping) the surface looks much more 'sloppy' than you'll see in all the vids and 2) my scrapings are powder and not the kind of shavings you see in the vids.

I used an all temperature wax (magic potion cake wax) and followed the normal routine: clean, drip the wax, iron it in, let it cool (30 min.), scrape, buff. Iron wasn't too hot (no smoke at least), but the surroundings were quite cold (near zero degrees celsius, 32 degrees fahrenheit)

Have you guys/girls got any indication if I did anything wrong and if so, what that could be? Maybe the outside temperature, properties of the wax or anything else. Thnx for the effort!

Left: after waxing, Right: after scraping. No picture of the scraping powder unfortunately.


----------



## Qball

It looks good man, now go ride it!


----------



## grafta

Powdery scrapings could've been because of cold temp. Do it at room temp next time and see. Looks good anyway, go shred that shit :thumbsup:


----------



## Donutz

That looks about right. One piece of advice: scrape less rather than more. If you leave a little wax on the surface, it'll come off after a run or two. But if you scrape too much, you could damage your base depending on what scraper you're using.


----------



## Kaelan2011

Thnx for the replies lads.


----------



## LTshredTN

which is the right way to use this dakine edge tuner??? i wna do it with a 2 degree bevel on base edge so do i use the 90 or 88 side? thanks


----------



## Lamps

So how about this: 

At end of season I do a pretty thick wax job to keep my base from drying out. 

Then I leave it unscraped. 

Scraping is a pain, any reason at the start of the new season not to just go ride it and let the machine groomed granular scrape off the excess instead of doing it myself?

First day out the snow is usually pretty crappy anyways. 

Thoughts?


----------



## snowklinger

Lamps said:


> So how about this:
> 
> At end of season I do a pretty thick wax job to keep my base from drying out.
> 
> Then I leave it unscraped.
> 
> Scraping is a pain, any reason at the start of the new season not to just go ride it and let the machine groomed granular scrape off the excess instead of doing it myself?
> 
> First day out the snow is usually pretty crappy anyways.
> 
> Thoughts?


:thumbsup:


----------



## ETM

Lamps said:


> So how about this:
> 
> At end of season I do a pretty thick wax job to keep my base from drying out.
> 
> Then I leave it unscraped.
> 
> Scraping is a pain, any reason at the start of the new season not to just go ride it and let the machine groomed granular scrape off the excess instead of doing it myself?
> 
> First day out the snow is usually pretty crappy anyways.
> 
> Thoughts?


Far out man as the season approaches I am out there tuning my board just for fun, my board is ready for intergalactic warfare by the time they open the lifts!
WTF happened to your mojo?


----------



## hktrdr

Lamps said:


> So how about this:
> 
> At end of season I do a pretty thick wax job to keep my base from drying out.
> 
> Then I leave it unscraped.
> 
> Scraping is a pain, any reason at the start of the new season not to just go ride it and let the machine groomed granular scrape off the excess instead of doing it myself?
> 
> First day out the snow is usually pretty crappy anyways.
> 
> Thoughts?


If that worked, why would you ever scrape...


----------



## legallyillegal

i dont scrape, but then again i dont overload with wax



LTshredTN said:


> which is the right way to use this dakine edge tuner??? i wna do it with a 2 degree bevel on base edge so do i use the 90 or 88 side? thanks


the dakine edge tuner is a side bevel file guide, the angled plastic goes on the base

to do the base bevel you will need a base bevel file guide


----------



## hktrdr

legallyillegal said:


> i dont scrape, but then again i dont overload with wax
> [SNIP]


You don't scrape after hot waxing!?


----------



## snowklinger

hktrdr said:


> You don't scrape after hot waxing!?


it's an old school trick. if you are skilled, theres not much excess wax, first run of the day will fix it. Only exception is fresh pow. I scrape and brush my board all the time cuz I like to touch it alot.

but if I'm tired and rushed and theres no fresh, leavin it on there is coolio.


----------



## timmytard

snowklinger said:


> it's an old school trick. if you are skilled, theres not much excess wax, first run of the day will fix it. Only exception is fresh pow. I scrape and brush my board all the time cuz I like to touch it alot.
> 
> but if I'm tired and rushed and theres no fresh, leavin it on there is coolio.


Wow you must be really old:laugh:

It's true though, do it enough & it'll start to look more & more like a factory wax, super thin & smooth. It's inevitable.

TT


----------



## wrathfuldeity

yup...old school trick...like coloring in kindergarten


----------



## hktrdr

I am aware of a number of techniques that people use (rub-on followed by blow torch/heat gun, ironing with a paper towel/rag after letting the board cool, etc.), but I am not buying it - there will always still be some excess wax and it should be removed. Now, if you are out in corn and man-made snow some of the stuff might come off while riding, but I doubt our fluffy Japan pow will have the same effect...


----------



## LTshredTN

legallyillegal said:


> i dont scrape, but then again i dont overload with wax
> 
> 
> 
> the dakine edge tuner is a side bevel file guide, the angled plastic goes on the base
> 
> to do the base bevel you will need a base bevel file guide


ok, so which pic is the right way?? and for a 2 degree is it 90 or 88 side?


----------



## snowklinger

hktrdr said:


> I am aware of a number of techniques that people use (rub-on followed by blow torch/heat gun, ironing with a paper towel/rag after letting the board cool, etc.), but I am not buying it - there will always still be some excess wax and it should be removed. Now, if you are out in corn and man-made snow some of the stuff might come off while riding, but I doubt our fluffy Japan pow will have the same effect...


Its not really a matter of debate, but preference. Like I said this is from old skiers who have been doing it for decades. If the pow is fresh, buff and channel(with a brush) your wax. If its not, then it doesn't matter, the snow will fix it for you. Of course if you leave alot on it will take more than one run, and you may go slow lol. I tend to leave excesss wax on in the fall and spring because of all the manmade and warmth, the snow just chews through wax jobs.


----------



## ETM

LTshredTN said:


> ok, so which pic is the right way?? and for a 2 degree is it 90 or 88 side?


Think about it. 90 is square, you want 2 degrees less than square.........


----------



## Easto

Can someone quickly explain what waxing does:

- I know it adds friction which in turn allows for greater speeds.

Why add wax, then scrape wax off?

I assume wax still stays on the board, but where exactly do you want the wax to be and where do you want to get rid of it?


----------



## grafta

Easto said:


> Can someone quickly explain what waxing does:
> 
> - I know it adds friction which in turn allows for greater speeds.
> 
> Why add wax, then scrape wax off?
> 
> I assume wax still stays on the board, but where exactly do you want the wax to be and where do you want to get rid of it?


Oh god here we go *facepalm*


----------



## Treegreen

Alright, I am looking at a friend's board who appears to have ridden it for probably 3 years without ever touching his edges. How he has survived is beyond me, but that's another story. The side edge doesn't look like it'll be bad, but his base edge...whoooo boy. Some pretty good nicks and burrs in there, but nothing that looks like it would require serious repair.

So, should I just attack the thing with a ceramic stone to try and get the edges polished up and the nicks removed before hitting it with the base and side file guides? I'm pretty sure if I just try and sharpen it up without doing _something_ to his base edge it will remain pretty gnarly.


----------



## JYM

I just finished reading through the entire thread, all 38 pages and every word. I learned what would've taken seasons in 30 minutes. Thanks for all of the helpful information guys!

Now I have just one question. I know Snowolf has mentioned the bevel angle and such but im still very confused about it. I ride a K2 WWW, so its more of a freestyle park board. What angle base bevel and edge bevel is recommended? And should i just take it to a local shop and ask them to bevel it out or just do it on my own?


----------



## legallyillegal

get a 1 degree base-specific bevel file guide and youre set for life

detune with a fine-grit ceramic stone after, slide don't press


----------



## AntipodeanSam

Snowolf said:


> I posted these in the how to section. It was suggested to me to put this information in here as well. I put together a video demonstrating a complete wax job from start to finish. I tried to keep it as short as I could, yet still provide detailed information.


cheers snowolf this was really useful, should save me a small fortune


----------



## tanscrazydaisy

2 videos on waxing I have saved on my computer

Snowboard Waxing-Part 1 - YouTube

Toko Serviceman Willi Wiltz Presents Ski Waxing for Racing - YouTube

which basically learned how to wax.

Last year I used Racewax FluoroMax all-temp wax (and warm temp hydrocarbon for base cleaning)

To apply it:
Hot Wax Ironing Technique (Alpine/Snowboard) - YouTube (see about 0:30)




This year, since I can get Swix & Toko stuff at work.... I'll be ordering some Toko NF Yellow & Black and "top wax"....To be determined.

and... I wax after every day I ride and inspect my edges.

Another good video for P-tex candle repairs
SVST P-tex ski repair - YouTube

My Swix T75XF, sucks for the snowboard.. (great on skis)... I want to get a beefier iron some day


----------



## zackmorris

I started waxing my boards this year and have a question. I have some cuts in the board going vertical from rails and when I waxed it, they're still prominent. Do I need to wax it enough to cover all marks?

and if I need to rewax it, how should I go about taking off old wax? I've heard different suggestions but not from reliable riders. 


Thanks


----------



## tanscrazydaisy

zackmorris said:


> I started waxing my boards this year and have a question. I have some cuts in the board going vertical from rails and when I waxed it, they're still prominent. Do I need to wax it enough to cover all marks?
> 
> and if I need to rewax it, how should I go about taking off old wax? I've heard different suggestions but not from reliable riders.
> 
> 
> Thanks


if it's cuts, as you say.... sounds like it's ptex damage.... (see video above on it, and there are plenty more videos on youtube)

Use chemical base cleaner to remove the wax from the damaged ptex area (and that's the only time that stuff touches my snowboard).


----------



## zackmorris

tanscrazydaisy said:


> if it's cuts, as you say.... sounds like it's ptex damage.... (see video above on it, and there are plenty more videos on youtube)
> 
> Use chemical base cleaner to remove the wax from the damaged ptex area (and that's the only time that stuff touches my snowboard).


I'd say they are more grooves than cuts. I didn't know if those should be prominent still or not after waxing.


----------



## linvillegorge

1. Drip molten wax on board
2. Spread it around
3. Scrape it off
4. Go ride

Anything more than this is just overthinking the matter IMO. All this buffing and corking and polishing with your nutsack or whatever is just a waste of damn time unless you're racing. All the effects of all that work are gone after the first run or two, if they even last that long.


----------



## hardasacatshead

Maybe on the board. But that waxy sheen on my nutsack lasts at least two rides :laugh:


----------



## timmytard

hardasacatshead said:


> Maybe on the board. But that waxy sheen on my nutsack lasts at least two rides :laugh:


:eusa_clap::eusa_clap:Well done:eusa_clap::eusa_clap:


TT


Zack, get a nice sharp razor blade & perform some base surgery.
You need to cut out anything that sticks out above the base then fill with p-tex or wax works too.


----------



## tanscrazydaisy

zackmorris said:


> I'd say they are more grooves than cuts. I didn't know if those should be prominent still or not after waxing.


If they are deep grooves, waxing will not fix it.

YOu'll probably have to ptex it.

If it's shallow, and you have tons of them... maybe a stone grind.

it's hard to tell without detailed pictures (I suggest starting another thread if you're going to do it)

THe basics of hot waxing is a lot easier than it looks or sounds.

Yes, I have seen a bad wax job, more like a bad scraping job, where it slowed down a friend's board (sometimes you cannot trust your own family members to do a decent wax job)....


----------



## AllMtrH22

I watched snowwolfs video and am wondering what temperature you set the iron to. Looks like the wax melts immediately when he puts the iron down whereas it takes me awhile to get the wax melting unless I move very slowly. If I move any faster, the wax almost never melts and this is at a much higher temperature then what vancouver ski shop told me to use so I was worried.
Should I just turn it up more?


----------



## tanscrazydaisy

AllMtrH22 said:


> I watched snowwolfs video and am wondering what temperature you set the iron to. Looks like the wax melts immediately when he puts the iron down whereas it takes me awhile to get the wax melting unless I move very slowly. If I move any faster, the wax almost never melts and this is at a much higher temperature then what vancouver ski shop told me to use so I was worried.
> Should I just turn it up more?


The temperature depends on the wax itself.

"Warmer" waxes have lower melting points than colder waxes. 

The wax manufacturer will have the melting temperature for the wax listed somewhere, whether it's on the package, or maybe the website.

...now, if the wax is smoking on the iron... it's too hot.

the first pass, to distribute the wax is the slowest. Once the wax (that you dripped on) is spread out, then each pass, you can go quicker.

Example:









For this hydrocarbon wax, the recommended starting setting for the iron is 110°C.


----------



## AllMtrH22

Thanks for the reply.
I am using toko all temp wax. It's a white bar with no packaging.


----------



## tanscrazydaisy

AllMtrH22 said:


> Thanks for the reply.
> I am using toko all temp wax. It's a white bar with no packaging.


Sounds like a non-consumer packaged stuff... so something like their Backshop wax...

Since All-Temp is for the most part, a cold/hard wax.... I would start about 130°C, and adjust the iron accordingly.


----------



## nsrider121

Would brushing and scotch padding in between waxes help at all? Keep the board riding fast?


----------



## snowklinger

nsrider121 said:


> Would brushing and scotch padding in between waxes help at all? Keep the board riding fast?


not really. The fine tuning only helps with real fresh, cold snow, anything else is going to rub that "brushing and scotch padding" away in 200 feet of riding.


----------



## ThisIsSnow

quick question - does a diamond stone need a guide to maintain the edge angle? Files are usually used with file guides so I just wanted to check before potentially ruining my board.


----------



## tanscrazydaisy

ThisIsSnow said:


> quick question - does a diamond stone need a guide to maintain the edge angle? Files are usually used with file guides so I just wanted to check before potentially ruining my board.


yes and it also makes it easier to use. and they need to be wet.


----------



## ThisIsSnow

tanscrazydaisy said:


> yes and it also makes it easier to use. and they need to be wet.


hm you can't just run a diamond stone down your edge to de-burr? I've seen that in a few youtube videos D:


----------



## rea

*White Edges on Board*

Alright...I got a question. I took my board to get waxed and then went boardin, after a few go arounds I looked at the bottom of my board and the edges where white. 

I was wondering how to get the white off the edges. I took it to a store here in town that waxes them but they didn't fix anything. It looks like its just too much wax but I wanted to get an opinion!

Thank you!!!! -Reagan


----------



## Fewdfreak

I would assume the edges are white bc they are dry and since you have pressured the edges moreso than the tips, middle etc they are going to dry out/wear the wax off faster. Depending on snow conditions and board itself the edges might get white after one day or five... Just learn to wax at home and maintain it as needed. It is fine to ride.


----------



## Mizu Kuma

Can you scrape the White stuff off with ya fingernail?????

If so, too much wax and no dramas!!!!! Just ride it!!!!!

If not, they either haven't done a deep wax and its dried out fast, or its a relatively new board that'll take time to hold wax!!!!! (Found this was the case with both my sintered Lib and YES)

As Fewd said above, wax it yaself!!!!!


----------



## rea

I can't really get it off with my fingernail. I tried to use my wax scraper which got some off but not much. I am taking it today to get it waxed and cleaned up a bit. I will be doing it on my own sometime soon, just gotta get my money together!


----------



## Extazy

Hi guys, was wondering how often do you sharpen edges. 

I live in east coast and conditions aren't great we had so little snow this year, so a lot of stuff icy.

I have gnu carbon credit 2013. Last Saturday when I was doing some steep diamonds sometimes I had to stop completely because I was scared that my board wont hold an edge. It wasnt fun at all, a few times board just slipped right under me. 

I rode that board for about 20 days, so not sure what's happening.


----------



## tanscrazydaisy

As needed. But in general once a season, unless a smashed an edge against a rock


----------



## DaveMcI

A middle of the road diamond stone run along the edges, just between the boots, will help with hold when you need it. I look at my edges when I wax, so every 2-3 days. A little edge love on hard icy days will help a lot.


----------



## Tj123123412345

I was wondering how you would repair dents in the top of the board just above th side wall. Will my board rot? Should I epoxy it? If so with what?


----------



## Tj123123412345

Am I worried for nothing?


----------



## ML16

Slap a bit of epoxy on that, should be fine. Possibly marine epoxy? Someone else will chime in...


----------



## Tj123123412345

Thanks would wood glue work I am going tommorow and that's all I have


----------



## lab49232

Leave it. Terrible pictures but from what it looks like its only cosmetic and it's only gonna look worse if you mess with it.


----------



## Tj123123412345

It's about a 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep if that helps


----------



## lab49232

Tj123123412345 said:


> It's about a 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep if that helps


Can I re-itterate leave it? Your board is gonna get dinged up like that every day on the hill. If its not going to the wood core or a big hanging flap of material that's gonna peel way back its fine.


----------



## Tj123123412345

Ok thanks it's just a 4 trips old 500 board just over worrying


----------



## Extazy

Hey, do you guys think this is ok wax for snowboard?

Bees Wax Block Drysuit Wetsuit Zips Lubricant Ski Snowboard Preservation | eBay


----------



## tanscrazydaisy

Extazy said:


> Hey, do you guys think this is ok wax for snowboard?
> 
> Bees Wax Block Drysuit Wetsuit Zips Lubricant Ski Snowboard Preservation | eBay


Sure, as long as it's for the pond skimming day. 

For a "winter day".... ie around freezing or lower.... you're not going to get much glide.

for a basic all-temp wax:
RaceWax Universal Ski Wax, All Temperature Hydrocarbon, 150 g
150 gr block for $12 plus shipping

If you want a name brand
Bio-Degradable Swix Ski U180 Wax Universal 180g
180 gr block for $20 plus shipping

If you insist on a "snowboard" brand
https://oneballjay-store.myshopify.com/products/white-all-temp-bulk-wax
750 gr for $32 plus shipping


----------



## Extazy

tanscrazydaisy said:


> Sure, as long as it's for the pond skimming day.
> 
> For a "winter day".... ie around freezing or lower.... you're not going to get much glide.
> 
> for a basic all-temp wax:
> RaceWax Universal Ski Wax, All Temperature Hydrocarbon, 150 g
> 150 gr block for $12 plus shipping
> 
> If you want a name brand
> Bio-Degradable Swix Ski U180 Wax Universal 180g
> 180 gr block for $20 plus shipping
> 
> If you insist on a "snowboard" brand
> https://oneballjay-store.myshopify.com/products/white-all-temp-bulk-wax
> 750 gr for $32 plus shipping


Thank you!


----------



## Craig64

I've been waxing boards/skis for a few years now, family and friends. I've built a great snowboard tuning bench and board storage racks in small room in the garage. Purchased a lot of tools online from the good old USA as Australia don't seem to have a lot of the higher end products from good brands. I've discovered a great scraper to use is a "Chef Inox" plastic handled Stainless steel dough scraper. These are 150mm wide x 100mm tall. I just put a slight curve on the end tips of the blade to prevent it from gouging into the deck if you get a but radical on the scrapes. These are only about $Au4 and will last a lifetime. Really easy to hold with my big hands and do a great job. I've got a few perspex ones 150mm and 300mm but they need to be sharpened up every now and then.


----------



## johnsnowboards

Probably a stupid question, but, do I need to wax a brand new board before the first use? Like do they come prewaxed from the factory?

I would assume that the edges are sharp and will not have to be retuned (except if detuning). I'm thinking they would be prewaxed as well so they don't dry out. But I'm not sure if that's good to ride wax, or just something temporary so it doesn't get damaged during storage.

If it matters, it's a GNU Carbon Credit

Thanks


----------



## ekb18c

It does matter on what type of base it is. 

Looks like the Carbon Credit is co-extruded base. I'm not sure what that means? So i'll assume it's extruded, in that case. No need.


----------



## johnsnowboards

ekb18c said:


> It does matter on what type of base it is.
> 
> Looks like the Carbon Credit is co-extruded base. I'm not sure what that means? So i'll assume it's extruded, in that case. No need.



thanks much


----------



## Oldman

There is a lousy factory wax on your board. All boards are shipped with a lame wax job.

Yes, you can simply take it to the hill and ride it, but be warned that it will not last very long, a day, perhaps two at the most.

I would suggest the following:

Before you ride it:

1) Hot scrape it. ( Cleans out any factory / shipping dirt that may have accumulated )

2) Then wax it with your favourite wax.

Better wax, going to last longer and you'll feel better knowing you did the waxing.

ENJOY !!!!!! :snowboard1:


----------



## Shep

I have always just paid to have my board waxed, but now that my gf has picked one up and I have 2 board to look after I feel now it might be time to start.

I go roughly every 6 months and spend maybe 25 Australian dollars(per board) on a wax or 2 and a storage wax after my trip. The second board would double this (although she won't need much waxing  )

I have looked at a basic kit and it seems that I can get :
-scraper $8
-Demon Base cleaner $9 CLEANER
- Wax (Demon Team All temp 133 grams) $9.60 WAX
-Cheap steam iron $12 (2000 watt but has a temp control)
-brush from hardware store $5

All up around $44 Aussie.

Questions are:
1. How long would this wax last a beginner? Obviously i am going to waste a fair amount while getting started but is this a tiny amount that will only alst me about 10 waxes? I see there are blocks that come per pound but cannot find one cheap for all temperature shipping to Australia.
2. Would I be better off letting a pro handle this? I'm still going to be too scared to do any edge work.
3. Is this iron going to trash the boards? I have read up and know to keep temp low and to keep the iron moving and to turn down the temp when the wax starts to smoke.
4. What sort of brush do i need to get? Guide says a nylon bristle brush. Does this mean a really stiff bristled scrubbing brush or more of a gentle shoe polishing style brush?


----------



## neni

Shep said:


> Questions are:


Most ppl use way too much wax and wast their time n energy on scraping all that excess wax off. 
Rub the cold wax block on the base, this leaves a thin layer of wax which is sufficient.
Then spread that thin layer with the iron. Since the wax little AND already distributed, you won't need to iron as long as with the dripping method. Quick and continued moving of the iron: no prob with overheating, getting insert dimpels. And there's hardly excess wax to scrape off. I.e. a block of wax will last a looooong time.
Brush? Dunno. Never used one. My take? You don't need one.


----------



## Craig64

Shep said:


> I have always just paid to have my board waxed, but now that my gf has picked one up and I have 2 board to look after I feel now it might be time to start.
> 
> I go roughly every 6 months and spend maybe 25 Australian dollars(per board) on a wax or 2 and a storage wax after my trip. The second board would double this (although she won't need much waxing  )
> 
> I have looked at a basic kit and it seems that I can get :
> -scraper $8
> -Demon Base cleaner $9 CLEANER
> - Wax (Demon Team All temp 133 grams) $9.60 WAX
> -Cheap steam iron $12 (2000 watt but has a temp control)
> -brush from hardware store $5
> 
> All up around $44 Aussie.
> 
> Questions are:
> 1. How long would this wax last a beginner? Obviously i am going to waste a fair amount while getting started but is this a tiny amount that will only last me about 10 waxes? I see there are blocks that come per pound but cannot find one cheap for all temperature shipping to Australia.
> 2. Would I be better off letting a pro handle this? I'm still going to be too scared to do any edge work.
> 3. Is this iron going to trash the boards? I have read up and know to keep temp low and to keep the iron moving and to turn down the temp when the wax starts to smoke.
> 4. What sort of brush do i need to get? Guide says a nylon bristle brush. Does this mean a really stiff bristled scrubbing brush or more of a gentle shoe polishing style brush?


Shep you sound like budget is a big factor for you and being an Australian you see how much we get ripped off in the stores compared with overseas. That's were online helps you out here. Look at waxing/servicing your board as a saving over the years. I found a store online called "Snowin" and grabbed a Toko T8 iron (800w) for $Au73 they want $Au129 for this in the stores in Australia. You have to change the plug from Euro to Australia as it comes from the Netherlands or buy an adapter. You can't get the ones in the USA as they use 120volts instead of 240volts. I grabbed a Toko horsehair brush for $Au18 and a Toko edge tuner for $53. You can get a brass brush for about $30. The Toko ones are about twice the size as ones they sell in the stores at an even dearer price. I have a Vitora Prowaxer as well and the T8 is about 33% bigger in the hot plate. The T8 does an absolutely brilliant job so fast. I love it and use it and take the smaller Vitora away when we travel. I like using low fluro wax as well as it's only about $1 extra per wax to use. I got Hertel "Racing FC739" All Temperature Wax 3/4 lb (340grams) Brick which was about $Au55 delivered to Australia from Amazon US. This will last a long time. I've got horsehair brass and nylon brushes but you could probably just get a stiff nylon. Go to bunnings in the cleaing section and you can get large commercial scotchbrite pads (300x150x10mm) in about 5 different grades that stick onto a hand grip. This cost me about $22 and is brilliant. So much faster than a little green one from Woolworths. I'm an older guy but I reckon Fluro wax helps a fair bit when you are shooting across those mushie flat/slow sections on the mountain that you see other riders having to snap out and skate across as they can't make it. I just ride straight past them. I've got a really great set up with vices etc but you can make some tuning racks out of timber (make some rectangles, glue them together, then get some high density self adhesive rubber strips (about 10mm thick) from Clark rubber. You then vice grip them onto some saw horses. I've done this as I scrape and brush all the boards/skis I do on the lawn so it doesn't make a mess everywhere in the garage. No clean up. I watched heaps of video's online and picked it up. It's a bit daunting at first but once you've done it a few times it's pretty dame easy. I bought a 5 different grade pack of diamond stones as I do all the bottom and side edges but that's going to cost you a few hundred $$$$ to set up. If you've get the money it's worth doing. My edges come up like polished chrome. I'm a big guy and ride a 165W whilst my wife is on 143 ski's. I could probably do 3 pairs/sets of skis to my snowboard. It costs me about $4 to $5 in fluro wax to do a board which would be $3 to $4 in standard wax. They charge around $AU60 to wax/edge and about $25 to $30 wax in Australia so for me to do our family of 4 it's $240. I now do all my friends and work colleagues that ski and snowboard. I do my boards every couple of days in Australia when snowboarding as it's often pretty shit on the man-made snow, but I do it once a week when we are in Japan on the powder. When you can tune your own boards, I find you do it a lot more as it's enjoyable.


----------



## Zann0

Hi.

Last year in Austria I managed to scratch my board every possible way. Took it to professionals last week. They sanded it and hot waxed it. (I told them to do everything to get the stick as goos as possible) So I got it back today and don't know what to think. Scratches are all parallel to edges. Few are pretty deep even after waxing. Pictures below:

http://www.upload.ee/image/5409345/1.jpg
http://www.upload.ee/image/5409367/2.jpg 

Should I be worried?


----------



## snowklinger

Zann0 said:


> Hi.
> 
> Last year in Austria I managed to scratch my board every possible way. Took it to professionals last week. They sanded it and hot waxed it. (I told them to do everything to get the stick as goos as possible) So I got it back today and don't know what to think. Scratches are all parallel to edges. Few are pretty deep even after waxing. Pictures below:
> 
> http://www.upload.ee/image/5409345/1.jpg
> http://www.upload.ee/image/5409367/2.jpg
> 
> Should I be worried?


nah.

as long as the scratches are only in the first layer, there's not much to do with them other than base grind and wax.

that board wants to die under your feet.

go kill it!


----------



## Zann0

Okay.
Just thought that after sanding and waxing my board would be smooth again.


----------



## tbarch

Would it be better to go with a dedicated angle file guide or to do a multi-edge file guide?

I'm looking at picking up a SKS multi-edge tuner(also comes with three DMT diamond stones) that does both the base and side edge. I'm guessing the dedicated angle guides will be a little better but wasn't sure how much of a difference it would make if I wanted to save a little bit of money.


----------



## Craig64

tbarch said:


> Would it be better to go with a dedicated angle file guide or to do a multi-edge file guide?
> 
> I'm looking at picking up a SKS multi-edge tuner(also comes with three DMT diamond stones) that does both the base and side edge. I'm guessing the dedicated angle guides will be a little better but wasn't sure how much of a difference it would make if I wanted to save a little bit of money.


I do my boards/skis at 88 degrees side and 1 degree base bevel (FK SKS vario) but I'm over 50 so mainly ride as a mountain carver. Variable edgers will give you the ability to change which I can do with my Toko edge tuner pro but I keep these angles set so I could use a fixed guide. Diamond stones mainly help you polish the edges back through the grades 100 - 1500 and will give you a brilliant mirrored fine tuned edge. You will need a file in the edge guide to start if you catch a rock etc to repair and clean up the edge up.


----------



## tanscrazydaisy

Godfery267 said:


> I want to ask that should I be using a graphite wax for the base or does it really matter?


With dirty snow and/or man-made snow, it will make some difference in your top end speed

The graphite (or Molybdenum depending on the wax) will also color the base as well...


----------



## XxSnowbunnyxX

My husband and I are pretty basic. We just get our boards fully tuned up at the start of the season at Eastern Boarder and then we wax here and there ourselves with the smearing type wax, the kind you buffer... not the hot wax (which WOULD be better for our boards, but we are lazy).


----------



## WasabiCanuck

XxSnowbunnyxX said:


> My husband and I are pretty basic. We just get our boards fully tuned up at the start of the season at Eastern Boarder and then we wax here and there ourselves with the smearing type wax, the kind you buffer... not the hot wax (which WOULD be better for our boards, but we are lazy).


Just get him to hot wax both boards. It's a guy's job anyhow. I wax all 4 of the snowboards in my family. I do it every 3-5 riding days or so.

I've heard rub on wax doesn't work very well.


----------



## wrathfuldeity

XxSnowbunnyxX said:


> My husband and I are pretty basic. We just get our boards fully tuned up at the start of the season at Eastern Boarder and then we wax here and there ourselves with the smearing type wax, the kind you buffer... not the hot wax (which WOULD be better for our boards, but we are lazy).





WasabiCanuck said:


> Just get him to hot wax both boards. It's a guy's job anyhow. I wax all 4 of the snowboards in my family. I do it every 3-5 riding days or so.
> 
> I've heard rub on wax doesn't work very well.


xbunny just tell hubs you'll make him a sammich if he hot waxes your board.

btw rub on wax works great for somethings....but not for snowboards 

>


----------



## WasabiCanuck

wrathfuldeity said:


> btw rub on wax works great for somethings....but not for snowboards
> 
> >


You are a bad boy Wraith. Just don't forget your safe word. haha


----------



## neni

WasabiCanuck said:


> Just get him to hot wax both boards. It's a guy's job anyhow. I


Veto 
I love the rite to prepare the boards, wax - beer - scrape - beer, having the nice feel of perfectly smoothe bases as a result, knowing how sweet they'll run the next day.

If it's not too freaking cold in the workshop, that is. If, however, it's >10°C out there? YES! It's a guys job :laugh:


----------



## XxGoGirlxX

neni said:


> Veto
> I love the rite to prepare the boards, wax - beer - scrape - beer, having the nice feel of perfectly smoothe bases as a result, knowing how sweet they'll run the next day.
> 
> If it's not too freaking cold in the workshop, that is. If, however, it's >10°C out there? YES! It's a guys job :laugh:


I do all the "guys jobs" around my house... lmao my husband tells me he'll gimme a sammich if I paint the garage, build his Smith machine, repair the subwoofer, clear the drains, wax the boat freeboards and topsides, handwash both cars every week mow the lawn, weedwhack... on and on... *** omg run and hide if you see my man pick up a hammer he is NOT ALLOWD to touch my toolbox!!! "Just keep watching the stockmarket sweetie ill handle this..." > I don't maintain our boards thou maybe sometime I'll brave that. It's gotta be better than ironing shirts, I draw the line at ironing.


----------



## WasabiCanuck

neni said:


> Veto
> I love the rite to prepare the boards, wax - beer - scrape - beer, having the nice feel of perfectly smoothe bases as a result, knowing how sweet they'll run the next day.
> 
> If it's not too freaking cold in the workshop, that is. If, however, it's >10°C out there? YES! It's a guys job :laugh:


Like a dumbass I was waxing and scraping in my garage and it was probably -10C in there. haha:facepalm1:

Scraping was a real workout. :laughat2: I will move my workshop to the basement for the next waxing session.


----------



## neni

WasabiCanuck said:


> Like a dumbass I was waxing and scraping in my garage and it was probably -10C in there. haha:facepalm1:
> 
> Scraping was a real workout. :laughat2: I will move my workshop to the basement for the next waxing session.


Naw... scraping is actually a very quick n easy thing IF you wax properly i.e. tiny thin layer only. More is waste of wax n energy and causes a big mess. The base does not profit from thick smears. Just a tiny little layer, which is scraped off in no time. Either rub the wax block on the base and iron that tiny layer, or - if it's too cold, and no wax will attach from cold rub - heat the block half a sec at the iron and rub, rinse repeat.


----------



## Motogp990

WasabiCanuck said:


> Scraping was a real workout. I will move my workshop to the basement for the next waxing session.


I find having a good scraper without worn out edges helps. I personally like the rectangle cell phone size scrapers. And like anything, they need replacing after a while as well.


----------



## WasabiCanuck

neni said:


> I love the rite to prepare the boards, wax - beer - scrape - beer, having the nice feel of perfectly smoothe bases as a result, knowing how sweet they'll run the next day.


+1

Sorry I didn't mean women can't do it. :blush: I just meant if SnowBunny doesn't want to do it she could tell her man it is a "man's job." Obviously it isn't really a man's job. 

I too love waxing snowboards. Drink a couple beers and crank the music to 11. Personally I love listening to Jane's Addiction while I wax or Reggae.

:dance:


----------



## OMG_MOVE

Hello Ladies and Gents

I'm taking my first adventure into board tuning.

My board is currently a perfect 90 deg. There was no tune to the side edge or base edge (confirmed by manufacturer).

I ride in the ice coast (Ontario). I was considering a base bevel angle of 1 deg and a side bevel angle of 87 (would that be considered 3 deg?). If it's considered 3 degrees that would give me 90-3+1=88.

For the side edge would 87 degrees be ideal for my riding conditions?

As for tools, I'm currently mulling over two different tuning items. I have a set of DMT Diamond Stones ready to go.

1) FK SKS Multi Tool










2) Fixed Angle Method for Side Edges and Beast Base Bevel Guide for Base Edge










Now I hear some people vouch for the FK SKS Multi Tool and others against it claiming accuracy issues. What are your thoughts on the two different routes for tuning?


----------



## wrathfuldeity

I do #2 with exactly with a piece of scrap aluminum 90 degree angle...but with a hole drilled, little aluminum bar and bolt/wing nut instead of a clamp...cause me is a cheap sob


----------



## pointblank

OMG_MOVE said:


> Hello Ladies and Gents
> 
> I'm taking my first adventure into board tuning.
> 
> My board is currently a perfect 90 deg. There was no tune to the side edge or base edge (confirmed by manufacturer).
> 
> I ride in the ice coast (Ontario). I was considering a base bevel angle of 1 deg and a side bevel angle of 87 (would that be considered 3 deg?). If it's considered 3 degrees that would give me 90-3+1=88.
> 
> For the side edge would 87 degrees be ideal for my riding conditions?
> 
> As for tools, I'm currently mulling over two different tuning items. I have a set of DMT Diamond Stones ready to go.
> 
> 1) FK SKS Multi Tool
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 2) Fixed Angle Method for Side Edges and Beast Base Bevel Guide for Base Edge
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now I hear some people vouch for the FK SKS Multi Tool and others against it claiming accuracy issues. What are your thoughts on the two different routes for tuning?


I am from Ontario too and ride with a 89 degree bevel - 1 base 2 side. A 3 degree side would be aggressive but if you like lay'n trenches then that would work.


----------



## pointblank

I use this edge tuner from MEC and i like it. It only does the side bevel though.


----------



## neni

K... a base maintenance question

Recently adjusted my Spark G3 skins to a new splitboard, and while doing so, I thought of wasn't there something the dude in the shop told me to don't use them in warm temps..? Too late. I adjusted them in the appartment, the glue _glued_ heavily, to my hands, hair... and board base. Lots of excess glue left on the base after taking them off. 

No worries, I thought, that'll come off while riding. I did skin and ride meanwhile, 6000ft downhill on crusty snow... no abrasion of that sticky stuff which is still glued on the base. How to get rid of it? Scraping only further spreads it. Petrol?


----------



## WasabiCanuck

Anyone know a good place I can learn about edge sharpening. I have never done it and I don't understand all this bevel shit. 


Me dumb, me no understand you fancy talk. :hairy:


----------



## tanscrazydaisy

WasabiCanuck said:


> Anyone know a good place I can learn about edge sharpening. I have never done it and I don't understand all this bevel shit.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Me dumb, me no understand you fancy talk. :hairy:



YouTube is good videos


Sent from my iPhone. There may be horrible grammar and misspelling involved


----------



## WasabiCanuck

tanscrazydaisy said:


> YouTube is good videos
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone. There may be horrible grammar and misspelling involved


Yes I have heard of this YouTube thing. But do you specifically know of a good video on the youtubes.


----------



## OMG_MOVE

tanscrazydaisy said:


> YouTube is good videos
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone. There may be horrible grammar and misspelling involved


Can't say I've heard of this youtube


----------



## tanscrazydaisy

http://youtu.be/gNzve8w2S0E

http://youtu.be/fxOTdT55HNY


Sent from my iPhone. There may be horrible grammar and misspelling involved


----------



## Oldman

Not a video, but great reading and great photos.

Ski Tuning

By the time you read over everything on this site you will have a very good idea of exactly how to tune a board. You will also understand exactly what you are doing.

I still refer back to it from time to time.


----------



## Craig64

*Tuning*



WasabiCanuck said:


> Anyone know a good place I can learn about edge sharpening. I have never done it and I don't understand all this bevel shit.
> 
> 
> Me dumb, me no understand you fancy talk. :hairy:


Willi Wiltz from Toko is excellent. Very comprehensive instruction on a number of video's. About 40 mins each. Base bevel/side edge/wax. Talks a lot of technical shit (maybe a bit over the top) but knows what he's talking about.


----------



## Bones

OMG_MOVE said:


> My board is currently a perfect 90 deg. There was no tune to the side edge or base edge (confirmed by manufacturer).
> 
> I ride in the ice coast (Ontario). I was considering a base bevel angle of 1 deg and a side bevel angle of 87 (would that be considered 3 deg?). If it's considered 3 degrees that would give me 90-3+1=88.
> 
> 
> 
> Now I hear some people vouch for the FK SKS Multi Tool and others against it claiming accuracy issues. What are your thoughts on the two different routes for tuning?


I've had a couple of multi-angle tuners and I've got 2 beefs with them. 1) You have to use their files and stones because nothing else will fit in them. 2) They don't seem too accurate. Some time you get shavings, sometime you don't even seem to make contact with the edge. Always seem to take a lot of fiddling and the job never finishes up as nicely.

The fixed angle ones are really simple to use and use well. Quick to change stones and pretty fool proof. More expensive up front, but the saving is in not having to use the OEM supplies. 

3 Degrees off the sidewall is a lot. And it is hard to go back. The farther below 90 you go, the sharper it will be initially, but the faster it will dull and chip. 

I ride Ontario ice with a 1+88=89 with no problems


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## Craig64

*Rotobrush*

Just grabbed a Toko snowboard and a Toko Ski roto brush with white nylon heads for the first time to do my boards and ski's. Have been using a combination of brushes copper/nylon/horsehair for the last a few years. 
Wow..., they are initially expensive $$$ but are absolutely brilliant and so quick.2: The base looks fantastic after a couple of light passes with structure lines running from tip to tail. :thumbsup:
Well worth the acquisition if you're fully into tuning.


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## heikis

my board is described as: the Freestyle Edge Bevel is a 2-degree edge holding tune throughout the key parts of the sidecut moving to a 3-degree bevel between the feet
How should I proceed when sharpening edges? Should I have different angled file guides for different parts of the board? Thanks!


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## Snow Hound

My guess would be that's in reference to the base edge rather than the side edge? Unless you're getting a base grind you won't be altering the base edge angle. The side edge is what most diy tuners like myself actually sharpen.


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## francium

The dupraz has 3 different edge angles just to complicate things it's a pita to service.


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## heikis

Snow Hound said:


> My guess would be that's in reference to the base edge rather than the side edge? Unless you're getting a base grind you won't be altering the base edge angle. The side edge is what most diy tuners like myself actually sharpen.


It is a Salomon board. Same description for both the Sabotage and Villain boards (freestyle park boards).
I guess the description is about the base edge.
I don't plan on changing the base edge, I just thought it needed some sharpening sometimes.
Since it is a freestyle oriented board then I guess the side edge is 90' degree?

I'm just trying to figure out which edge tuning equipment I need to keep the board in good condition.


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## robotfood99

Basic edge tool for the side jobs. Most can be set at either 90 deg. or somethin like 88 deg., some fancier ones have more settings. Like Hound says, this is likely all you would need to do occasionally to keep edges fresh. 

Straight file for base, with tape wound around to get desired angles.


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## start_today

For people that wax with your bindings on (gasp!) what do you set the board on? I was setting boards plastic buckets, but noticed they are leaving marks on the top sheet. 

Bindings flat on the table and be gentle and balanced, or did you make something so then board sits flat?


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## WigMar

start_today said:


> For people that wax with your bindings on (gasp!) what do you set the board on? I was setting boards plastic buckets, but noticed they are leaving marks on the top sheet.
> 
> Bindings flat on the table and be gentle and balanced, or did you make something so then board sits flat?


I used to use my summer tires before I made a stand. I'd recommend loosening the bindings before heating up the base, but that's really up to you.


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## Slaughterhouse

start_today said:


> For people that wax with your bindings on (gasp!) what do you set the board on? I was setting boards plastic buckets, but noticed they are leaving marks on the top sheet.
> 
> Bindings flat on the table and be gentle and balanced, or did you make something so then board sits flat?


I would take a fence board and screw two pieces of 2X4s to the board. These 2x4s will fit into your bindings to hold the board in place (as an alternative, lock your boots into the bindings and have the 2x4s go into the boots. 

Now your board will be base-side up so you can work on edges, waxing etc. To stop the fence board from moving around, cut a peice of rubber yoga mat and lay it between the fence board and your table, floor or whatever you're working on.


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## Scalpelman

I rarely take off the bindings. I use two saw horses.


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## Slaughterhouse

Slaughterhouse said:


> I would take a fence board and screw two pieces of 2X4s to the board. These 2x4s will fit into your bindings to hold the board in place (as an alternative, lock your boots into the bindings and have the 2x4s go into the boots.
> 
> Now your board will be base-side up so you can work on edges, waxing etc. To stop the fence board from moving around, cut a peice of rubber yoga mat and lay it between the fence board and your table, floor or whatever you're working on.


Here's a quick sketch


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## Scalpelman

Slaughterhouse said:


> Here's a quick sketch


How long are the 2x4’s


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## Slaughterhouse

Scalpelman said:


> How long are the 2x4’s


I would say as deep as your boot is so that the 2X4 rests on the sole of the boot plus may an extra half or half inch. In retrospect you could double up the 2x4s so that it firmly fits into your boot, as though your foot was in it. The goal is to make sure your ride fits nice and snug and moves around as little as possible while you're working on it.


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## skierbuz

boarderaholic said:


> About Waxing Your Board
> 
> Posted by KyleWeevers
> Prepare for a long ass post people, I'll give you all the knowledge I have gotten over the past 7 years that I've been a tech in regards to wax:
> 
> I will start by saying no matter what base type you have a wax job will always be beneficial, having a smooth clean surface to glide on will help you keep speed on the flats, and will also help in maneuvering through pow. Extruded bases do not have to be waxed quite as often as sintered bases and this is because extruded bases are more porous. The bad thing about that is they can get deeper scratches and gouges than a sintered base.
> 
> Sintered bases should be waxed often. How often would be determined by the snow you ride. If its man made gun blown snow, wax it every time. Man made snow crystals are very sharp, and larger than snow from the heavens, and because of this it will rip the wax right off your base by the end of the day. If its light fluffy powder you can go as long as 4 - 5 riding days without a new wax coat.
> 
> Types and Temperature of waxes:
> 
> There are many different types of waxes out there, but the most common is flouro based waxes. They are fairly long lasting, and can take a rough rider. The other type as Snowolf mentioned is graphite. Graphite comes in one colour; black. It will be noticeable on a white base and people will think you need a wax job. .That is until you flash by 'em laughing your ass off. Graphite wax is harder and creates better glide with the snow than flouro wax does. Thus it is a faster wax. It doesn't have the same staying power, but it will make you ride faster.
> 
> The whole purpose of wax:
> 
> The whole purpose of wax is not to reduce friction, but to increase. It is a huge misconception that wax will help decrease friction. To fully explain this we must examine a few other things that are related to the base of our beloved snowboards.
> 
> Base pattern: Have you ever looked at a dried out base and noticed that there is a sort of pattern to it? It looks like a bunch of dotted lines staggered one after another running lengthwise down the board. This pattern is the start of what creates the all important glide of a snowboard, by making these patterns you are creating channels for which water runs down and moves your snowboard. Many shops offer a stone grind as part of their full tune packages and what the stone does is embeds the pattern into your base.
> 
> Now when you wax your board you fill in the grooves of the base patten to create a level surface and scrape away all the excess. This helps the flow of water that is created from the friction of gliding your board on the snow. The base pattern then directs the water down the channels and gets you rockin' faster.
> 
> This is why when you get scratches and gouges that run widthwise on your board they will slow you down more than a scratch or gouge that runs lengthwise. Also when you get scratches and deeper gouges you allow water to pool inside them and create more drag for yourself as you ride.
> 
> So in the end we use wax to increase the friction between the board and the snow to the point where water is created, and then the snowboard glides on the water, the quicker you go from snow to water, the quicker you get down the mountain. And we use the water channels created through base patterns and waxing to help direct the water through the running length of the board so that it escapes quickly.
> 
> Temperatures of wax:
> 
> Its as easy as match the colour to the temp. But for a longer explanation I'll explain the differences between warm and cold waxes. Cold waxes are much harder and as such need more heat and friction to soften them. Generally when it is colder outside snow crystals are more jagged and hard which means more friction on the board which means a colder wax will last longer. Inversely a warm wax is soft and does not need much heat to warm up and create the required glide. If you were to use warm wax on a cold day it would be pointless because the jagged ice crystals would burn off the wax in short order, and if you were to use a cold wax on a warm day, you would have to ride for 1/2 the day and not stop after that to finally get the wax to where you get a glide out of it.
> 
> That being said, whether its a cold or warm day I generally will put cold wax around the edges of my board because they will heat up faster than any other part of the board, the edges see more friction than any other part of the board so I use a cold wax for a good over all coat to make sure I get the entire use of my board rather than just the middle of it.


thank you for sharing .....im just getting ready to open up a ski amd snowboard store and im sure everything you wrote is going to be very helpfull for me and the shoppers


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## Powdertrax

Scalpelman said:


> I rarely take off the bindings. I use two saw horses.


Never remove and saw horses with a trash can at the tip to catch the scraped wax, the garage floor can get slick with the wax scrapings


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## JWJW

boarderaholic said:


> About Waxing Your Board
> 
> Posted by KyleWeevers
> Prepare for a long ass post people, I'll give you all the knowledge I have gotten over the past 7 years that I've been a tech in regards to wax:
> 
> I will start by saying no matter what base type you have a wax job will always be beneficial, having a smooth clean surface to glide on will help you keep speed on the flats, and will also help in maneuvering through pow. Extruded bases do not have to be waxed quite as often as sintered bases and this is because extruded bases are more porous. The bad thing about that is they can get deeper scratches and gouges than a sintered base.
> 
> Sintered bases should be waxed often. How often would be determined by the snow you ride. If its man made gun blown snow, wax it every time. Man made snow crystals are very sharp, and larger than snow from the heavens, and because of this it will rip the wax right off your base by the end of the day. If its light fluffy powder you can go as long as 4 - 5 riding days without a new wax coat.
> 
> Types and Temperature of waxes:
> 
> There are many different types of waxes out there, but the most common is flouro based waxes. They are fairly long lasting, and can take a rough rider. The other type as Snowolf mentioned is graphite. Graphite comes in one colour; black. It will be noticeable on a white base and people will think you need a wax job. .That is until you flash by 'em laughing your ass off. Graphite wax is harder and creates better glide with the snow than flouro wax does. Thus it is a faster wax. It doesn't have the same staying power, but it will make you ride faster.
> 
> The whole purpose of wax:
> 
> The whole purpose of wax is not to reduce friction, but to increase. It is a huge misconception that wax will help decrease friction. To fully explain this we must examine a few other things that are related to the base of our beloved snowboards.
> 
> Base pattern: Have you ever looked at a dried out base and noticed that there is a sort of pattern to it? It looks like a bunch of dotted lines staggered one after another running lengthwise down the board. This pattern is the start of what creates the all important glide of a snowboard, by making these patterns you are creating channels for which water runs down and moves your snowboard. Many shops offer a stone grind as part of their full tune packages and what the stone does is embeds the pattern into your base.
> 
> Now when you wax your board you fill in the grooves of the base patten to create a level surface and scrape away all the excess. This helps the flow of water that is created from the friction of gliding your board on the snow. The base pattern then directs the water down the channels and gets you rockin' faster.
> 
> This is why when you get scratches and gouges that run widthwise on your board they will slow you down more than a scratch or gouge that runs lengthwise. Also when you get scratches and deeper gouges you allow water to pool inside them and create more drag for yourself as you ride.
> 
> So in the end we use wax to increase the friction between the board and the snow to the point where water is created, and then the snowboard glides on the water, the quicker you go from snow to water, the quicker you get down the mountain. And we use the water channels created through base patterns and waxing to help direct the water through the running length of the board so that it escapes quickly.
> 
> Temperatures of wax:
> 
> Its as easy as match the colour to the temp. But for a longer explanation I'll explain the differences between warm and cold waxes. Cold waxes are much harder and as such need more heat and friction to soften them. Generally when it is colder outside snow crystals are more jagged and hard which means more friction on the board which means a colder wax will last longer. Inversely a warm wax is soft and does not need much heat to warm up and create the required glide. If you were to use warm wax on a cold day it would be pointless because the jagged ice crystals would burn off the wax in short order, and if you were to use a cold wax on a warm day, you would have to ride for 1/2 the day and not stop after that to finally get the wax to where you get a glide out of it.
> 
> That being said, whether its a cold or warm day I generally will put cold wax around the edges of my board because they will heat up faster than any other part of the board, the edges see more friction than any other part of the board so I use a cold wax for a good over all coat to make sure I get the entire use of my board rather than just the middle of it.


Cold wax around the edges...that is next level!


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## Kinobandito

start_today said:


> For people that wax with your bindings on (gasp!) what do you set the board on? I was setting boards plastic buckets, but noticed they are leaving marks on the top sheet.
> 
> Bindings flat on the table and be gentle and balanced, or did you make something so then board sits flat?


Fold the highbacks, bunch up some old shirts or towels to give it stability


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## Craig64

Gee....., just buy a vice. They will last a lifetime and cost less than a days lift ticket.


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## Kinobandito

Subtopic- do you guys subscribe to Angry Snowboarder's theory that wax comes off the first few runs and base-grinding actually does more than wax?


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## Donutz

I would imagine that most of the wax comes off pretty fast, but you can ride a board for a while before it really starts to feel like it desperately needs another wax.


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## Craig64

Donutz said:


> I would imagine that most of the wax comes off pretty fast, but you can ride a board for a while before it really starts to feel like it desperately needs another wax.


The type of snow also has an affect on the +/- level of abbrasivenes of removing wax from the base ie man made = bad V super light powder = good.


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## Etienne

Definitely agree that base structure will be huge, especially in wetter snow, but overall does a lot. This will be more obvious on newer boards, used bases tend to retain more wax and release it better IMO. But wax doesn't come off that fast, it's very depended on the snow, but even on early season ice groomers, the sides near the edges (where it comes off the quickest) will start to dry out at least at the end of a full day.


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## baldhurricane

Kinobandito said:


> do you guys subscribe to Angry Snowboarder's theory that wax comes off the first few runs and base-grinding actually does more than wax?


To each his own, Avran is a knowledgeable lad but with his personal nuances. One of those might be the above statement. I see it this way: a board with not so good structure but properly waxed would ride better and last longer than a board with good structure and careless approach to waxing, for this reason.

I think it depends not only on snow conditions but the wax itself (type of temperature). I rarely use high-temp wax (like -5+5 or even -10). I prefer universal all-temp wax. The downside is, it's pretty hard, and gets 150 Celcius to melt it, and once it drops it hardens in an instant. But once applied, it holds great and lasts me long. 
Don't get me wrong here, iI don't cover the board with 1-2 mm thick layer! I use fiberlene (like XC skier servicemen usually do) so the layer is thin, and even after that I brush all the extra stuff away. Base needs wax, or it gets dried ("whitens") and rides poorly.


----------

