# using heat gun to wax board



## m60g (Feb 27, 2009)

Yeah ,use an iron:thumbsup:

Heat gun seems scary on the base:dunno:


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## redlude97 (Jan 9, 2008)

I would not use a heat gun for waxing. Hot air has low heat conduction capacity, and will rely on higher temperatures to heat the wax and base through. You risk glazing the base, and overall poor wax penetration compared to an iron


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## Tarzanman (Dec 20, 2008)

The problem with a heat gun is two-fold. The heat gun temperatures get pretty hot and concentrate that heat in a very small area... neither of which you want for waxing a board.

The iron does a lot better job of :
-Warming up a larger area on the board
-Giving you better control of the heat temperature
-Physically pushing the wax into crevices in the board.


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## xxfinnellxx (Aug 30, 2009)

edwinx said:


> Hi,
> 
> I just got a heat gun and I want to wax my board but I have a few questions on the procedure. I read that its bad to use base cleaner and its better to use cheap wax to clean instead. My board was last done at a shop (machine wax) but I see it needs a new coat now. Do I have to clean it or can I just crayon new wax on top, use heat gun to melt, use scotchbrite to bluff and then use a brush on it?
> 
> ...


ok. I think its just best for you to get an iron, scraper, some cheap wax, and some "nice" wax (nice in your specifics). That heat gun thing sounds very very stupid and not promising. It is bad to use base cleaner because it not only removes the gunk out of your base, but your base aswel. Not healthy for your board. 

Step 1* Hot scrape*
-Use some cheap wax (prefibly not straight up parafin, but It might work. I havent tryed) drip it on and iron it nice and smooth and covered all over your board. 
-Dont let it sit, just take your iron, i run it along your board again nice and smooth in straight lines. Each line with a tail of wet wax maybe 3 inches long. 
-with that wet tail of wax...scrape the shit out of your board. Scraping the hot wax will lift all the crap wax, dirt, rail gunk, and rust out of your base and make it look brand spakining new.


Step 2 *Wax*
-Drip your "nice" wax on your board
-Iron out smooth with long strokes from nose to tail. Get everything. I run it twice just so the wax has more time to sink into my base. It makes it last longer
-Let it all sit at room temperature for at least a few hours. I wax when im not boarding and let it sit for a few days even.
-Scrape ALL of surface wax off. Tip to tail, never go cross grain of the board. it fucks your base up. Wax is only useful when it is used in combination with some base exposed to the snow. Theres a whole science behind it.
-Brush off with a brush (preferably bronze) to embed aditional grain into your board. The grain acts as control when flat basing


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## BurtonAvenger (Aug 14, 2007)

You trying to melt your base? I use a heat gun to fix shit on bases not wax them, trust me it's not a good idea.


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## Alpine Duke (Jun 21, 2015)

bump on a very old thread. i am intrigued by this idea as it seems like a quick and easy "in between" full on waxes to do.






OK, it doesn't put the physical pressure an iron would. I am a bit scared to come near my boards with a heat gun but I think the same principle would apply that would with an iron....keep it moving at the right speed and it will be fine.....stop and it goes bad.

??


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## Mizu Kuma (Apr 13, 2014)

Was he heating the base or just melting the wax????? And to be totally honest, either the base or his layers of wax, looked like shite on that board!!!!! 

I wouldn't use a heat gun to wax my boards!!!!! Heat guns are used for plastic welding!!!!! 

Plus, is it really that much quicker than using an iron?????


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## ItchEtrigR (Jan 1, 2012)

I've tried both methods, with similar results on the finish, it's just quicker with the iron. Heat gun is brilliant though for nixwaxing a pair of leather boots.


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## multikill (Nov 26, 2015)

trust me , your mum's hair jet drier can do better and more safe than dat weapon in every sense.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

I've used the crayon, heat gun method...works fine for laying down a thin layer and not have to scrape... as long as you keep the gun moving. But crayon, iron method works fine also. Not much of a difference between the two...as long as you are attentive.

But drip method and heat gun...doesn't work as well as using an iron.


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## Oldman (Mar 7, 2012)

I will simply say that you will never find a shop tech in any shop anywhere using a heat gun to wax a board. :closed:


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## Alpine Duke (Jun 21, 2015)

multikill said:


> trust me , your mum's hair jet drier can do better and more safe than dat weapon in every sense.


I don't think a hair drier would get hot enough....though I haven't tried it.

My original thought in even asking is that temp is temp. If I let an iron stay in one spot too long (or go too slow with a very hot iron) it might overheat and cause damage. If I go fast enough it won't. Too fast or too low of a setting and it won't even melt the wax.

If I try the heat gun and move it fast enough.....it melts the wax but doesn't overheat the deck. Too slow and it does overheat it. ??

The comment about trying both but with not time saving is very helpful. Although.....part of what made this intriguing to me is that I am sick of wasting expensive wax by scraping more off than goes on and *IF* the heatgun thing would work it would seem to prevent that.


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

Alpine Duke said:


> Although.....part of what made this intriguing to me is that I am sick of wasting expensive wax by scraping more off than goes on and *IF* the heatgun thing would work it would seem to prevent that.


Don't drip the wax. Rub the wax block over the base, this leaves a thin wax layer; then iron that tiny wax layer. No wax wasted. Done in no time. IIRC, it's called crayon method.


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## Alpine Duke (Jun 21, 2015)

neni said:


> Don't drip the wax. Rub the wax block over the base, this leaves a thin wax layer; then iron that tiny wax layer. No wax wasted. Done in no time. IIRC, it's called crayon method.


Thanks Neni......I'm guessing you somehow sensed my Swiss-Austrian ancestry and thought.....OK, he's one of us....I need to jump in and keep him from ruining one of his boards


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## SGboarder (Jun 24, 2012)

Alpine Duke said:


> I am sick of wasting expensive wax by scraping more off than goes on


Your problem is where you buy your wax, not the method of application. Wax is cheap as chips.


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## Mizu Kuma (Apr 13, 2014)

Alpine Duke said:


> I don't think a hair drier would get hot enough....though I haven't tried it.
> 
> My original thought in even asking is that temp is temp. If I let an iron stay in one spot too long (or go too slow with a very hot iron) it might overheat and cause damage. If I go fast enough it won't. Too fast or too low of a setting and it won't even melt the wax.
> 
> ...


The problem with the heat gun is that it's more of a radiant heat as opposed to a direct heat from the iron!!!!!

The base is supposed to heat up enough to expand the tiny "gaps" in the material, and let the wax "soak" in!!!!! 

A heat gun would just sort of melt the wax on top, but do little else!!!!! 

And wax, although dear to buy, you can get so many wax jobs out of an ordinary sized block that it's really economical!!!!!


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## multikill (Nov 26, 2015)

Mizu Kuma said:


> The problem with the heat gun is that it's more of a radiant heat as opposed to a direct heat from the iron!!!!!
> 
> The base is supposed to heat up enough to expand the tiny "gaps" in the material, and let the wax "soak" in!!!!!
> 
> ...


Quiet right. 



> I don't think a hair drier would get hot enough....though I haven't tried it.
> 
> My original thought in even asking is that temp is temp. If I let an iron stay in one spot too long (or go too slow with a very hot iron) it might overheat and cause damage. If I go fast enough it won't. Too fast or too low of a setting and it won't even melt the wax.
> 
> ...



We need heat not only to melt the wax, but also to expand the sintering micro structure to let wax in.

Thence the ideal heat source should be stable, equally distribution and wide range. Heat gun can not be a good choice.

Japan Gallium has a heat sheet to warm board base when you wax.
Its temp setting is about 55C, FYI. So I thougt ironing + hair Jet is not a very bad compromise.


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## Mizu Kuma (Apr 13, 2014)

multikill said:


> Quiet right.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You can also buy (or make your own) Hot Box, if you're really into waxin, or have a shiteload of boards to do at a time!!!!!


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## multikill (Nov 26, 2015)

Mizu Kuma said:


> You can also buy (or make your own) Hot Box, if you're really into waxin, or have a shiteload of boards to do at a time!!!!!


you mean dress an astronaut suit and paint wax in that hot box?
Sounds Nazi.


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