# Wax hard to scrape? What do you use?



## PanHandler (Dec 23, 2010)

honestly what i do is after the wax is completely dry, i take a hair dryer and soften (not melt, just soften) the very top layer and scrape it off easy as pie. i dont heat it nearly enough to re-open the pores in the base though, so none of the absorbed wax comes out.


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## Qball (Jun 22, 2010)

I use hertel wax and a metal scraper. After scraping I stick a scotch brite pad on the bottom of a Ryobi mini sander and buff the crap out of it. Scraping isn't really hard, just not much fun.


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## Milo303 (Apr 6, 2009)

Qball said:


> I use hertel wax and a metal scraper. After scraping I stick a scotch brite pad on the bottom of a Ryobi mini sander and buff the crap out of it. Scraping isn't really hard, just not much fun.


Jesus man.... You're nuts.




I just don't let the wax get super hard and scrape with a dakine hard plastic scraper.

Metal scrapers can easily gouge your base if you're not careful. And screw letting the wax get all the way cold because it's hard to get back off....

There's no real reason that I know of to let the wax harden, then reheat it to scrape it off.. You might as well not let it cool 100%.

Believe me, I'm a wax whore... My shit has to slide well or else I'm pissy. I just make sure I use the right wax for the temp of snow also


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## imprezd (Sep 30, 2010)

Don't you want to let the wax fully cool though? I can see how letting it fully cool along with the boards base, will allow the wax to stay within the base and pores. 

I let mine cool until the board feels cold to the touch. I know this is the reason why scraping is harder but aren't there waxes that make waxing a little easier. Maybe I should just man up and deal with it...lol 

Anyone have a wax that stays in the base a while and they prefer? If so, how long does it last you and in what kind of conditions?


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## PanHandler (Dec 23, 2010)

Milo303 said:


> Jesus man.... You're nuts.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


you let it dry 100% to make sure the pores in the ptex are fully sealed. then i reheat just the top layer of wax, making sure its not heating up the actual base, which would reopen the pores in the ptex.


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## Milo303 (Apr 6, 2009)

I know what you're saying, but I just think it may be taking it a little to far.... I could be wrong, but it's rare that someone is in front of me


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## Milo303 (Apr 6, 2009)

I let the wax cool down some, but I'll be damned it I'm going to let it cool all the way off and try to scrape it.... I don't wax then run right over and scrape. The hair dryer just seems like a pain in the ass in an already pain in the ass situation.

I wax every couple/few times I ride anyways so I'm just slamming it and doing it fast and getting as much off as possible


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## Qball (Jun 22, 2010)

Milo303 said:


> Jesus man.... You're nuts.


Lots of people use metal scrapers. Just got to keep the edge flat and it will be fine. Plus the one I use has slightly rounded tips. If you are just starting out I wouldn't recommend a metal one though.


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## Mr. Polonia (Apr 5, 2009)

i resharpen my scraper with a metal file:dunno:


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## Mr. Polonia (Apr 5, 2009)

imprezd said:


> Don't you want to let the wax fully cool though? I can see how letting it fully cool along with the boards base, will allow the wax to stay within the base and pores.
> 
> I let mine cool until the board feels cold to the touch. I know this is the reason why scraping is harder but aren't there waxes that make waxing a little easier. Maybe I should just man up and deal with it...lol
> 
> Anyone have a wax that stays in the base a while and they prefer? If so, how long does it last you and in what kind of conditions?


 
extreme cold waxes r harder to scrape...well because they are harder and the microscopic strands are longer than those of warm waxes.

its advised when scraping cold wax to lightly scrape the top layer before the wax gets fully cold to prevent the cold wax from being pulled out too much from the pores ( not to get confused with hot scraping ). After u do that, u wait til its fully dry and cold and then do ur final scraping.


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## imprezd (Sep 30, 2010)

Mr. Polonia said:


> extreme cold waxes r harder to scrape...well because they are harder and the microscopic strands are longer than those of warm waxes.
> 
> its advised when scraping cold wax to lightly scrape the top layer before the wax gets fully cold to prevent the cold wax from being pulled out too much from the pores ( not to get confused with hot scraping ). After u do that, u wait til its fully dry and cold and then do ur final scraping.


Interesting, I'll try that.


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## alex12 (Dec 23, 2010)

Milo- what wax do you use? (out of curiosity)


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## HUNT24/7 (Feb 8, 2010)

I just bought some K2 Eco wax all purpose & let it set up fully, it was hard as a rock, my plastic scraper wouldn't even scuff it, my metal scraper wouldn't either. I had to run the iron over it to soften it some then peel the top layer off, I let it cool a bit & tried again, to get the damn wax of at all I was scraping hard enough to shave the base of the board a bit.

I'd like to see someone scrape that shit off after letting it cool fully....................good luck!!!


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## john doe (Nov 6, 2009)

I've been using Bluebird soy wax The last season and this one. It seems to last a good bit longer on our manmade snow then the OBJ stuff that came on my Smokin. It is easy to scrape off since it stays kind of soft but annoying because it is sticky.

I just use the plastic scrapers that came with my Soy wax and sharpen when it's needed. I'll be trying the Hertel Hotsauce as soon as I get around to ordering some.


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## jpb3 (Nov 29, 2009)

If your not letting the wax fully cool and harden then whats the point? I usually let it sit overnight, in my garage which is not heated, before I scrape it off. You need to at least let it cool off 20 minutes or so before scraping. The whole point of heating the wax is so that it will penetrate the base, if you reheat to scrape your pulling the wax back out when scraping it off. Thats why to get a really clean base you scrape when the wax is still warm as it will pull all the crud out of the base, including the wax. 

At the end of the season I slather it on and let it sit all summer/fall before I scrape it off, again without warming it up. 

I use Bluebird all temp and cold temp. Cold temp on the edges or depending on conditions all over. Metal scraper and a Scotchbrite pad at the end. Plastic scrapers suck.


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## eelpout (Mar 1, 2009)

the OBJ BioGreen is a pain in the a**. Not sure I'll use it again. Never had to spend so much time scraping and rescaping as with this stuff. You get these patches of built up wax that one has to go over and over. I even only let it harden for 5 minutes per instructions this time as opposed to the usual 30 or so to prevent the brittleness from settling in. 

guess I'll have to try Bluebird.


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## Sincraft (Sep 6, 2010)

PanHandler said:


> honestly what i do is after the wax is completely dry, i take a hair dryer and soften (not melt, just soften) the very top layer and scrape it off easy as pie. i dont heat it nearly enough to re-open the pores in the base though, so none of the absorbed wax comes out.


I heard this is bad. DO you just heat it a tiny bit or until it is really soft? 

OP: Sounds like you need some cold or blue wax and a good plexi scraper or two. 12" and 5" about $9 and $5 respectively.


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## freshy (Nov 18, 2009)

I also wait at least 20 mins if not overnight, unless I forget to wax the night before and need to throw on a coat in the morning.
I use a plastic scraper too, then I got a peice of cork with felt on one side. I guess the felt is similar to the scotch brite pad, then the cork finishes it off making it super smooth and shiny.


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## carverboy (Jan 3, 2011)

The real "trick" to waxing is to only use enough wax to cover the board. That way even the cold waxes come off easy with a plexi scrapper.
If you are scrapping off more than a millimeter or so your using to much. Using waxing cloth between your iron and board will give you a nice thin layer but it takes forever and is a bit of a pain in the ass. I run a bead of drips(cold wax) down each edge off a corner of my iron. Then I drip a S-shaped line down the middle with what ever temp wax is right for conditions. That's with bar wax.
If you have the granular pellet style wax it's pretty easy to just dole out pellets and move the wax around until you have uniform coverage. another trick is to hold up the end of the board and look down the base at eye level to pick out areas you may have missed.
Hope this helps reduce your scrape time.


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