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Waxing for new skis?

post #1 of 28
12/4/05 at 2:03pm
Thread Starter 
Hello all, I just bought a brand new pair of skis, Nordica SUV 12's. Question: Do I need to wax them before I take them out or can I get them waxed after a weekend of skiing. Will be skiing groomed conditions in PA in a couple of weeks. Thanks.
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post #2 of 28
12/4/05 at 2:19pm
I'd wax them three or four times before taking them out, especially in earlier season conditions. This will ensure that the bases are saturated with wax, making them absorb wax better later and being much more durable.
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post #3 of 28
12/4/05 at 7:55pm
You definately want to wax them. Most new skis are just waxed with a crappy storage type of wax so that the bases dont wear out. I use one ball jay wax. It works excellent; glide qualities are sweet to. Match the temp of the wax to the snow temperature , not the air temperature.
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post #4 of 28
12/4/05 at 8:11pm
Ideally, you should wax them with an iron with a soft wax, scrape the wax off while its still warm then wax them again waiting for the wax to cool before scraping. The first waxing will help clean the bases. If you're in a hurry the least you should do is wax them with an iron.
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post #5 of 28
12/4/05 at 11:25pm
Do this 5 or 6 times: hot scrape. Iron in wax and scrape if off right away. Repeat. Use warm temp. (soft) wax. When you are done you can wax for conditions. The repeated hot scraping will fill all the pores in your new bases. the wax will bond with the P-tex way down deep. Your wax will last longer. 2 to 3 days instead of half a day with just one hot wax off the shelf. Think of it like curing a cast iron skillet. World cup racers (well, their techs) do this like twenty times before they even use a ski. If you have the time you will benefit from fast ass sticks. Note: a base-sand or stone grind will erase all this and you'll have to do it again. Of course if you really don't care you don't have to do any of this.

When you do the final wax make sure to let the wax cool fully (2 hours is good) before you scrape it.
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post #6 of 28
12/5/05 at 4:59am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the great advice!! Will be sure to wax these guys and see how they glide. Thanks again.
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post #7 of 28
12/5/05 at 7:59am
Make sure you lightly scrape your bases when they are warm. Scraping hot bases make them easy to scrape base material off and you dont want to damage your bases right away I would imagine. So be careful.
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post #8 of 28
12/5/05 at 9:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Liquidnails
Do this 5 or 6 times: hot scrape. Iron in wax and scrape if off right away. Repeat. Use warm temp. (soft) wax. When you are done you can wax for conditions. The repeated hot scraping will fill all the pores in your new bases. the wax will bond with the P-tex way down deep. Your wax will last longer. 2 to 3 days instead of half a day with just one hot wax off the shelf. Think of it like curing a cast iron skillet. World cup racers (well, their techs) do this like twenty times before they even use a ski. If you have the time you will benefit from fast ass sticks. Note: a base-sand or stone grind will erase all this and you'll have to do it again. Of course if you really don't care you don't have to do any of this.

When you do the final wax make sure to let the wax cool fully (2 hours is good) before you scrape it.
Have I understood you correctly? With new skis you should:

Monday
-heat the base up a bit with an iron and apply soft (purple) wax
-scrape it off before it cools down, lets say 1min
-leave it to cool off

Tuesday
-heat the base up a bit with an iron and apply soft (purple) wax
-scrape it off before it cools down, lets say 1min
-leave it to cool off

Wednesday
-heat the base up a bit with an iron and apply soft (purple) wax
-scrape it off before it cools down, lets say 1min
-leave it to cool off

Thursday
-heat the base up a bit with an iron and apply soft (purple) wax
-scrape it off before it cools down, lets say 1min
-leave it to cool off

Friday
-heat the base up a bit with an iron and apply soft (purple) wax
-scrape it off before it cools down, lets say 1min
-leave it to cool off

Saturday
-heat the base up a bit with an iron and apply final proper wax for skiing
-scrape it off after it cools down, lets say 2 hours
-ski

Sunday
-ski

Monday
start all over again....

When should I use the brushes? Only after the final waxing? How often can I repeat the hotwaxing to speed up my weekly scedule, twise a day or maybe every 6 hours?
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post #9 of 28
12/5/05 at 1:21pm
once you do the first cycle of repeated waxings, you dont need to do it again until you get a stonegrind or your bases are noticeably dirty.
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post #10 of 28
12/5/05 at 1:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tdk6
Have I understood you correctly? With new skis you should:

Monday
-heat the base up a bit with an iron and apply soft (purple) wax
-scrape it off before it cools down, lets say 1min
-leave it to cool off

Tuesday
-heat the base up a bit with an iron and apply soft (purple) wax
-scrape it off before it cools down, lets say 1min
-leave it to cool off

Wednesday
-heat the base up a bit with an iron and apply soft (purple) wax
-scrape it off before it cools down, lets say 1min
-leave it to cool off

Thursday
-heat the base up a bit with an iron and apply soft (purple) wax
-scrape it off before it cools down, lets say 1min
-leave it to cool off

Friday
-heat the base up a bit with an iron and apply soft (purple) wax
-scrape it off before it cools down, lets say 1min
-leave it to cool off

Saturday
-heat the base up a bit with an iron and apply final proper wax for skiing
-scrape it off after it cools down, lets say 2 hours
-ski

Sunday
-ski

Monday
start all over again....

When should I use the brushes? Only after the final waxing? How often can I repeat the hotwaxing to speed up my weekly scedule, twise a day or maybe every 6 hours?
Before you address the question of when or how often to wax, you need to study up on how to do it properly.

Has anyone got a good link?
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post #11 of 28
12/5/05 at 3:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tdk6
Have I understood you correctly? With new skis you should:

Monday
-heat the base up a bit with an iron in and apply soft (purple) wax
Don't "heat up the base with an iron" and then apply wax.: : :

Safest is to crayon on wax on the unheated base then hold a wax bar to your iron leaving a trail of now liquid wax along the sides of the base and then up the middle. Then iron in while keeping the iron moving, scrape and brush.

There is a ton of info on waxing here which explains how to do things correctly. You can find it using the "search" feature. Swix and Toko both publish tuning guides. For base prep use a special base prep wax or a soft yellow or pink type wax.

In the SWIX scheme of things CH 10 is Yellow (softest) followed by CH 8 in pink (second softest) followed by CH 7 which is purple (more or less a universal wax for a wide range of conditions but not really for base prepping.)
Swix also has a special base prep wax which is red.

The main thing is don't heat your bases first and then apply the wax.:
Waxing is not rocket science but there are definitely potential major unhappy consequences if a ski gets too hot.
Good luck.
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post #12 of 28
12/5/05 at 4:46pm
Take Lostboys advise. Don't heat your bases first. Drizzle wax on bases first& then iron in. Never put a hot iron on the bases without some wax under it.
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post #13 of 28
12/5/05 at 7:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jstraw
Before you address the question of when or how often to wax, you need to study up on how to do it properly.

Has anyone got a good link?
So true! Don't go messing up your boards so soon. Do a lil research first ! here is a link to get you started. But do a google search on hotwaxing downhill skis. You will get plenty of good info.

www.nwsnow.org/displayarticle25.html
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post #14 of 28
12/5/05 at 7:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by huckingfellers
Match the temp of the wax to the snow temperature , not the air temperature.
This may be true for OBJ, but its only partially true for the waxes I've used over the years. If the air is below freezing, go for snow temps. If its warm out, pay attention to air temps. I don't know why this is, but its worked well for me. This is the suggestion of Swix and others.

I emphatically concur with the advice re: not heating the base first. Proper waxing means in part that the wax iron is never in contact with any part of the ski.

Brush the ski after each hot scrape if you feel like it. Don't brush until the ski is cool. Otherwise, just brush thoroughly before applying the final wax. For early season stuff or any manmade snow you may want to put some harder than otherwise suggested wax along the edges underfoot.

If you don't have a rotobrush, get one. Proper brushing means brushing until no wax is showing up from good brush strokes. That takes forever with well waxed new skis and a hard wax if done manually.
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post #15 of 28
12/6/05 at 1:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lostboy
Don't "heat up the base with an iron" and then apply wax.: : :

Safest is to crayon on wax on the unheated base then hold a wax bar to your iron leaving a trail of now liquid wax along the sides of the base and then up the middle. Then iron in while keeping the iron moving, scrape and brush.

There is a ton of info on waxing here which explains how to do things correctly. You can find it using the "search" feature. Swix and Toko both publish tuning guides. For base prep use a special base prep wax or a soft yellow or pink type wax.

In the SWIX scheme of things CH 10 is Yellow (softest) followed by CH 8 in pink (second softest) followed by CH 7 which is purple (more or less a universal wax for a wide range of conditions but not really for base prepping.)
Swix also has a special base prep wax which is red.

The main thing is don't heat your bases first and then apply the wax.:
Waxing is not rocket science but there are definitely potential major unhappy consequences if a ski gets too hot.
Good luck.
Sorry, what was I thinking...... Offcourse I dont heat the base up first. I melt the wax onto the cold surface and then I iron it in. My Q is if the wax should be scraped off the base while its still hot or after it has cooled down (next day)?
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post #16 of 28
12/6/05 at 2:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by skiingman
....If you don't have a rotobrush, get one. Proper brushing means brushing until no wax is showing up from good brush strokes. That takes forever with well waxed new skis and a hard wax if done manually.
Is that a useful tool? I was told its not as efficient as normal brushes.

So what I should do is:
-melt some wax onto the cold base
-iron it out evenly
-scrape it off while its still warm
-brush the ski before next waxing session
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post #17 of 28
12/6/05 at 6:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tdk6
Sorry, what was I thinking...... Offcourse I dont heat the base up first. I melt the wax onto the cold surface and then I iron it in. My Q is if the wax should be scraped off the base while its still hot or after it has cooled down (next day)?
Hot scrapes for prepping and working wax into new or ground bases or for cleaning, followed by cold scrapes for final waxing for the conditions.
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post #18 of 28
12/6/05 at 6:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jstraw
Hot scrapes for prepping and working wax into new or ground bases or for cleaning, followed by cold scrapes for final waxing for the conditions.
Thanks jstraw. That settles this issue for my account
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post #19 of 28
12/6/05 at 6:45am
Wow....some of you guys have WAAYYY too much time on your hands.
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post #20 of 28
12/6/05 at 6:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lodro
Wow....some of you guys have WAAYYY too much time on your hands.
I certainly do. I live far from the slopes. Taking care of my equipment is something I like to call "quality time."
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post #21 of 28
12/6/05 at 7:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lodro
Wow....some of you guys have WAAYYY too much time on your hands.

I've spent way too much money on my gear to not treat it like royalty.
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post #22 of 28
12/6/05 at 7:45am
OK, ok, guys, point taken... Well my routine is usually to go w/ the shop wax they put on when mouting my skis. : Then I wax every 2-3 ski days (I often only go up for a couple of hours). Every once in while (beginning of season then maybe once a month) I'll use a base cleaner and fiber pads and get the nasties out. I have to say I've never done a hot scrape or whatever -- it sounds like alchemy to me and a waste of good wax. Sure the world cup guys do it, but they'd hand-rub baby seal oil into the bases if they thought it would improve glide by %.02. But what do I know..

I do spend time to do a good brush along running surface with copper then plastic brush and end w/ fiber. And I have to say my skis run pretty well...I can't outski many folks but I can usually outglide them. And I'm starting my 4th season on a pair of SLs that get maybe 60 days a year. YMMV, of course.
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post #23 of 28
12/6/05 at 12:01pm
Thread Starter 
My local shop can hopefully do all of this. My local shop is charging about 30 bucks a pop and the machine they use; will it do as good a job as one done at home? Thanks.
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post #24 of 28
12/6/05 at 12:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ibuter
My local shop can hopefully do all of this. My local shop is charging about 30 bucks a pop and the machine they use; will it do as good a job as one done at home? Thanks.
Nope...not in my opinion.
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post #25 of 28
12/6/05 at 2:36pm
okay i just bought new fischers worldcup sl's i want to ski them this weekend and i want to get them waxed but i lent my equipment plus ive never done base prep should i just go to the shop and ask them to base prep them then wax or should i buy stuff then give it to them to do it?
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post #26 of 28
12/6/05 at 3:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ibuter
My local shop can hopefully do all of this. My local shop is charging about 30 bucks a pop and the machine they use; will it do as good a job as one done at home? Thanks.
If by "all of this" you mean waxing and prepping ski bases, then no. Not unless the "machine" is actually a guy with an attention for detail and a lot of time on his hands.

If by "all of this" you mean actual ski tuning and preparation, a shop can do a much better job than you can do at home...but not for thirty dollars...
Quote:
Originally Posted by tdk6
Is that a useful tool? I was told its not as efficient as normal brushes.
Hmm, I wonder where that idea came from? I use hand brushes on the hill for final brushing for races. This means I bring along a soft nylon and a horsehair, or just a horsehair... all initial nylon brushing is done with rotobrushes. I don't have that much time to waste. The roto brush is very effective, but its important to have a relatively fast (2000-2500rpm) drill motor. Most cordless drills don't cut it.
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post #27 of 28
12/6/05 at 7:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ibuter
My local shop can hopefully do all of this. My local shop is charging about 30 bucks a pop and the machine they use; will it do as good a job as one done at home? Thanks.
No way ! Not a chance a machine will do a better job waxing my skis than me doing them myself at home; Not a chance!
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post #28 of 28
12/6/05 at 10:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rigaudripper
okay i just bought new fischers worldcup sl's i want to ski them this weekend and i want to get them waxed but i lent my equipment plus ive never done base prep should i just go to the shop and ask them to base prep them then wax or should i buy stuff then give it to them to do it?
Get some base prep wax or SWIX CH 10 or CH8 or other brand equivalent and some CH3 powder. Base prep your skis a couple of times, then wax with a wax suitable to the conditions you will be skiing in. Spinkle the CH3 powder along the edges of your ski bases and iron in together with the wax for your conditions then scrape and brush. How much waxing and scraping and brushing you do is in part a function of how much time you have.

With new skis, common methods include one or more hot scrapes with a base prep wax and then apply your wax of the day. A lot of tuning buffs will apply the wax of the day 4-7 times before final scraping. Let the wax cool completely before scraping and brushing and, ideally, let your skis sit overnight with a heavy coat of wax before final scraping and brushing. That should set your skis up pretty well and future wax jobs will go much quicker. With your SL ski I would use SWIX CH3 powder as part of the initial waxing process and periodically afterwards to avoid or reduce base burn.

The thing with waxing at non World Cup levels is there are a lot of somewhat differing approaches that are utilized but they are generally not too disimular in result. For specific details like proper iron temps for different waxes, how much brushing to do etc., you can use the search feature here or buy a SWIX or Toko wax manual.
http://www.ski-racing.com/waxing.htm has a useful short tutorial.
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