Budget waxing solution

[Fast]

I tried this today and it works like a dream.

What you need:
100% beeswax candle (it smells nice, melts easily, and you know all you have on your skiboards is wax and not some other chemicals)
Hairdrier (as powerful as possible)
Some kind of scraper to get the wax off
A cork

Of course you can vary these if you can't get hold of beeswax candles, theire too expensive etc...

It's relatively simple just warm up your bases so that the wax doesn't dry too quickly, heat up part of the candle, an rub it on. This will still be solid when it's on your boards, so take the hairdrier, which does a wonderful job of melting and spreading the wax. Once it is covered in wax let all of it dry for a few minutes, and then scrape the wax off. Once most of it is off, take the cork and rub it on the base a lot.

There you go, a wonderfully waxed board for about 50p.

[koneco]

But have you used them on the slopes yet?

[Talon]

But have you used them on the slopes yet?

yeah candles? that sounds like a bad idea if you ask me

[MitchK]

I actually know plenty of people that use candles to wax their boards. Works great for a budget, but doesn't perform as well as a good ski wax.

[SkaFreak]

It is good at protecting your bases, but can actually negatively affect performance in some circumstances (especially on spring slush or really cold days)

[Roussel]

^ yup very true. candle wax is super think and sticky compared to ski base wax, not to mention the fragrances and colouring in there. second of all, i don't think a hair dryer would be hot enough to open up the bases for the wax, but i could be wrong.

[Fast]

It worked great for me in deep crusty powder. To avoid fragrances and colouring is why I use the 100% natural beeswax candles. It's just wax, nothing else.

[jjue]

Another simple solution to Fast's solution is simple bulk paraffin used for canning ... I have used stuff called Gulf wax , it is super cheap and can be ironed on , rubbed in or , use a hair dryer like Fast says .. the problem with these waxes is not that they don't help sliding they do ...
the problem is 1/ they come off real easy .. some times in less then a day of ski resort riding .. real ski wax lasts longer.. but for backcountry riding I use simple paraffin a lot because you only take one or two runs in soft snow 2/ like ska freak says , their temperature spectrum is not as good as expensive glide wax and can be less then optimally effective in certain situation ..
rubbed on or used with a hair dryer the simple cheap waxes stay on less effectively then hot waxing them but the other methods work also ..

[Fast]

This is a very interesting comment I found on another site (http://homeboyski.com/2008/10/19/ski...w-to-wax-skis/)

THIS WILL PUT THE SKI WAX COMPANIES OUT OF BUSINESS
Ingredients and formula for super fast ,all temp, racing ski wax1)5 lbs of paraffin wax(preferably 150degree or higher melt temp)
(2) 1/2 lb of paraflint wax hardener (3) a bar of Ivory soap (4) a regular size tube of Crest high fluoride toothpaste (5)a heaping tablespoon of spruce gum(resin from a spruce tree)
The paraffin and paraflint hardener can be easily and cheaply obtained from most candle supply companies.The soap and toothpaste should be easy enough.The spruce gum can be obtained from any specie of spruce tree.It exudes from wounds in the bark or broken branches.Make sure it is soft and clean,free from any dirt or bark.
In addition to these ingredients you will also need: An outdoor cookstove or grill,a freezer,a large and small cooking pot,stove mitts,a butterknife,a blender,a clock or watch,a bowl,and a few pie tins or tin bread molds to pour the liquid wax into.
CAUTION:MELTING WAX CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS.IT IS ADVISABLE TO HAVE SOMEONE ELSE PRESENT WHEN MAKING THIS WAX.MELT IT OUTDOORS AWAY FROM BUILDINGS TO AVOID FIRE.KEEP CHILDREN AND ANIMALS AWAY
Step1-Put the pie tins or tin bread molds in the freezer to get them cold.
Step2-With the butterknife grate the entire bar of soap into the bowl.(you could also use a wood rasp or cheesegrater to grate the soap into tiny pieces.)
Step3-With the butterknife thinly spread the spruce gum on one side of all the bars of paraffin.(To make this easier you may need to warm the gum near a gentle heat source)
Step4-Pour the paraflint into the small cooking pot,put it on the burner and turn on the flame(low heat).
Step5-Put a bar of paraffin in the big cooking pot(gum side up),put it on the burner and turn on the flame(high heat).When the bar melts put in another and when that melts another…until all are melted.(If any impurities rise to the top,skim them off with a spoon or mesh spoon.There shouldn’t be any if the gum is clean.)
Step6-As soon as all bars of wax are melted begin blending the wax and gum while pouring in the soap.Continue blending.(high speed)
Step7-When the soap and wax are thoroughly blended, squeeze the entire tube of toothpaste into the mixture while blending and continue to blend until the toothpaste is thoroughly incorperated into the mixture.
Step8-By now the paraflint hardener should be completely melted.If it is turn off the flame under the small pot of paraflint and pour it into the big pot of wax.
Step9-Continue to blend the mixture for 2 minutes.
Step10-Get the wax molds out of the freezer,turn off the flame of the big pot,put on the stove mitts and carefully pour the hot wax into the molds.(THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. ALSO,DO NOT POUR THE WAX TO THE TOP OF THE MOLDS)
Step 11-Carefully but quickly put the liquid wax in the freezer.(It is important that the wax cool quickly) Wait for it to harden in the mold.
Step12-You now have a super fast,long lasting, all temp ski wax.Enjoy!
I can’t believe what a racket the ski wax industry is.
Being a recreational ski racer and skiing often I go through a lot of wax. I realized I just couldn’t afford the expensive waxes and powders anymore so I decided to make my own. After much study and experimentation I finally got it.I can’t believe it is so simple and cheap.
WHY IT WORKS:
The addition of the hardener makes the wax fast in cold, dry conditions. Hard wax is also more resistant to dirt and doesn’t wear off as fast.The spruce gum acts as a flexible bonding agent to the base of the ski and a bond and vehicle for the chemicals in the other ingredients.The soap also has some of these properties as well as being a surfactant and detergent to break the surface tension of the layer of water between snow and ski and repel dirt and grease.This is also chemically enhanced by the surfactant in the toothpaste.This makes the ski faster in all conditions and temperatures but is especially helpful in warm weather when snow gets wet and greasy. And the toothpaste? What a cheap way to get fluorinated ski wax! The turpines in the spruce gum and chemicals in the soap and toothpaste combine to chemically alter the fluoride in the toothpaste,bonding and completely suspending it as fluorinate throughout the ski wax during the heated mixing.This makes the wax so much faster. And there you have it- Over 5 lbs of durable,superfast,all temp and condition,fluorinated ski wax for less than $30.

[graeme]

must rush out to the spruce tree.......lol

[Fast]

Poor trees...

[mahatma]

Wow. While not $30 for 5lbs., last year I purchased 10lbs of Hertel Hot Sauce for $110. Great sale. My process was:

Go to Hertel website
Choose product
Go to checkout
Surrender credit card information
Wait for package to be delivered
Take home
Use liberally
Brush teeth with product designed for the activity
Invite children and animals to participate
Lovingly scold animals for drinking out of toilet and sniffing each others backsides
Lovingly scold children for drinking out of toilet and sniffing each others backsides
Personally drink out of toilet and sniff Mrs. Mahatma's backside
Smile
Repeat process as needed/desired

[Karl]

To each is own but I'm with Mahatma on this one... Well at least the first 8 lines. Some things aren't worth my time. But doing things yourself is respectable, I'm sure lots of people would scoff at the fact that I make my own beer...

[CTski13X]

I've been using the new Lib Tech Banana Bio Wax...it's soybean based wax. The stuff is $11.99 for a banana shaped 165g piece and I was able to wax 5 sets of boards with it. Pretty budget friendly at $2.40 per set of boards....and eco-friendly too!!

[Dave Bloom]

Really, guys? Come on now. Wax is not that big of a budget issue. If it is to you I would be more worried about affording lift tickets. For around $10 most of the better wax companies offer 60g. Swix, One Ball Jay, Purl, and other top brands are in that price range. Not to mention you can't think that just because something is racing wax or various temp waxes will make it the right tool for the job. If you are living in Colorado you are on dry snow while in Tahoe you are on wet snow. On the east coast you are on icier conditions. Mixing different temperature waxes will give you a better combination. Swix is better for the east coast while Purl is better for the midwest and Colorado. Swix is specialized for icy and wet conditions. Purl is specialized for dry and cold conditions. I don't know the types of snow that fall outside of the United States so I cannot give perspective on this for other places. But, it's not all that expensive to take care of waxing. Because I ride so much and spend so much time in the park for several days back to back I wax once a week. Even with how much I have waxed this season I haven't gone through more than three bars which ran me about $33. So, no big deal