Waxing Skiboards

[valmorel]

So are stone/belt grinds are good thing for skiboards or not? I've avoided them up until now but can't find any mention of anything for or against? Thanks

I think you need to be a little careful here. Base grinding should be considered part of skiboard tuning, and not just something that 'seems like a good idea'. A base grind will in all probability change the way the board responds, and so should only really be undertaken if you have a specific requirement in mind.
As previously stated, a base grind might very well improve glide some, but the gains are quite small. The big changes come in edge response. Quintessentially, a dead flat base grind which includes the steel edges will have the most response to edge grip and carve initiation, but can make the boards feel nervy and hard to skid. Progressively increasing the base angle on the steel edge from zero on up reduces all these effects, so say a 2 degree base angle will give a sweet riding easily skidded board, but less edge grip (response).
I usually wait a season to allow the bases to settle, have them ground dead flat, then progressively add base angle till I get the feel I want. It's a bit of work!
R8 skiboards are pretty good out of the box though, so you might gain very little unless as I said, you have a specific characteristic you are searching for.

[Bluewing]

So are stone/belt grinds are good thing for skiboards or not? I've avoided them up until now but can't find any mention of anything for or against? Thanks

I have found a base grind to be very worthwhile and improve the performance of boards. As slow says, best to wait until the bases stabilize on the boards. This is not a knock on RVL8 or Spruce but I have found the factory base structure to be a bit shallow. After a base grind, which should be done using a pattern appropriate for the area and conditions you ride in, I have found the structure to be more significant, the boards hold wax longer, the boards glide better and track better as well.

If you go to get a base grind you might run into a few things. If you tell the shop you want the base ground flat (zero degrees) they will likely ask you repeatedly "Are you sure?" because that is not really done with skis. It will make the base edge bite very aggressive. Some people like it, some don't so you can always put some base edge angle in afterward if you have an edge tuning tool or have a shop do it. You also might find some shops won't do custom angles, like a zero degree base. They set up their machine to one base angle and side angle and leave it and just run everything through it the same.

[slow]

Some of us base grind after a season to get a zero base edge angle. It takes a season for the base to stabilize so not much value in doing it any sooner. The zero base edge is sometimes desirable to have the skiboard react positively in icy conditions. If you ride the terrain park, do not bother with a base grind.


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[Wookie]

So are stone/belt grinds are good thing for skiboards or not? I've avoided them up until now but can't find any mention of anything for or against? Thanks

Skiboards are just short skis. A base grind has the same benefit for skiboards as it would for skis. It trues up the base and adds structure to hold wax. But is does take material away from the base so you can only grind away so much.

[jash19]

Grinding?

So are stone/belt grinds are good thing for skiboards or not? I've avoided them up until now but can't find any mention of anything for or against? Thanks

[mikalcarbine]

Excellent video, thanks for the advice!

[Wookie]

Does anyone have any of the original images for this thread? Nome of them seem to work, or a link to a YouTube video

This video covers it all in a condensed format: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-XCWhvStd4

There are thousands of these on youtube. Waxing skiboards is no different than waxing skis. Everybody has their own preference on tools and what they do so you do have to experiment a bit but, unless you leave the hot iron sitting on the skiboard, you really can't screw up your boards.

If you are interested in waxing your own boards I suggest you hit your local REI for a free waxing class. You are probably too late in the season for these classes to be offered at the CT stores but you could hit them next season. Most REIs that offer ski service offer this free course. I took this course last season and it allowed me to practice on a pair of trashed skis (not my skiboards) and ask questions from a tech that waxes skis everyday.

[mikalcarbine]

Does anyone have any of the original images for this thread? Nome of them seem to work, or a link to a YouTube video

[MattRoth]

The hairdryer works great if you can't get hold of an iron, just heat up the board, rub it on, then keep blowing evenly down the board until all the whiteness goes away and it turns clear, Not sure if it has the same effect but seems to hold up a few runs for me.

[shortydude]

I have a small cloth tool bag that I keep my tuning gear in.

I cut a piece of like 6 inch foam into two pieces that fit snugly in the bottom of the tool bag.

When I work on my sticks I use the foam blocks to support it.

I use some big thick rubber bands to hold back the brakes.

I scrape and clean the bases to get good straight bases.

Next I dress the base and side of the edges before waxing. The edge tool sharpens the edges. To get the right angles on the base and side edges it's referenced to the base. So the tool rides along the ptec base as the reference for the angles. Well this leaves small lines in the base that I don't want in my final wax job. This is why I clean the base and sharpen the edges then wax.

I use an edge tool to dress the base of the edges on both skiboards first (today I used 1 degree). My edge tool has to be adjusted for the different base and edge angles so I do all the edge bases at one time to minimize how many times I have to readjust the tool.

Then I dress all the edge sides (today I used 3 degrees for a total edge angle of 88').

The last bit for sharpening is to detune the 4 corners of both boards with a sharpening stone or file. This just gives a smooth transition into sharp edges along the sides, so they are not so grabby.

Then I use a cheap travel iron to hot wax the bases using the bare minimum heat to melt the wax and keep the iron moving . I try to get as even a coat of wax as possible.

I happen to have a metal scraper for removing excess wax, paying close attention to getting wax off the edges and sides.

Lastly I use a 'greeny' scotch pad to finish the bases.

I never feel a need to go any further with polishing the bases with corks, multiple brushes, successively finer steel wool or any other secret techniques. If I was into racing and wearing boner suits then I probably would polish them till I could see myself. For schlubs like me that's too much like work for such a small return.

When I'm done, the foam blocks, iron and tools all fit neatly back into the small canvas tool bag.

YMMV, this is all part of the adventure of finding what works for you.

[snowhow]

Alright, I've done some research and have decided to ride my boards once with the factory wax still on, and then

1. clean the bases with a soft wax (hot wax, scrape when still warm),

2. apply a proper base wax by slowly saturating the base with generous amount of wax until the bases have a greasy appearance and will no longer absorb the wax,

3. scrape off the extra wax and let the bases cool down,

4. apply a good surface wax, let it sit for a while, scrape, brush and polish the bases, clean the edges, and finally

5. pass out from sheer exhaustion.

Oh, and Fast, I presented your question to a skier-friend of mine, and he said that one should pick the harder wax if between two temperatures. He reckoned that in general one should always opt for the hardest possible wax for the temperature, since softer waxes tend to collect more dirt (especially on moist spring snow) and give less protection to the bases.

[snowhow]

If I'm expecting the temperatur to be in between two waxes, should I choose the harder or the softer wax?

Good question, Fast. I'd like to know the answer to that as well.

And here's my obligatory waxing-related dilemma: My new DLP's arrived a couple of days ago, and I'm thinking about taking them on their virgin run next weekend. However, I'd like to wax them before their first day at the slopes to make sure that the bases are sufficiently protected. Will it be enough if I just hot wax, scrape and polish them once with a regular wax, or should I actually prepare the bases by waxing and scaping them multiple times to properly saturate the bases? I read somewhere that it could take up to ten (!) waxings and scrapings to properly prepare the base of a new ski. Please don't say it's so.

[Fast]

If I'm expecting the temperatur to be in between two waxes, should I choose the harder or the softer wax?

[MitchK]

No need to remove them, but loosening them is a good idea, I've heard of divets forming on the bases under the inserts with people who have left the bindings fully tightened when they wax.

[dirk092981]

waxing

Do you need to remove the bindings before waxing? I never have done this with my skis that have releasable bindings, but I didn't know if this is different with non-release bindings.