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Shop Buff wax or hand iron wax myself?

murphysf

Ski Well, Be Well.
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Hello

I am taking my skis in for a a Basic Tune-up which includes: base grind, stone grind, ceramic edge sharpen and buff wax. The service is done on a Wintersteiger Trimjet edging machine.

Last year I bought a iron and started waxing. Should I tell them to skip the buff wax and just wax them myself? Or is there any harm in letting them buff wax them and then iron waxing over?
 

Uncle-A

In the words of Paul Simon "You can call me Al"
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Years ago I used a buff wax a lot and now an iron, I think an iron wax lasts longer. I have no scientific proof just an on snow feeling. My thoughts on your question is let them do their job and iron wax when needed.
 

Jacques

Workin' It on Skis Best I Can
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Bend, OR
Hello

I am taking my skis in for a a Basic Tune-up which includes: base grind, stone grind, ceramic edge sharpen and buff wax. The service is done on a Wintersteiger Trimjet edging machine.

Last year I bought a iron and started waxing. Should I tell them to skip the buff wax and just wax them myself? Or is there any harm in letting them buff wax them and then iron waxing over?

Wax them yourself! Before you do wax them, please do this first! Post stone grind cleaning video.
 

David

"Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati"
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I let my shop wax them when I have it done but plan on it only lasting 1 or 2 days depending on the snow.
 

Sibhusky

Whitefish, MT
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Do you actually NEED the stone grind? How long has it been since the last one? Are the bases not flat? Is the structure gone? Stone grinds shorten the life of the ski. And you need to start the waxing process pretty much from scratch on getting the bases to be as fast as they were before the grind. Stone grinding is not "free". They are not like wax, that more is better.
 

John Webb

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Always wax skis myself -not hard. Plastic scraper & cork buffer used after waxing.

And you don't need a $100 ski iron. A beat up cheap clothes iron from yard sales/thrift stores work fine.
(you'll gouge up the bottom anyway lol) Just set it on "wool".

Word of caution ! Don't use wife's good clothes iron or she'll likely kill you ! !
 

RobSo

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To the OP: I would have the shop skip the wax IF it costs less. I get multiple stone grinds every year (6 pairs and counting this year) and they charge me $10 less for no wax. I have developed my own method for prepping skis and I wouldn't let the base touch snow without at least 5 cycles of wax. If there is no savings then by all means have the shop put a layer of wax. Saves you a little bit of time and effort. Also, if you plan on using a clothes iron or an analog wax iron, please consider using fiberlene between the iron and base. These irons are inconsistent and cause spikes in temperature. I learned this the hard way: Base burn on my son's race skis!
 

David

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To the OP: I would have the shop skip the wax IF it costs less. I get multiple stone grinds every year (6 pairs and counting this year) and they charge me $10 less for no wax. I have developed my own method for prepping skis and I wouldn't let the base touch snow without at least 5 cycles of wax. If there is no savings then by all means have the shop put a layer of wax. Saves you a little bit of time and effort. Also, if you plan on using a clothes iron or an analog wax iron, please consider using fiberlene between the iron and base. These irons are inconsistent and cause spikes in temperature. I learned this the hard way: Base burn on my son's race skis!
For the $5 they charge me I let them do it and then wax myself after a day or 2. I do have a wax iron now. Up until a couple of years ago I used an old clothing iron set just hot enough to melt the wax.
 

RobSo

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For recreational skis I think you will be perfectly happy. I imagine you won't need another stone grind for a few years. The more you ski and wax them the better they will feel. Enjoy!
 

BLspruce2

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A good service and wax done on a Wintersteiger Trimjet edging machine by a reputable shop is great. The only negative is cost and convenience. Waxing after a machine tune won't hurt but probably isn't necessary. I would say go ahead with that and then do your own wax and tunes in between as time allows. The better you get the longer in between a good machine job you can go. I do the minimum stone grinds I can get away with because you are diminishing the ski sum-what but also you are going back to square one waxing the base. Base wax slowly builds up over multiple waxing and its work to get it back. Waxing is a task you learn over time and your conditions and needs. One of my old friends had his whole family ski racing. He would sometimes would sharpen and wax 4 or 5 pairs of skis a night on weekends. These were race prep tunes and he was so fast and efficient it was a wonder to watch. Honestly the quality of his ski tunes was awesome. After watching him one night doing ski after ski I realized that a shop tune is a luxury and not a need.
 
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murphysf

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thanks, so I will let the shop do their process and buff wax them. Should I iron wax them as I get them from the shop? Or do I need to brush them, or anything else before I iron wax them?
 

David

"Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati"
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thanks, so I will let the shop do their process and buff wax them. Should I iron wax them as I get them from the shop? Or do I need to brush them, or anything else before I iron wax them?
I don't because they do that at my shop.
 

Uncle-A

In the words of Paul Simon "You can call me Al"
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thanks, so I will let the shop do their process and buff wax them. Should I iron wax them as I get them from the shop? Or do I need to brush them, or anything else before I iron wax them?
That would depend on the shop as far as brushing them, not sure if they would brush after buffing. Do not iron them right out of the shop. Wax them as needed after you ski them a few days.
 

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