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Marker

Making fresh tracks
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crgildart

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I'd be afraid that some of the tiny fibers from the towels, regardless of the type, would end up stuck in the wax on the bases, deeply mixed in with that wax. Probably mot really visible, but there.
 

Noodler

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Buying a router table would cost 20 scrapers. And take up a lot of space. Plus if I owned one I might have to use it.

Before I got my big router and full-size table, I used my Dremel tool, appropriate router bit, and the Dremel "router table" option that has the fence to keep the scraper square to the bit. Is that as good as the full size router? No, but it got the job done. You just have to be really careful to get the variable speed setting correct. Too slow and the cut ends up uneven. Too fast and you melt the scraper.
 

Marker

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Swix Fiberlene appears to be a synthetic, not natural fiber. You don't need to scrap afterwards according to this description.

Swix Fiberlene is a fine fibrous cloth that is ideal for cleaning ski bases and applying race wax overlays. It holds base cleaning solvents well and has a high tensile strength, so won't tear as easily as paper towel. Fiberlene may also be use with a hot wax iron for applying a clean layer of wax. The paper absorbs the residual dirt and excess wax while leaving a thin layer of wax that does not need to be scraped. Use this as the final step in base cleaning and polishing.
 

James

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No one would ever race after waxing with fiberlene under the iron and leaving it. Doesn't matter what Swix says. No waxtech would even consider such a thing. This isn't complicated. Structure is there for a reason. Fill it with wax and the ski is slow till it's gone.
 

neonorchid

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Buying a router table would cost 20 scrapers. And take up a lot of space. Plus if I owned one I might have to use it.
Right I agree but think about the possibilities ... one could fabricate individual scrapers tailored to fit everything from frontside carvers to 110mm plus waist powder skis as well as dialing in the flex of the scraper across the wider ski's base.
Admittedly, the router table is just another tool in my basement woodshop. Making ski wax scrapers is a bonus for a tool that would otherwise be collecting dust.
 

crgildart

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Right I agree but think about the possibilities ... one could fabricate individual scrapers tailored to fit everything from frontside carvers to 110mm plus waist powder skis as well as dialing in the flex of the scraper across the wider ski's base.
Admittedly, the router table is just another tool in my basement woodshop. Making ski wax scrapers is a bonus for a tool that would otherwise be collecting dust.
What kind of base and side bevels are you putting on those scrapers with the router?

I use a file to sharpen my metal scraper and make sure that the edge is true. When it comes to plastic scrapers, I don't get all the hype around dedicated sharpening solutions and gimmicky devices. I just drag mine across the ski edge in a firm and deliberate smooth stroke to put a nice sharp edge back on it. Works ridiculously well, quick and easy, back to scraping that same ski I just used to sharpen/put a new edge on the plastic scraper.
 

Winks

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ANyone has used the Swix electric scraper sharpener? For $200 it is a little spendy.

I purchased one for my shop a few years ago. The thing actually works great. It shaves down scrappers pretty thin eventually and if you are not a bit careful, sometimes a bit unevenly. Overall its not a bad product, maybe a bit pricey for what you get but it does improve things.

Another note is that the internal grinding part does wear down as well eventually
 

neonorchid

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What kind of base and side bevels are you putting on those scrapers with the router?
Began doing a 45º angle but quickly found a straight cut 90º right angle is effective and I can use both sides of the scraper to extend the time between another pass through the router. Usually, when it comes time to wax the skis I can't find the old scraper and make a new one.

I still have a metal scraper from the mid-1970s which has a plastic "U" stripping to rotate the thing through the four sides (eight effective edges), only it's not wide enough for contemporary all-mountain skis. I don't recall sharpening it, rotations were more to have a clean edge free of wax to scrap with. I'd use a scrap piece of plastic and or wood to clean the wax from the metal edge.

I actually prefer a metal scraper to plastic. Plastic is flexible and on wider skis, I have scraped the wax too well in sections that it feels like I abraded the base, never encountered that with the metal scraper. one of these days I'll pick up a flat section of steel from HD, file an edge and see how it works.

Nevertheless, new for this season REI is offering members free hot waxing so I don't expect to do much waxing this season other than when I haven't planned ahead, am chasing a storm and or want a specific wax to snow/air temp.
 

neonorchid

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^ ...just dug through the tunning paraphernalia, seems I've been using 1/4" Plexiglass.
Did find a scrap sheet of 3/8" schedule 80 PVC which is pretty rigid. I'll have look around, should have a scrap of 3/8" Plexi somewhere, could always stop by the plastics store next time I'm in the city and buy a scrap piece of 3/8" Plexi.
 

Noodler

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I should mention that the benefit of a plastic scraper that does not bend (and known to be perfectly true) is it shows you if your ski base is not perfectly flat. As you scrape the wax, any issues with the true-ness of the base will show the high points or low points. If I see anything like that, it's usually grind time.
 

Doug Briggs

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For traditional hot waxing, nothing beats a sharp plastic scraper for getting the excess wax off. We have a Carrot scraper sharper at the shop which I like loads more than the one illustrated above.

A belt sander does a really good job of sharpening scrapers, too.

The thing to really watch out for is not gouging your scraper with the edges and maintaining a flat, straight edge. You can't easily scrape a flat base with a gouged or arced edge on your scraper.
 

Tom K.

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What kind of base and side bevels are you putting on those scrapers with the router?

0.7 base and 3 degree side, if you have any skill whatsoever.

1 base and 2 degree side if you are a heel-pushing pile of gutter trash.
 

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