You pro tuners make it look easy!

[Talisman]

For wax...I really like Hertel Super Hot Sauce universal wax and Dominator Zoom universal wax. Sure, a temperature specific wax runs faster, but I'm fine with these.

I agree with your wax choices especially Hertel's until ~0*F and lower when a green wax is needed if the high temperature for the day stays below zero.

 

[Henry]

I haven't yet used the Zoom in very cold snow. Does it work OK? Moot point...my lower limit is closer to -12°C/+10°F.

 

[Jacques]

I haven't yet used the Zoom in very cold snow. Does it work OK? Moot point...my lower limit is closer to -12°C/+10°F.

The Zoom series of waxes will need to be mixed with some Dominator Bullet at 10 F snow temps.
It's easy to do. Just touch to the iron and rub the Zoom wax to the base, then touch and rub some Bullet over that.
Then iron the mess well. Make at least three or more passes with the iron. You will need to set iron to 220 to 230 F for good results. No need to make iron hotter.
The wax will tend to crackle a bit when you scrape. (Good sharp scraper will help a bit.) Don't worry about that. Brush well. Go ski.

 

[Eric@ict]

The burned areas must be addressed first. Here is how you can do that.
Then you must work in a soft base prep. wax first, such as Dominator Base Renew waxes. Then work in hard waxes. Hard waxes need a base to adhere to.
If you go straight to a hard wax, it won't "stick" as well as if you have a soft wax for it to "stick" to.

Thanks Jacques! Your videos are some that I had watched a couple of times. @Johnny V. The crayon idea is a winner!

I did a couple hot strips and then a chemical strip yesterday. I think the bases were burned under the boot. Bases were a grey color except under the boot. Closer to white. Gummy the edges, then polished, no rock dings, found one burr (with my finger lol), but a number of hits on the tails and tips. I suspect from skis slapping together. I used a 220 paper on the whole ski to remove the burned area and to reduce some of the concave. Brass brushed, and used scotch bright (3 different coarseness) and did three hot strips and was surprised how much black the first two scrapes were. Lot of fibers? The third scrape was clean. I think after this season, they will need to go to the shop to get level. I did finish with a coat of swix wax and let it sit over night. Ill scrape it and will add another tonight. I think I read you need to add 3 coats of your favorite. Is this an over kill?

Being in Ks, there is not a lot of places to choose from to buy supplies. The two ski shops I have visited in the state and spent time talking to techs, I bought wax and other items I needed. All the striping was done with Dekine Indy wax. With Top coats of Swix. I am amazed at how differently the two products act when melted and being scrapped. Lots to learn...

Ready to hit the snow to see if I did ok, or I need to send them to the shop in Breck. Any recommendations if I do? I will have them ground if they go in.

Thank you to all for your time and advise.

 

[mdf]

Being in Ks, there is not a lot of places to choose from to buy supplies.

racewax.com and slidewright.com are small mail-order shops I like and like to support. They can give you advice. @RaceWax.com had a coupon here recently.
Two other sources are artechski.com and the-raceplace.com. Or once you know the name of a tool you are missing, you can google that directly.
At least around here, REI has some ski tuning supplies early season. (A pet peeve of mine -- REI is leading the seasons like a fashion store. Just as the ski season is getting going, they are pulling the ski stuff and putting out the spring clothes and bikes.)

 

[Wilhelmson]

but still way too much wax in my opinion.

Haha I did the exact same thing. Stick with it; it gets much easier. Try the fiberlene method, or just use a shop towel. If you ski hard manmade snow and aren't too fussy you can get away without scraping.

 

[Eric@ict]

racewax.com and slidewright.com are small mail-order shops I like and like to support. They can give you advice. @RaceWax.com had a coupon here recently.
Two other sources are artechski.com and the-raceplace.com. Or once you know the name of a tool you are missing, you can google that directly.
At least around here, REI has some ski tuning supplies early season. (A pet peeve of mine -- REI is leading the seasons like a fashion store. Just as the ski season is getting going, they are pulling the ski stuff and putting out the spring clothes and bikes.)

Diamond stones and edge tools came from Racewax. Now that I have a little (very) better understanding of how this works, I will be adding form their selection. We like REI but don't have a store near us...yet. Coming in the spring. We always stop at the flagship store in Denver on our way thru town and a visit to16th street mall for the German Christmas Market.

 

[Eric@ict]

Haha I did the exact same thing. Stick with it; it gets much easier. Try the fiberlene method, or just use a shop towel. If you ski hard manmade snow and aren't too fussy you can get away without scraping.

Not too fussy...if that was the case, I probably would not have started down this bunny hole!
Its funny you are ok with things until you start to ask questions and gain some knowledge. Then your dangerous. Yesterday was much easier than earlier this week. I have thought about not scraping, but knowing I have the tools, why not for now. Maybe later down the road once I better understand what my bench work does to skis on the hill.

 

[Noodler]

Want to really make things easy for touch-up tuning? Then all you need is:

1. Deburring/Carborundum stone
   
2. Moonflex stone - 100 grit
3. Side edge angle guide for your chosen angle (no multi-tools please)
4. Swix CH4 universal liquid wax
5. Wax brush (horsehair + bronze/brass combi works well)

Your job is to sharpen the edges and wax the base.

If there is any edge damage use the deburring stone to knock out the jagged edges of the damage. Don't use the Moonflex for that work (that's great way to kill the Moonflex stone).

Sharpen the edges using the 100 grit moonflex stone and the side edge angle guide. Note that I'm not recommending the use of a toothed file as they require care for both their use and maintenance that you don't have to worry about with the Moonflex. 100 grit will make quick work of the side edge without removing a ton of material. No, it won't leave it mirror smooth (you need to follow a progression of finer grit Moonflex to do that), but this is the quick and easy version of tuning. Never file the base side of the edges (although you might need to fix some damage with the deburring stone).

For waxing, wipe down the bases with a towel to remove any dust/dirt from the previous steps. Use the combi wax brush from tip to tail to open the structure before applying the wax. Apply the liquid wax generously over the base using the built-in applicator; leaving a very thin coat. Once the wax is dry, brush it out with the combi brush to open the structure again.

This is a "good enough" for recreational use quick and easy tune-up. It's not a substitute for a shop grind (at least once per season), machine edge work, and hot waxing. Skis should be hot waxed a few times depending on how often you use them. The quick tune-up wax doesn't last as long as a good hot wax job, but it's cheap, fast, and easy. One 100ml bottle of Swix CH4 lasts me an entire season (60-75 ski days) when mixed in with a few hot wax jobs.

Note that I'm not a "wax weenie" when it comes to how fast my skis run. I could care less as I'm not racing and I just want the skis to move smoothly over the snow without sticking.

 

[Eric@ict]

Want to really make things easy for touch-up tuning? Then all you need is:

1. Deburring/Carborundum stone
   
2. Moonflex stone - 100 grit
3. Side edge angle guide for your chosen angle (no multi-tools please)
4. Swix CH4 universal liquid wax
5. Wax brush (horsehair + bronze/brass combi works well)

Your job is to sharpen the edges and wax the base.

If there is any edge damage use the deburring stone to knock out the jagged edges of the damage. Don't use the Moonflex for that work (that's great way to kill the Moonflex stone).

Sharpen the edges using the 100 grit moonflex stone and the side edge angle guide. Note that I'm not recommending the use of a toothed file as they require care for both their use and maintenance that you don't have to worry about with the Moonflex. 100 grit will make quick work of the side edge without removing a ton of material. No, it won't leave it mirror smooth (you need to follow a progression of finer grit Moonflex to do that), but this is the quick and easy version of tuning. Never file the base side of the edges (although you might need to fix some damage with the deburring stone).

For waxing, wipe down the bases with a towel to remove any dust/dirt from the previous steps. Use the combi wax brush from tip to tail to open the structure before applying the wax. Apply the liquid wax generously over the base using the built-in applicator; leaving a very thin coat. Once the wax is dry, brush it out with the combi brush to open the structure again.

This is a "good enough" for recreational use quick and easy tune-up. It's not a substitute for a shop grind (at least once per season), machine edge work, and hot waxing. Skis should be hot waxed a few times depending on how often you use them. The quick tune-up wax doesn't last as long as a good hot wax job, but it's cheap, fast, and easy. One 100ml bottle of Swix CH4 lasts me an entire season (60-75 ski days) when mixed in with a few hot wax jobs.

Note that I'm not a "wax weenie" when it comes to how fast my skis run. I could care less as I'm not racing and I just want the skis to move smoothly over the snow without sticking.

How many grinding can a ski have before it’s toast?

 

[Jacques]

Thanks Jacques! Your videos are some that I had watched a couple of times. @Johnny V. The crayon idea is a winner!

I did a couple hot strips and then a chemical strip yesterday. I think the bases were burned under the boot. Bases were a grey color except under the boot. Closer to white. Gummy the edges, then polished, no rock dings, found one burr (with my finger lol), but a number of hits on the tails and tips. I suspect from skis slapping together. I used a 220 paper on the whole ski to remove the burned area and to reduce some of the concave. Brass brushed, and used scotch bright (3 different coarseness) and did three hot strips and was surprised how much black the first two scrapes were. Lot of fibers? The third scrape was clean. I think after this season, they will need to go to the shop to get level. I did finish with a coat of swix wax and let it sit over night. Ill scrape it and will add another tonight. I think I read you need to add 3 coats of your favorite. Is this an over kill?

Being in Ks, there is not a lot of places to choose from to buy supplies. The two ski shops I have visited in the state and spent time talking to techs, I bought wax and other items I needed. All the striping was done with Dekine Indy wax. With Top coats of Swix. I am amazed at how differently the two products act when melted and being scrapped. Lots to learn...

Ready to hit the snow to see if I did ok, or I need to send them to the shop in Breck. Any recommendations if I do? I will have them ground if they go in.

Thank you to all for your time and advise.

Yea, you need to shop for tuning tools and waxes online living in KS.
I would stay away from sand paper on the ski bases. Not the end of the world though. Better to remove "burn" with a very sharp steel scraper.
Sand paper like grinding can leave a base with a lot of raised lamella, aka the hairs that raise up from the plastic. You want to cut them off.
Just keep waxing and tuning. As time goes by, you will learn a lot. It takes a lot of time.
I get all my stuff from The Race Place because I live close by. https://the-raceplace.com/collections/tune-wax
The other places mentioned above by others are also great sources for wax and tools.
Best to you & good luck.

 

[Jacques]

How many grinding can a ski have before it’s toast?

Assuming the base is pretty flat and not super convex, you can grind a ski many times. Probably not necessary though.

 

[Scrundy]

My biggest problem with tuning my skis is if I need to use the sidewall planner. I can’t focus on the knife
To see if it’s set right anymore. Thank god don't need to use much at all, but if you could of heard to cussing last night. Finally got it...sucks when you get that chatter, really hard to get rid of once it starts.

 

[Noodler]

Assuming the base is pretty flat and not super convex, you can grind a ski many times. Probably not necessary though.

I put a fresh stone grind on all my active skis at the start of every season. Base bevels always increase through the course of the season just through normal wear and tear. I have them ground to freshen the structure (easier to accept the wax) and then reset the bevels. It may not always be necessary, but call it proactive maintenance.

 

[oldschoolskier]

I’ve always had a shop take care of my skis, which meant 3-4 times a year I visited them and watched as they worked their magic. This year, I decided to wax and tune myself. Waxing is a true art form. Using old skis, my first coat was very heavy and I didn’t let them cool enough. No need for pushups tonight! Thick not dry wax sucks! Cleaned polished and applied a second coat, trying to concentrate on the amount of wax and application process using the iron, better but still way too much wax in my opinion. I’ll let it dry overnight and see how easy it is to work with in the morning.

I checked edges and I do have a few nicks to clean up on one pair and a nasty side edge from a machine that I know won’t clean up by hand. I dress it the best I can, but it skied fine last year, so I won’t go after it too hard. It’s close to my tip. It’s one if the things I’m disappointed in my shop with. After reading a lot on tuning and waxing, some of the things I’ve experienced should not have happened. With that said, The only complaint I’ve really had is my base edges under the boot were white after about 2-3 runs. The skis are only 2years old so I am not sure they have had enough wax applied. I plan on hot waxing them a few times to see if that stops.

if you guys have any tips for a new guy, I am open to suggestions and recommendations.

If they are going white after only 2-3 runs after a proper waxing this is a base issue. More specifically a cheap base issue. Manufacturers build skis to make money and lower end skis though they have very specific and important applications are driven by cost, they are children’s skis and beginner skis.

In terms of design criteria, these types of skis must be inexpensive (too hook new skiers into the sport and the cycle of upgrades and multi ski quivers), function withstand abuse and lack of maintenance. (Face it how many kids or beginners actually wax or understand maintenance?).

This is where going to a cheaper and harder (low waxable) plastic base works as it sort of assumes lack of care does not effect the performance as greatly. HOWEVER.....it goes white even if waxed (or excessively cared for, like some of members, myself included) after a few runs as it doesn’t take the wax as well as the better bases do.

So my bet is you have a good entry level ski. If you upgrade to a better ski (unfortunately more $$$) you will see significantly less of this. IMPORTANT.... If you are not out performing the ski and its in good shape don’t worry about it, wait a season or two till upgrade is required/desired. If it effects performance a small block of beeswax in the pocket and rub a little in every run or two.

I still carry hotel soap (warm days) and beeswax (all days) as a quick touch up wax when things aren’t going right. This old school. Anyone that skis with me will attest to this, especially if they’ve received and appreciated a need touch up on the slopes.

 

[Lilia]

I still carry hotel soap (warm days) and beeswax (all days) as a quick touch up wax when things aren’t going right. This old school. Anyone that skis with me will attest to this, especially if they’ve received and appreciated a need touch up on the slopes.

Take a small soap bar in the pocket, and rub it onto the base?
Might have to try this out tomorrow...steady rain and I have committed to a day trip with my ski club. If they don't cancel it, of course.

 

[Lilia]

I've got a Swix Nordic tour set at home. From what I read, the Nordic waxes would also be suitable for downhill ski.

Would that wax be any useful for a rainy day on the slopes? If yes, how to apply it on the ski?

Or would a soap do better?

Thank you all!

 

[KingGrump]

I've got a Swix Nordic tour set at home. From what I read, the Nordic waxes would also be suitable for downhill ski.

Would that wax be any useful for a rainy day on the slopes? If yes, how to apply it on the ski?

View attachment 86784

Or would a soap do better?

Thank you all!

I have never used soap on my skis. So can't comment on that.
The wax pictured will probably work. Waxing for XC is usually a lot more precise than alpine. Us alpine skiers got gravity working with us.

For some skiers, wax is very personal thing.
Don't really care for generic ski shop wax procedure. Even though I am on the road all winter, I still get around to wax my own skis. Iron on is standard. Usually every 4 to 5 days. I use CH6 for most of the winter. In the spring, I switch to LF10, F4 or HF10. Depending on what I have on hand and how sticky the snow is. Rain soak snow is not usually sticky so most wax will work.

For carrying on the hill. a 40g bar of Swix F4 is my go to. It's flat so no contusion when I fall on it. It comes with a thin piece of cork on the back of the box for finishing the application. Not crazy about the liquid or paste version. Too much solvent.

 

[Lilia]

Found the application process of those Nordic waxes. Starting from page 5. Still iron needed, so not really applicable on the slopes.

https://www.reliableracing.com/downloads/1c41c5be75.pdf

 

[Atomicman]

My biggest problem with tuning my skis is if I need to use the sidewall planner. I can’t focus on the knife
To see if it’s set right anymore. Thank god don't need to use much at all, but if you could of heard to cussing last night. Finally got it...sucks when you get that chatter, really hard to get rid of once it starts.

You are cutting too deep. Just have the blade take the minimum off and make multiple passes to get the sidewall down. And buy one of these. By far the best and I have owned almost every style!! Vertically and horizontally adjustable and 2 different blades!