Post: #1

Here is a short guide about how to service and wax your own skis. In the industry this is called ski servicing. This is a guide to do a basic service, if you look after your skis they'll serve you well for a long time.

Maybe some of you will find this datasheet useful. I get a lot out of this forum and this is my way of trying to give something back.

I find this really relaxing thing to do with a good sense of achievement for a job well done if it's done right. I hang out in my ski room with a bit of music surrounded by things I like. It's a nice place to be. Not only that but by servicing your own skis, you'll save yourself a bunch of money over the ski season over taking them to a shop. In addition, the machines in the shop don't do as good a job as doing it by hand.

Step 1. Get your stuff in order.

You'll need the following items;

Cold beer or other refreshing beverage if you are on the wagon like me.
Speaker with music
A couple of G clamps - mine are ski specific with slots to hold the skis at at good angle for edge tuning
Some rubber bands or ski ties to hold the brakes out of the way
A waxing iron
Ski wax
Edge tuning file and guide
Diamond file
Coarse brush
Nylons brush
Soft brush
Nylon wax scraper
Soft cloth
Deburring stone


Step 1 - tie the brakes on the binding up and out of the way using rubber bands or a ski tie. This is so you can brush and wax the bottom of the ski without the brakes getting in the way.

Step 2 - take the coarse brush and brush out all of the old wax and General rubbish that accumulates on the bottom of the skis. Use long smooth firm strokes.

Step 3 - whilst the ski is still on the clamps and facing base up, take the diamond file and run it along the base edges to get rid of any burrs or bumps along the base edges. Setting and sharpening the base edge angles is a bit more specialist and outside the remit of this datasheet. The base angles are usually set when you send the skis into the shop for a base grind.

Step 4 - put the skis in the slots so that the skis are on their side and ready to be edged. I use a Toko file guide. It allows me to set the side edge at anything from 90 to 87 degrees. For info ski pro skis with a 88 degree edge angle and a 0.75 base angle. If I'm doing any performance skiing I'll go to 0.5/87. This makes for faster edge engagement but they don't stay sharp for very long.

Anyway, take the file guide and check which way the file should go. There will be a directional arrow. Apply firm pressure and pull in the direction of the arrow. Ease off the pressure when you run the file back along the edge in the non directional direction. You'll want to go tip to tail, with long smooth strokes. Normally two passes is sufficient.

You can check your work in three ways.

1. There will be find shavings of metal around the edges
2. Rub the fronts of your hands along the edge. You'll feel the sharpness, you're looking for an even sharpness all the way along unless you're racing World Cup.
3. Rub your fingernails along the edges vertically. Sharp skis should take off little shavings of fingernails.

Repeat for the other edge.

Step 5 - once you've cleaned away all the filings etc, move the ski so it is base up again and take the ski wax and set your wax iron to the correct tempurature for the wax. It says the right temp on the box. Hold the wax to the iron and melt little dots of wax all the way along the skis.

Once you've done this, put the iron on the skis and melt the wax into the base using long and smooth strokes. Do not leave the iron in one place or you'll fuck the base.

Make two or three passes and then put the ski up against a wall for an hour until it cools off.

Step 6 - once the ski and wax is cooled, put it base up in the clamps and grab your scraper. Scrap away all the excess wax using the scraper held at an angle to the ski, it helps to bed the scraper a bit with your thumbs too. Scrape in long smooth movements. A lot of wax will come off but importantly, a load of it has gone into the base too through the pores of the base opening up with the heat.

Don't forget to scrap the wax off the edges of the skis using the 90deg slot in the scraper.

Once you've scraped a couple of times, then get your nylons brush and brush away an excess wax using (you guessed it) long smooth strokes.

After the nylon brush, use the soft brush and the soft cloth in the same way And you'll be able to see your reflection in the smooth shiney base.

Step 7 - finishing the skis, I usually use a deburring stone on the first inch or two of the edges of the skis by the tip and tail. This makes the skis turn in more progressively.

Once you've done both skis, tie them together with ski straps and wait for the snow.

I have photos of all the steps and I'll happily send them to anyone that wants them but I'm not putting them on the forum as I might doxx myself.

Any questions welcome.
SP

Post: #2

Boarder fo life bruh

Post: #3

(09-26-2017 02:06 PM)heavy Wrote:  Boarder fo life bruh

The mountain is for everyone man. Except for snowbladers, that's gay. This datasheet applies to snowboards too.

Post: #4

Good sheet. I would also stress the importance of having a good table that is high up, and a bright light over you, to really inspect the base. Once you have the tools, and a solid work space, its super easy. If you have this set up at a mountain, I would consider doing it as a little side job, to earn that beer money. Or just have people bring you beer.

Post: #5

Solid !

One thing I also do is do a hot coat first (while the wax is still warm, scrape it off).

Then, do another wax drop, let it cool for an hour or so, then scrape it off.

This is easier to do on skiis than boards since there's less surface to scrape.

Burton makes an easy to use flat bottom iron for cheap and have edge tuners also.

Post: #6

My complaint was always how much all that tuning gear costs.

I've always thought about swapping out those custom bristle brushes with a steel and copper grill brushes, nylon bathtub scrubbing brush, and the such. Use an old iron instead of a custom $80 wax melter. Maybe even get drill attachments at Home Depot. etc.

Is that legit for home tuning if you don't plan on skiing in the Olympics?

Post: #7

You can buy the Burton flat iron for $35 bucks, the tuner kit for $20 on REI.

You don't "need" the brushes, hell you could use a dishwashing one.

Post: #8

I used to do this all the time. It was so boring. God I hated it.

Post: #9

Yeah, I've used a travel iron before but you just have to be a bit careful as it doesn't have the temperature modulation that a proper waxing iron does.

Yes, you can just use non specialist brushes, my sift brush is an old shoe shine brush.

Like you say, it's not like you're skiing world cup so whatever works.

Post: #10

In your opinion, how often should you service your skis, let's say at a minimum. Also, I hear all kinds of different things regarding snow conditions and the effect it has on your wax and edges. What does it matter for wet snow vs icey-ish vs normal etc...

Outstanding data sheet by the way.

Post: #11

For me, a proper hot wax with an iron is good for 2, maybe 3 days skiing max. Spray or rub-ons only good for 1 day. Temperature does matter, the colder it gets, the snow crystals become harder and sharper, which will wear away at your wax. There are warm and cold temperature waxes available, so if you know it will be very cold where you are skiing (say <10F), you should apply a cold weather wax which is more durable.

Post: #12

(10-05-2017 02:47 PM)Robert High Hawk Wrote:  In your opinion, how often should you service your skis, let's say at a minimum. Also, I hear all kinds of different things regarding snow conditions and the effect it has on your wax and edges. What does it matter for wet snow vs icey-ish vs normal etc...

Outstanding data sheet by the way.

Regards wax, what dirtyblueshirt said below. If you look at the waxes, all of them are designed to work best at a specific temperature. In fact in the speed events in World Cup skiing they will often have different types of wax on the race skis depending on what is going to burn off at what point in the course.

Some of the longest tracks, like wengen and kitzbuhel are over 2 minutes long and most of the wax that was put on the ski by the ski tech has gone by the end of the race.

If you don't want to piss about with working out what temperature the snow is the find yourself a nice wax with a wide temperature band that should cover most conditions.

In terms of frequency, it's personal preference and normally you can judge it by looking at your skis and seeing if they need doing. Some people I know wax every day, some go whole seasons without bothering. The general rule is the more wax you get into the base over time, the faster the ski is.

Regards edges, you can keep an eye on how sharp your edges are by using the techniques I mentioned above. I tend to rub the bit on the finger between my fingernail and finger joint and feel for areas where the ski isn't sharp. Then I know it's time. Usually they go dull under the foot if you are skiing in a balanced way.

Icy pistes tend to make for more edge wear, powder snow has no real effect on edges because if you're doing it right you aren't really using much edge in snow, more a combination of steering and pressure control, however that's a datasheet for another day.

Hope this helps.

Post: #13

This is a really good data sheet...the only thing I’d add is if you’re waxing a snowboard, make sure you loosen the bindings, otherwise you’ll have the screw mount patterns show up on your base from the heat+pressure of the hot iron and metal screws