skiis not taking wax

I'm a habitual waxer & tuner. I don't race so I just go with regular Swix CH, and do my own edges.


So I have a pair of Volkl Bridges. (With the retarded white bases.)

They have about 40 days on them, and the bases are now refusing to really take any wax. is there anything i can do (treat the base with something?) to get them to open up and take on more.

I don't have a hot-box, but I do have a wood stove. I typically let the skiis sit near the stove 'till warmed through before waxing.

Don't know what the base material is on the Bridge... (08/09 model)


Any help is apreciated, as dry bases really piss me off.

That's weird. Pardon the stupid questions, but here they are:
How do you know they aren't taking wax?
Do you use a ski waxing iron and set the temp to the correct wax temp?
Have you tried a wax stripper? I've never used the stuff for fear of drying the bases, I just hot scrape instead, but maybe that would help.
Is it one temp range of the CH that doesn't seem to work?
How are you brushing out your skis after scraping them?

The only white bases I've ever waxed are the front portion of Head Monsters, and it is hard to see what's going on with them. Usually the white lettering, and the white base will usually take a slight tint due to the wax, based on the color of the wax used, if you let the skis sit with wax on them for awhile before scraping, like by your stove (but not too close) a couple of days.

maybe throw a few warm wax/scrapes on first?

Yes, what Z said is the hot scrape, and I always do that before waxing. Swix recommends it for cleaning the bases before waxing.

Did you burn the bases by waxing with too hot of an iron? If the reason you think the skis aren't taking any wax is that they feel really slow, you might have done this.

Only solution I know of is a stonegrind. Easy fix.

+1 on what el chup said, i was going to say the same thing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

<snip>...stonegrind. Easy fix.

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^^^This. Don't be a tightwad. 40 days is a lot of time on a base.

Ski visions base planer would be an alternative to the stone grind.
The tool comes with a medium structure stone.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by whorehey

Ski visions base planer would be an alternative to the stone grind.
The tool comes with a medium structure stone.

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I have one of those base planers, and thought it would be more useful than it really has been. I just use it for finishing off base welds -- it works well for the final smoothing and structuring of the fill material.

I'm usually in the shop every 6-8 days for a stone grind. Never have the shop do any waxing or edging.
So these skiis have (Maybe) 5 stone grinds.

It's hard to really tell when the skiis are desperate for wax, because of the retarded-ass white bases. Not like my Black Diamond bases that are so damn easy to tell what's up. Its all by "feel" of the ski. But it seriously feels slow and dry by Noon, on the first day after a wax.
I would wax every day regardless, but I think you should be able to get more than a half day out of a wax job.

I know they arent taking (much) wax because I don't put a shit-ton on and melt it in, I use a little bit and watch it absorb. Again, it's much easyer to watch it absorb in a black base. These bridges aren't absorbing much, if any.

I haven't burnt the bases (that I know of) and yes, i'm familiar with the temperature of melting wax.

It seems like all ranges of CH are doing it... although it's early season, I haven't run the full gamut....

Never used "wax stripper" Is that like Swix's "Base Prep?" I used that stuff on old skiis when I used to steal it 5-finger discount from Ski Market. Don't use it anymore, because i don't pay for it.

I brush out the skiis with a green brillo-pad type thing. The green shit some people use to scrub their pots&pans. It's not a copper brush, but it's also not steel wool.

What is a hot Scrape? Never heard of this before. can someone describe it.

I like that idea:
if you let the skis sit with wax on them for awhile before scraping, like by your stove (but not too close) a couple of days.

If they have 5 grinds on them, they're not going to absorb much wax. At least half of the material is gone.

hot scrape = wax then scrape immediately afterwards while wax is still how, pulls all the junk out.

Maybe someone can edumacate me on how to
1. open the bases.
2. take out all the old shit wax
3. wax them shits up tight.



I just ordered this base prep stuff from swix with the BC $20 gear dealio.
http://www.backcountry.com/outdoorge.../SWI0274M.html
Hopefully it does something, and hopefully you all can edumacate me on how to fix these sticks. Some guy in the product review was talking about hot-scrape and cleaning wax nonsense. that's where my expertise ends.
Thanks

and yeah that's a fuckin stupid amount of grinds, skis shouldn't need more than 2 a season TOPS, one for cold temps in the beginning of the season, one with a different structure when it gets warm for spring.

Point:

QUOTE=ectreeskier11;2665281]and yeah that's a fuckin stupid amount of grinds, skis shouldn't need more than 2 a season TOPS, one for cold temps in the beginning of the season, one with a different structure when it gets warm for spring.[/QUOTE]

Counterpoint:

(Attached)

5 grinds is a ton for a ski that sees groomers and occasional pebbles. I would argue It's not for one that gets hammered. (flatten the bases from tons of gouges & shit)
Also, those 5 grinds have been poor. Hence I started another thread a while back about who's dishing out decent Boston area grinds. The ones I've got felt like they hardly took off any material/ set a pattern.

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I'm usually in the shop every 6-8 days for a stone grind

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Holy crap really? Why so much...seems excessive. Your shop must love you.

Once a year for a grind is plenty, and you might not even need that. If your bases are flat and the structure is good, leave them alone. Grinds will make your bases slow, and you have to do a ton of prep to get them back to gliding well. El Chupacabra has a good thought re: burned bases, but all that grinding will have eaten well into your skis life.

The ski prep after a grind consists of using a fine scotchbrite pad to cut the fur left from grinding off the bottom. It's not for removing wax.

Get yourself a couple of ski brushes, maybe a bronze/horsehair combo brush, and a nylon brush. Brush the base with the bronze or steel brush before you stone the edges, then hot scrape (like described above),wax, let cool, scrape, then brush out with the bronze/HH, then nylon

Check this thread on roto brushes. It also has a source for tuning tools. Your grind budget can be used outfit you with some serious stuff.
[ame="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=179438"]Tuners....Roto Brush??? - Teton Gravity Research Forums[/ame]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Breakwater

Maybe someone can edumacate me on how to
1. open the bases.
2. take out all the old shit wax
3. wax them shits up tight.

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1. Aggressively brush with a steel brush.
2. Hot scrape as described above
3. Use more wax then you have been, it will give you a bit more protection from burning the bases. (if that is what happened)

Are the epoxy repairs new? They don't absorb wax or glide well.

find a shop (or buddy) that has a hotbox. Use a wax stripper to clean out everything that has transpired previously on the ski, and then Hotbox away. Then double wax with your wax of choice. I would, perhaps, try a fluro wax.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Breakwater

(Maybe) 5 stone grinds.

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Holy fuck. Wow.

Might I ask why so much?
I have three pair of skis that have each seen between 75-100 days. They all have 2 grinds, maximum on them. I usually destroy a ski before grind 3.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Breakwater

Also, those 5 grinds have been poor.

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:rolleyes2:rolleyes2

Quote:

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Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

I have one of those base planers, and thought it would be more useful than it really has been. I just use it for finishing off base welds -- it works well for the final smoothing and structuring of the fill material.

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I've found the tool useful for levelling bases on new skis (sometimes after major panzar file work to take down edge high skis).

I would have thought a gear whore such as you would have used it similarly.

You're overdoing the base grinding. At your rate, you'll end up with no bases in no time. I personally stay away from base grinding. If I need structure in my skis, I sandpaper them. Different grits for different structure patterns.

Base prep wax is not the same as wax remover. Stay away from the latter. If you need to clean your bases, use a hot scrape with soft wax as decribed above (since you're into Swix, CH10 yellow). Repeat until it pulls clear.

You would have been better off with the warm temperature base prep wax. But, what you have is better than nothing. You may want to treat these skis like new ones and impregnate them with new wax.

1. Use an aggresive brush to open up the bases (brass or bronze)
2. Apply base prep wax
3. Scrape without cooling
4. Repeat 2 & 3 with other ski
5. Repeat cycle 7 to 10 times for race skis (I just do 3 or 4) making sure to alternate skis.
6. Base should be impregnated with wax at this point.
7. Apply desired temperature of wax and let cool.
8. Scrape.
9. Brush.
10. Don't stonegrind.

That reminds of customer that bought the "season tune" card which includes unlimited tunes (and cost like $500). He would have them fully tuned after EVERY ski day... or at least that was his brilliant idea. We had to gently tell him to back off or his skis bases/edges will be gone by new years!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by whorehey

I've found the tool useful for levelling bases on new skis (sometimes after major panzar file work to take down edge high skis).

I would have thought a gear whore such as you would have used it similarly.

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I generally don't bother checking for flatness or making sure the bases are totally flat. Maybe I should...