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Can you sand bases?

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loveLINEloveLIFE
Posts: 14 - Karma: 10
since i have my own waxing iron, im not about to take my skis in and pay for a tune. but my edges and bases could use a little touch-up, can i hand sand them? and what grit sand paper do you suggest?

ill be in aspen in 10 days...FUCK YEA brah
Dec 10 2005 5:20PM
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CBROOKS
Posts: 4979 - Karma: 10,708
i wouldnt, but then again the only thing i can do is wax my skis.
Dec 10 2005 5:22PM
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wolvenfire
Posts: 201 - Karma: 11
u have to have them sand at a shop....you cant really do the sanding ur self cause they use a machine if i remember corectly
Dec 10 2005 5:24PM
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loveLINEloveLIFE
Posts: 14 - Karma: 10
i know they use a machine, ive actually done it myself on a grinder at a shop. but i heard some racer talking about hand sanding his. thats why im asking all you fellas, cause i hate racers and never listen to them.
Dec 10 2005 5:31PM
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bp.lando
Posts: 9297 - Karma: 1,495
its called a diamond stone DMT makes them you need you need that plus a fk tool thing availble at most stores. look for the swix display case
Dec 10 2005 5:34PM
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freeskinow
Posts: 617 - Karma: 12
you can use handsanding for sure. make sure you use a device to evenly distribute the sanding so that you leave the base perfectly flat. start off at like 150 grit and then follow up w/ something more like in the 200s
Dec 10 2005 5:34PM
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loveLINEloveLIFE
Posts: 14 - Karma: 10
150 grit? thats rough as hell. i use 150 on rough carpentry. i was thinkin more like using 1000 grit on a sanding block..
Dec 10 2005 5:38PM
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Shaggy
Posts: 4349 - Karma: 17
I'm forever going to respect every single opinion that much more after that comment.

you can use a diamond stone to take out little burrs in your edges, I do that and it works pretty well. as for the bases, I wouldn't sand them, but if you dont wanna put out the money, just use really fine sandpaper, stick it on a flat piece of wood and giver lightly in the places needed.
Dec 10 2005 5:41PM
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Subjekt
Posts: 1431 - Karma: 12
you are an idiot dont sand your skis, you cant do it yourself, trust me i can tune any ski as nice as youll want it, but u need to fuckin pay for grinds n sands.
Dec 10 2005 5:44PM
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WhiskeyRodeo
Posts: 241 - Karma: 10
i wouldnt but hey knock your self out
Dec 10 2005 5:45PM
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$tezzyStu
Posts: 1139 - Karma: 11
you'll rewine your bases and they'll be really slow, jsut take them to a local shop and ahve them grind the bases. i would never hand sand a pair of skis
Dec 10 2005 5:48PM
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freeskinow
Posts: 617 - Karma: 12
from www.tognar.com in a review of one of their hand tuning base flattening tools

"Yes, hand-sanding a base can do the job...but, in addition to being very time-consuming, it also creates tons of unwanted p-tex hairs that take even more time to remove."

also on the site they offer sandpaper starting at 80 grit going to 400 grit. It seems to me that sanding is a cheaper less efficient option to flattening your bases. a better choice is to get an actual base flattener and structure tool for like 60$...or you could bring them to a shop anytime u ptex or find a concave/convex base for at least 20$ a pop.
Dec 11 2005 9:49PM
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sneather
Posts: 6672 - Karma: 19
i took a belt sander with like 300 grit to my bases it didn't really damage them
Dec 11 2005 9:52PM
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awsomecoolguy
Posts: 3536 - Karma: 13
matter a fact i just did that today
i started out with 100 grit to get all the scratches out
then i went to 300 grit to smooth out the 100 grit
and i finished off with 500 grit and my base is crazy smooth
then wax them after that
Dec 11 2005 9:55PM
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FUUUCK
Posts: 18426 - Karma: 4,888
stone grinder
Dec 11 2005 9:58PM
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Shaggy
Posts: 4349 - Karma: 17
i think i'm gonna take a wood planer to my bases
Dec 11 2005 11:45PM
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skier_boy26
Posts: 11295 - Karma: 502
those new montana machines put the wickedest base grind into your ski. friggin laser precision, its amazing. but before i got to use the machine i sanded my bases all the time, it worked ok
Dec 11 2005 11:48PM
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BCKicker540
Posts: 1283 - Karma: 11
start with like 80 grit, then go to 100, then 150, then rub it down with a sctchbrite pad to remove the little ptex hairs. another thing i do is take a torch and quickly run it over the bases to melt in the ptex hairs.
Dec 12 2005 2:04PM
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ThaHater
Posts: 673 - Karma: 303
holy shit, you kids are all idiots, stone grinds are for your edges, don't sand your bases, file your edges. I cannot believe how outrageous some of the responses are, this kid is seriously going to ruin his skis.
Dec 12 2005 2:37PM
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freeskinow
Posts: 617 - Karma: 12
why shouldnt you sand your bases?
Dec 12 2005 3:22PM
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feezy
Posts: 2022 - Karma: 23
i second that notion.
Dec 12 2005 3:28PM
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dirtybryan
Posts: 270 - Karma: 10
Actually when you get your skis ground it takes off both base and edge.... Otherwise your base would be higher off the ground then the edge.

Have a shop base grind you skis. Should only cost 20 bucks for a good job. Don't sand with a belt sander, it will "seal" your bases (get too hot) and they won't accept was and be slow. Your bases have fine grooves in them called structure, which lets the water escape from underneath your ski (when you ski, the skis pressure actually creates a thin film of water between your ski and the snow).

Spend the 20 bucks and save your time and skis.
Dec 12 2005 5:36PM
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Jake...
Posts: 11976 - Karma: 296
just did my own urban sticks. if you dont care about the skis, go for it , but if its like your park ski dooooooooont its sketchy
Dec 12 2005 7:39PM
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Jackpot
Posts: 4243 - Karma: 136
I still don't understand why you would need to use Sandpaper? Are we saying waxing and sharpening? Just waxing? If it's just waxing, you need wax, anyday iron, a scraper (optional) Nylon brush (optional) something to Buff with (optional). I say optional because i don't even bother scraping and texturing the wax anymore, skis run just fine. Just don't do a lot of boxes with a lot of wax on your skis.
Dec 12 2005 7:52PM
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Dilla
Posts: 6447 - Karma: 106
bad i dea, thats what base grinders are for
Dec 12 2005 7:55PM
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dbFUJ92
Posts: 17 - Karma: 10
ya dude i wouldnt try to do it yourself, just grinding my edges i fuck up sometimes
Dec 12 2005 8:40PM
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mnjib
Posts: 5592 - Karma: 362
if your going to do it by hand i would def recomend a 100 or 120 grit paper for sure. anything more will rip the crap out of your bases. as for your edges just get a basterd file and use that.

But i really wouldnt recomend doing it yourself unless you feel comfodent about doing it.
Dec 12 2005 8:45PM
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miss_twin_tips
Posts: 461 - Karma: 10
just ride a few cement rails instead...
Dec 12 2005 10:40PM
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JohnnyOldGuy
Posts: 350 - Karma: 35
haha, try it and see what happens.....NOTHING!
Dec 13 2005 2:38AM
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