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Official Ski/Binding Maintenance Thread

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no_steeze
Posts: 23992 - Karma: 4,272
As all of us know, it is very important to know how to use/maintain your ski equipment, so my hope for this thread is to have everyone post videos or picture tutorials on how to do various forms of ski maintenance, whether it's adjusting bindings, waxing skis, dulling edges, anything, but just so you know where to look when you have basic questions about this sort of thing

I'll put 2 videos in the OP:

How to Take Apart/Bend FKS
by me

How to Wax Your Skis
by mrstskier

Next up just a few tips:

When you get home from skiing you should do 3 things:
1. take your skis inside and leave them there
2. wipe your bases and edges with a cloth or rag
3. pull your skis apart and lean them against a wall with the bases sticking up

Now it's your turn, post tips, stories, tutorials, anything relating to ski maintenance because it can greatly increase the life and performance of your gear


**DISCLAIMER**
A LOT OF THESE THINGS REQUIRE BASIC SHOP SKILL, PROPER TOOLS, AND EXPERIENCE. DO EVERYTHING AT YOUR OWN RISK AND MAKE SURE YOU ARE ABLE TO EXECUTE ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT PROCESSES. THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU RISK THE LIFE OF YOUR GEAR AND MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING

This goes for advice giving as well, make sure you possess knowledge of the subject you're providing advice for because it can jeopardize people's safety if you give them false tips. So either make sure you know what you're saying or put in your post that you're just kinda guessing
Apr 21 2009 10:27PM
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omIV
Posts: 1950 - Karma: 306
omIV's guide to pro level ski prep:

step 1: unwrap your radical new a-bangs (extra points if you picked your ski length for a sick graphic)

step 2: get liquid base cleaner.  swix sells a good product; just be careful, cause it's somewhat toxic, and flammable as shit.

step 3: empty a bottle into the base of each ski

step 4: light your skis on fire

step 5: learn your lesson about buying a-bangs

step 6: order on3ps, sidewall-constructed armadas, or any other ski that was at least touched by a human during the manufacturing process



skis will perform like shit if they are made out of shit.  if the base is made out of solid plastic, no amount of wax will ever make a difference. your skateboard technology skis will always handle snow like skateboards.  so don't buy them if you're a 15-year old with a stratton season pass. 



love, jah bless, omIV.
Jun 20 2011 4:48AM
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arandomname
Posts: 1989 - Karma: 18

I skipped to step six.

Jun 20 2011 12:45PM
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lukewalnuts
Posts: 2730 - Karma: 152
thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread helped me out a ton

directed to balto

i should hot wax with yellow swix was until the wax comes out clear

then i should wax how many times normally
Aug 18 2011 4:29PM
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Gstrong
Posts: 4776 - Karma: 519
Is a binding with a din of 14 too much if i only weight 130?

keep in mind im 16 and growing.
Aug 22 2011 4:12AM
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.Midwest
Posts: 493 - Karma: 22
A 14 din binding is pretty overkill for someone who weighs 130. However, just because it's 14 din, does not mean you have to use it all. So long as the minimum din is at least 7 or 8, you'll be fine.
Aug 24 2011 1:10AM
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Afterbang_Aholic
Posts: 47 - Karma: 37
I got these skis last year and I put some binders on em.  Then the binders broke when i landed nose heavy on a 5.  What the deal with remounting skis?  i wanna know if I can put them back in dead center or what do yall suggest?
Aug 25 2011 2:19PM
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rozboon
Posts: 1642 - Karma: 868
Dunno if it's been said in this thread yet, but thanks heaps to OP for the FKS brake video... whoever said you can't change brakes on FKS/Pivots? I just swapped out the legs on an XXL brake for the ones I pulled off a pair of 20 year old skis I got for $2 at the city dump that had some ancient Look 3D's on them. I guess the only really hard part is that unlike most bindings you can only change the brakes with the binding taken off the ski, and it's a lot more involved than your average 1-screw swap.
Aug 26 2011 12:15AM
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Jimmy.
Posts: 2888 - Karma: 27
Where can I buy FKS brakes?
All 4 of my brakes fell off last season and i don't want to impale someone with my ski.
I can get them from my shop but they cost like $25 each.
Aug 26 2011 4:41PM
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Balto
Posts: 25985 - Karma: 4,404
welcome to the magical world a brakes, thats how much they cost
Aug 27 2011 12:10PM
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rozboon
Posts: 1642 - Karma: 868
Go to your local thrift store/rubbish dump/pawndealer/swap-meet and find some ancient skis with the old Look heelpiece that looks the same as an FKS only made of plastic. The brakes are identical, follow the video in the first post for how to get them on/off. My city dump had like 6 pairs of skis with old Looks zip-tied to a fence, $2 each.
Aug 28 2011 8:44PM
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BroNamath
Posts: 113 - Karma: 21
Best way to saturate bases without a hot box?
Sep 1 2011 3:48AM
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YooperSteeze
Posts: 1248 - Karma: 45
A fuck ton of hotwaxing. As in ten times in a row.
Sep 3 2011 1:43AM
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BroNamath
Posts: 113 - Karma: 21
k sounds good. should i like leave it in and use a heat gun or blow drier or something
Sep 5 2011 3:00AM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
nah, just while waxing, when going over the ski you should see a shiny trail of wax behind the iron, it should be about 2 inches long, that way you're not overheating the ski but getting it nice and hot so the wax can penetrate deeply into the base, then scrape and do it again,
if the ski is new you don't need hotscrapes, if the ski has already been used, always start with hotscraping until the wax that comes out is semi clean ....

otherwise first let the wax harden before scraping it off...

if you use the same amount of wax on every wax job, you'll notice when the ski is completely saturated when scraping, there will be alot more wax coming off ......
Sep 5 2011 9:06AM
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BroNamath
Posts: 113 - Karma: 21
Thanks man +K
Sep 6 2011 3:03PM
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shibby
Posts: 7088 - Karma: -19
Fuck I never thought I would need to ax for help here but I did something very stupid...

I just mounted my skis and I drilled some of the holes too deep on one ski. So basically these holes are ''open'' at the top. So instead of being 3.6mm wide they are more like 7+, and this goes down maybe 2mm. Well I put the bindings on anyways and the screws threaded fine and they seemed sturdy enough. I realize this will probably compromise the pull out resistance while skiing significantly though.

Sooo, I'm thinking I could use Quiver Killers or Binding Freedoms to fill these holes, something I was probably going to do anyways. Will the inserts be wide enough to fit these holes or am I fucked?
Sep 6 2011 6:04PM
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rozboon
Posts: 1642 - Karma: 868

Depending on the ski you may or may not be completely boned. If it's something pretty tough, say with a lot of composites or (even better) a metal laminate then you should be OK. Also the topsheet should have provided a degree of protection, it's probably a good 1-2mm thick and realistically does very little for your pull-out strength.

If it's a full woodcore ski or worst case a foam core and you've gone down into the core then I'd be looking into getting some inserts like you say. Just check out the overall diameter, you really want something that will replace the entire mess you've made...

Sep 6 2011 8:18PM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
I just freehand mounted my skis with the video tutorial in the beginning of this thread, i was so stressed about drilling wrong, but in the end it worked perfectly, my first self-mounted pair of skis is a fact!

Click for larger image

made a plexi jig then drilled with a 3.5mm bit and made a drillstopper out of an old pen :)
Sep 22 2011 11:57AM
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captain-steez
Posts: 372 - Karma: 39
Threads
Sep 22 2011 3:23PM
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Drew_ski.
Posts: 1310 - Karma: 1,858

I mounted these up myself. i used a paper jig and a center punch. made a drill stop out of a pen case.

https://www.newschoolers.com/memberphoto/347208.0/Arg_mount?s=119763

hope the link works

Sep 26 2011 3:14PM
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Rossberger
Posts: 768 - Karma: 168
Three questions:

Does waxing often take away a lot of the base layer?

Should I get a wax on my new skis before the season starts or should I just wait until the factory wax wears out?

Would it make a substantial difference if I cheaped out on an iron? I'm only asking this because my local shop (pretty reputable) said it doesn't matter, while many people here say it does.
Oct 2 2011 8:25PM
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Drew_ski.
Posts: 1310 - Karma: 1,858
1) I don't believe it will take off a layer of your base if you are waxing properly it will extend the life of your bases. 2)when I get new skis I always wax them at least once if not two or three time before I ride them the factory wax isn't that great an a good wax will help your bases. 3) no, I have used an iron I got at walmart for 10 bucks for the past 4 years. Just make sure you get the temp set right and not to hot, make sure there isn't smoke coming from the iron. Ski waxing irons have temps on the which is helpful but not nessasary. Hope this helped
Oct 2 2011 9:52PM
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Rossberger
Posts: 768 - Karma: 168
Yeah this was great, thanks a lot. I'll end up getting a cheap one from walmart or wherever, how did you know when it's hot enough?
Oct 2 2011 10:01PM
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Drew_ski.
Posts: 1310 - Karma: 1,858
Um well it depends what wax you are using soft or harder. But I put mine where I melts the wax and spreads it easily but without smoking. When you find a good temp that works well I put a sharpie mark on the dile so you can heat it to the same temp every time you wax.
Oct 2 2011 10:20PM
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Mag
Posts: 8155 - Karma: 14,809
I was wondering if Somone could help me? I was (stupidly) tryin to learn how to adjust my skis, I figured the
Oct 4 2011 1:05PM
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Mag
Posts: 8155 - Karma: 14,809
The front of my
Oct 4 2011 1:06PM
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Mag
Posts: 8155 - Karma: 14,809
The front of my binding has come off of the other part of the binding, and it will no longer screw into the binding. It just screws indefinintely and will never tighten, PLEASE help! Thanks a lot. If any more info is needed just ask
Oct 4 2011 1:08PM
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Drew_ski.
Posts: 1310 - Karma: 1,858
^ what kind of binding are you talking about? Has the toe come off the base that screws in or did you take your spring out?
Oct 4 2011 2:21PM
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Mag
Posts: 8155 - Karma: 14,809

the bindings are salomon s810s (i think) heres pics(and the part that's come off)

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/38/photo1ut.jpg/

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/838/photo2np.jpg/

thanks!

Oct 4 2011 2:46PM
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Drew_ski.
Posts: 1310 - Karma: 1,858
Oh for that you just line the binding up the way it was and screw down that large flat head on top. But you should take to to a shop because they can adjust the toe hight properly to fit your boot sole
Oct 4 2011 4:05PM
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Mag
Posts: 8155 - Karma: 14,809

No, the screw itself just keeps on turning, never tightening, i tightened it and then sudddenly it just loosened, and now it won't tighten properly.

thanks

Oct 4 2011 4:12PM
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Drew_ski.
Posts: 1310 - Karma: 1,858
Oh that's weird I would take it to a shop
Oct 4 2011 5:35PM
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Mag
Posts: 8155 - Karma: 14,809
Any idea what that'd cost?
Oct 4 2011 5:41PM
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Drew_ski.
Posts: 1310 - Karma: 1,858
They should fix it for free if its something quick
Oct 4 2011 5:45PM
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Mag
Posts: 8155 - Karma: 14,809
Oh awesome thanks
Oct 4 2011 5:57PM
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Mag
Posts: 8155 - Karma: 14,809
i went to the shop to ask (without my skis) and they said the problem was i had "threaded" it. i have been checking and the binding off the other ski doesn't fit, but the binding of the broken ski does fit in the other one, so it's not the removable part that's broken. please help?
Oct 5 2011 11:59AM
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rozboon
Posts: 1642 - Karma: 868

They mean you've stripped all the threads out of the hole. When you're tightening something like that and suddenly it goes loose it's because the bolt is pulling so hard on the thread that it pops up one step in the thread and takes the top off all the threads in the hole as it does it. The more times you do it the easier it becomes, until eventually the hole is essentially smooth and there's nothing for it to grip on.

There are various ways to repair a thread. The most common and safest is to replace the bolt with a larger one and tap a larger thread into the material, if this is possible.

The other is to replace material in the hole then re-tap the hole to the original size, but you risk the new material pulling out of the hole as well.

With something like a binding... I'd look at replacing the bit that got stripped. Can't see your pics cos I'm at work, sorry.

Oct 5 2011 5:48PM
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I.B
Posts: 8137 - Karma: 24,352
If your binding got pulled out of the hole that was drilled for it, go to your shop and they will put a hypercore or a hypocore or something like that. The will throw that sucker in your hole and glue it like no tomorrow, then they will redrill the screw into your hole. DONE
Oct 19 2011 11:26AM
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NWPA
Posts: 2309 - Karma: 165
Anybody ever bend fks brakes without taking them apart? Don't wanna go through that shit again. I feel like it should be easy to just heat them up and put em in a vice. Any thoughts?
Oct 26 2011 12:06AM
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rozboon
Posts: 1642 - Karma: 868
We bent the XXL brake to fit my 132mm Hellbents with the binding on the ski. Mounted them up (with the brakes sitting on the top of the ski...) then used an old snapped ski pole to tweak them out. They're a bit splayed but still work just fine and haven't got hung up yet (touch wood!)
Oct 26 2011 6:49PM
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stickerman
Posts: 2043 - Karma: 147
looking for a good cheap all temp wax and came across Boardside Down.com

Has anyone had experience with these guys? There bulk wax is cheap and thinking about getting some. Also whats the best way to sharpen a scraper without an actual sharpening tool?
Oct 27 2011 8:22PM
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Drew_ski.
Posts: 1310 - Karma: 1,858
^ I don't know about the wax but I shapen my scrapers with an old file in a vise.
Oct 27 2011 9:25PM
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Mykel
Posts: 1560 - Karma: 84
This has possibly been answered somewhere, but I haven't found it yet.

What tools would any of you suggest for adjusting the DIN on a pair of Pivot 14s?  I've typically in the past been able to change my DINs with the tools I have around me, but I am unable to generate enough torque with my screw driver set.  The Shop Tech set them at 8.5, for liability reasons, but I'd like to get them to at least 11 for the first few times out on them.

Any Suggestions?  Thanks in advance.

*Disclaimer, I'm not a 110 pound, 13 year old park rat.  The 11-13 range is a pretty reasonable DIN for my height, weight, and aggressiveness.
Nov 16 2011 8:05PM
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rozboon
Posts: 1642 - Karma: 868

Pop the heel up and you'll have a much easier time adjusting that one. If you can't adjust the toe... wrap a tea-towel around the screwdriver handle for some more torque. I guess that's all you can really do.

Make sure you cycle the heel up-down a few times and re-check the indicator after adjusting.

Nov 16 2011 8:41PM
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SKIER_666
Posts: 710 - Karma: 173
Dont know if anyone has posted this but print these out after you have found the center line. Then set them up for you BSL and Punch holes and then drill.

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php/153971-Binding-Mount-Paper-Templates

You can also buy an actual 3.6mm wide 9mm deep drill bit. Also everything you need for mounting skis plus tunning is right here. This site= god.

http://www.tognar.com/bindings-ski-snowboard-repair-drill-bits-screws-pozidrive/
Nov 24 2011 9:17PM
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Steezy_Bro
Posts: 32 - Karma: 13

Where can i buy all the stuff i need to wacks my own skis for cheap and what is the best?

Dec 7 2011 7:50PM
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stickerman
Posts: 2043 - Karma: 147
Any local ski shop will have what you are looking for. All you need is a ski iron, scraper and the actual wax. I would also throw a nylon brush in there if you can afford it/ on your budget. Any all temp wax will do.
Dec 7 2011 8:39PM
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crab_pretzel
Posts: 3919 - Karma: 622
where does it have info on mounting? is it in their blog because i didnt see it
Dec 10 2011 4:41PM
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SKIER_666
Posts: 710 - Karma: 173
Steps
1. Print out template from TGR for you bindings.
2. Make sure the scalings are right.
3.find centerline on the ski.
3.Set up for your BSL.
4.Punch Holes.
5. Drill.
6. Screw bindings in with the glue on tognar.com

you can get all supplies on tognar.com you need a 3.6 by 9 mm drill bit for non metal core skis

practice on a couple peices of wood if you scared and line up the bindings

make sure that there is no burr before you screw the bindings down if there is you need a countersinck to get it off and then screw bindings down and make sure there is no gap between the ski and the bindings if you have any questions just pm me.
Dec 12 2011 4:29PM
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Jas02
Posts: 6 - Karma: 10
Shit on me man
Dec 12 2011 6:54PM
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