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Ski irons

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pigglywiggly
Posts: 4482 - Karma: 305
So the thread on the reno jibs just caught my attention. i have yet to wax my new skis because my shop charges too much more stuff around here. soo i dont have like any money left but i would like to get the basic materials for waxing my own skis. first is the iron, can i cheap out on one and just get a clothes iron, i heard they work? i know i just need like a medium wax, im not going to go crazy and get a ton of waxes because, well i ski in PA and i just dont need them. and i need a scraper. what else do i need?

also i know this should be in the ski care sticky, but it doesnt really have that much activity in it so i thought i would just make my own thread.

thanks
Nov 8 2009 3:48PM
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Scrambles
Posts: 2270 - Karma: 63
clothes irons are shitty, get a ski iron, and im pretty sure you can get all temp. wax so you dont need like 15 different waxes, i used to race so i have all the different waxes 
Nov 8 2009 3:59PM
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BWalmer
Posts: 9141 - Karma: 12,883
If you don't already have the equipment it'll cost more to do it yourself the first time (it ends up being cheaper in the long run, but the initial investment is pretty big).

Iron - $45 (and that's the cheap one)
Wax - around $20-$30
Base Cleaner - about $20
Scraper - $10
Comb/polisher - $15-$20
Nylon Pads - $10
Stands/clamps (not necessary, but REALLY helpful) - $120

I know it seems like just going to the store and buying some wax is cheaper, but when I first got all my equipment it was about $250 (I got several different types of wax too), but I wax my own skis so it saves me money now, but if you just want the initial waxing just bring 'em to the shop, it'll be easier and cheaper for now.
Nov 8 2009 4:00PM
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pigglywiggly
Posts: 4482 - Karma: 305
oh shit. well i dont have that money yet...
so for right now, could i just get a used iron off of someone on here, an all purpose wax or just a "normal" temp one, a scraper, and a brush?
Nov 8 2009 4:04PM
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pigglywiggly
Posts: 4482 - Karma: 305
and whats the deal with some of these rub on wax's that you dont even have to iron?
Nov 8 2009 4:11PM
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Scrambles
Posts: 2270 - Karma: 63
some of those are hit or miss. its either the same as normal wax (quality of job) or total shit
Nov 8 2009 4:13PM
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BWalmer
Posts: 9141 - Karma: 12,883
you can use an old clothing iron if you can find one that doesn't matter (not your parents iron - this will most likely ruin it), you just have to pay attention to the temperature. Then, find an all-purpous wax (swix is best - I can't remember what color all-purpous is, but I use yellow the most [blue is super cold, yellow is cold, and pink is warm - at least I think, I can't remember off the top of my head] so yellow is probably your best bet if you can't find all-purpose), and get a cheap plexiglass scrapper and a nylon brush and you can do it yourself, just know that you're probably gonna make a mess.

Here's a video to help you out (credit to mtstskier):
Nov 8 2009 4:16PM
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BWalmer
Posts: 9141 - Karma: 12,883
I use "Swix Glidewax" when I'm lazy/forgot to wax the night before, it works pretty well, it's not as good as iron on, but still pretty descent. But, your talking about the first waxing on new skis - the factory wax is better than the rub on wax - plus you can't scrape with rub on, so it defeats the purpose of taking the factory wax (storage wax) off and putting on season wax.
Nov 8 2009 4:21PM
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pigglywiggly
Posts: 4482 - Karma: 305
thanks, i think green is all purpose too. hows the dakine wax?
Nov 8 2009 6:03PM
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BWalmer
Posts: 9141 - Karma: 12,883
That makes sense. I've never used Dakine Wax, I used some cheap brand once (not Dakine) and it SUCKED so now I only use Swix cause it works the best.
Nov 8 2009 7:41PM
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joshua
Posts: 5046 - Karma: 1,280
Have any of you guys used burton wax before
Nov 8 2009 7:51PM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
You can use a clothes iron, Ive been waxing my skis with an old clothes iron for years now. You want to find the temperature that burns the wax and turn it down slightly (so as not to burn the wax but close to that temp) You dont really need to spend a lot of money on waxing, especially if you are just going to be jibbing on your skis anyway. Rubber bands work good to hold your brakes back, clamps are nice but not super necessary. A block of wood (4x4 or bigger) works good on a flat bench to put under the tip or tail of your ski as you wax. Base cleaners are nice but you can get by with waxing and scraping immediately and following with a second wax. A good rub on wax is nice to have to supplement your hot wax after scraping. Believe me, this is all I do and my skis may not be racer fast but they are faster than most kids skis in the park/mountain.
Nov 8 2009 10:40PM
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TELEextreme
Posts: 59 - Karma: 11
 I ask the local ski shop and there really cool. They let me wax my skis with all the good stuff free as long as I sweep up the wax scrapings at the end of the day! So my advice is to talk with a local ski shop and see if you could work something out.
Nov 9 2009 1:07AM
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jibbnsteezy
Posts: 183 - Karma: 8
just to help you out. 

http://www.dogfunk.com/snowboard/DAKINE-Adjustable-Tuning-Iron-USA/DAK0676M.html
Nov 10 2009 3:50PM
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GNARBARSTAR
Posts: 639 - Karma: 16
if your on a budget i say you go down to your local goodwill/thriftstore, find an old iron for 2 bucks, go to a ski shop and see if you can buy some bulk wax from the tech, all temp should be good to start the season, as  well a plastic scraper,then as the season goes on and you get alil more money get more temp specific waxes, you can get started cheap, and as you decide your more into it and know what you need /don't need you can buy it as it comes up, you can start minamal,   just follow the basic guide lines in the tutorial.
Nov 10 2009 4:08PM
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Dr.Scholl
Posts: 1139 - Karma: 47
Another thing to keep in mind is that not all waxs are created equal. Swix is deff the best by far. I work in a rentals shop of a shitty ski hill with cheap owners and they still poney up for swix. About the temp based wax, try to get a mid range or all around but its not super important. Also, im pretty sure i got my dakine iron for pretty cheap on backcountry.com. As for a scraper i know some people who use razor blades to make sure all the wax is off the base, but i find this unnessesary because that layor will come off completly the first 100 ft down the hill. Just a tip, be careful, dont fuck up your skis, there is only one way to do it right and it will take you a while to get good and fast at it.
Nov 10 2009 5:01PM
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Parkrat10
Posts: 104 - Karma: 15
how often should you hot wax your skis?
Dec 18 2010 7:01PM
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BroNamath
Posts: 113 - Karma: 21

Get a real iron, a scraper and a bristle or blue nylon brush. also steal one of those green fibertex pads out of the kitchen and thats all you need to get started.

also this thread is money for tuning/waxing https://www.newschoolers.com/ns/forums/readthread/thread_id/455931/

Dec 18 2010 7:20PM
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benk
Posts: 1342 - Karma: 988
All the iron does is melt the wax to the ski..You don't need a $50-100 iron to do that. I got mine at Goodwill for $2.50. just make sure it's not too hot and you're set.

I melt, scrape, then cork to smooth it all out. I use a ruler I found laying around and piece of corking in the garage. I use 2 waxes: a cold (25-32) and warm (32-40ish)

Why in the world buy a top of the line iron?!!!
Dec 18 2010 8:42PM
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shotgunjenkins
Posts: 83 - Karma: 14
find and buy a clothes iron without holes, take a role or something and put a 45 degree (or close) angle on the edges of the iron. just turn it up most of the way and youre good. its what i use and ive used with while my friend used his swix one and there was really no upside to having the swix one.

also was is like 8 bucks a brick around here so i just have a brick for the three most common NE conditions (cold, really cold, mild) and swix glidewax for the rest.

boom
Dec 18 2010 9:05PM
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onenerdykid
Posts: 6656 - Karma: 10,862
using a clothing iron is risky if you like your bases. Having a nice dedicated ski iron is ideal because you can set the temperature to the wax hardness and to make sure you don't melt your base. If you melt/overheat your base you ruin its ability to absorb the wax and thus it's pointless.

Swix wax is hands down the best glide wax out there. If you only wanted to use one color, use the Alpine Race Prep. It's a warmer mixture that opens up your base and the wax can deeply penetrate (no homo) the base and thus last longer. The more you wax your skis with this, the faster your bases will be especially when you add the specific temperature wax on top of it.

Rub on wax will only last a couple of runs, if that.
Dec 19 2010 4:56AM
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Mr_pretzel
Posts: 4616 - Karma: 1,289
Yellow is actually is for hot weather, like from 36 and up.
Dec 19 2010 10:33AM
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Parkrat10
Posts: 104 - Karma: 15
how often should you hot wax your skis?
Dec 19 2010 11:22AM
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onenerdykid
Posts: 6656 - Karma: 10,862
you can never do it too much. if you have access to the equipment (and sintered bases), you should do it at least every 10 days of skiing.
Dec 19 2010 11:26AM
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Parkrat10
Posts: 104 - Karma: 15
thanks +k
Dec 19 2010 11:33AM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
if i was you, i'd start off with a swix or toko iron (simple one will do)
then buy some all temp wax, or the toko box with red and yellow wax, both are around 10dollar/box (1box = 2chunks of all temp or 1chunk yellow + 1 chunk red)
then buy a plexi scraper

and basically youre set!

a brush to brush out your base is a good addition but they're kinda expensive and imho 0.5$ scotchbrite pads or brillo pads (the green things) work just as good or even better altough they do tend to wear out quickly when wax fills up the pores...



waxing is actually very easy, just make sure you're actually waxing your skis and not just melting the wax and spreading it out like butter, make sure you take the time to allow wax to penetrate the base...

look up some tutorials, if you wax and your wax looks dirty your iron is set too high (usually accompanied by smoke and smelly odors)
or your base is dirty and you need to perform a hotscrape (look up some tutorials)

good luck, feel free to pm me with questions if you have some ...
Dec 19 2010 12:02PM
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flexpattern
Posts: 1090 - Karma: 45
I wax my skis in a super ghetto fashion.

I use a "dry iron" which I bought for about £5. (essentially a clothes iron with no holes, like a steamless iron)

For a scraper - A hard, plastic set square from a math set which i found somewhere.

For a brush - a bath brush.

Works fantastically!




Dec 19 2010 1:44PM
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joshua
Posts: 5046 - Karma: 1,280
Does anyone else cork waxes in? I use toko all-temp wax, (white) and I just cork some in every time I ski. It seems to work pretty well.
Dec 19 2010 1:47PM
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onenerdykid
Posts: 6656 - Karma: 10,862
Corks are used to help heat the base up through friction so the wax gets deeper into the base as you rub it in. You mostly use corks on super high end powder waxes, but most of these you can now iron in. If you've done a proper job with the ironing, you don't need to be concerned with corking the wax.
Dec 19 2010 5:15PM
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Timotheezy.
Posts: 747 - Karma: 157

Okay this may actually be a big help...

I have an iron i got for christmass recently and started doing my own skis. I noticed the wax they sell is very expensive and may not always be worth it.

So i went to a local shop and asked what they use in the shop and if i could buy some. The guy came out with a huge brick of east coast specific wax (cold hard pack) and i got it for 20 dollars.

give it a shot homie!

Dec 19 2010 7:10PM
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Parkrat10
Posts: 104 - Karma: 15
haha thats sick man
Dec 19 2010 9:22PM
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Parkrat10
Posts: 104 - Karma: 15

what kind of wax was it?

Dec 19 2010 9:33PM
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Timotheezy.
Posts: 747 - Karma: 157
they had this brand called wintersteiger or something. its pretty standard wax and the shop should have different kinds for different conditions. it feels no different than like dakine wax or anything and its mad cheap. the brick they gave me will last probably 2 seasons, very large
Dec 20 2010 11:12AM
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onenerdykid
Posts: 6656 - Karma: 10,862
wintersteiger is the company that makes the tuning machines used in your shop. the wax they sell is good basic wax.
Dec 20 2010 11:22AM
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