Waxing....to scrape or not to scrape?

[Svend]

OK, let me preface this by saying I'm not advocating nor panning this, and for the record, I scrape and brush after every waxing. But I am interested to hear what you guys have to say.? ?That, and I like a lively debate....?

I read something on Epic a while ago, about whether there was any point to scraping your bases after a hot wax.? Some said that scraping was a waste of time because after the first run of the day, which is usually just a warm-up run anyway, most of the excess (un-scraped) wax would be removed by the snow.? Others said this was heresy, and that scraping and polishing was next to godliness, or something like that.

Just for argument sake, in my mind, there is perhaps some merit to the former contention if skiing under icy, granular conditions.? The abrasive ice crystals could quite possibly scrape off any excess wax on the surface of the ski, as they would be harder than the wax itself.? But in fresh, soft powder, perhaps this wouldn't hold true as the crystals would not be as abrasive.? But....then again, do you really need scraped and brushed bases in fresh powder anyway, where the effect of a smooth base for good control maybe not as important as on hardpack??

Being a relative newcomer (2 years) to waxing and tuning, this is an interesting question to me, and it would be good to hear from those more experienced than I as to their opinion.? So...let's toss this out to the gang here....whaddya think?

[jbotti]

Svend, you pretty much answered the question IMO. On harder snow the wax does get reasoanbly scraped off, but never all of it. especialliay if you ski mainly on edge. Having said that the skis run so much faster and smoother when the wax is scraped and brushed. I just love the feel of a freshly waxed and scraped ski that is just gliding over the snow. That feeling is why I spend the time to wax.

You are right again in soft snow, that the wax does not come off. I also find that a nicely waxed ski performs better in powder and also on traverses and whenever I need to skate and pole. I just came back from MT where there were days where the high temps were 4F and the snow temp never got above -5F. On poorly waxed skis or skis waxed with the wrong wax the skis would just not move on flatter surfaces whether it was hard or soft. After two days like this, on the third I nailed it with the right wax and wow everything was so much easier.

IMHO, wax, wax offten, and scrape and brush every time.

I know many peiople that never wax and never tune.? They generally don't hang out in this forum!! To each his own!!!

[Svend]

Just to clarify, I'm not suggesting to scrimp on the waxing...it's just the scraping part I'm asking about.  I fully believe in waxing, as often as possible, and have never not scraped and brushed.  I'm merely curious about others opinions here on the necessity for scraping and brushing after waxing.

That said, thanks for the feedback, esp. about how the ski behaves in powder.  I don't get much of that where I ski most often (eastern Canada), so don't have much opportunity to notice the differences in such things.

[Glenn]

I always scrape and brush. The only thing I'll vary is the type of wax I use. I tend to use a "warmer" wax in the spring.

[Philpug]

scrape...always... then scotchbrite.

[SnowHot]

scrape...always... then scotchbrite.

Ditto, and sometimes wax again, depending on the condition of the ski.

[Svend]

How about a nylon brush instead of the scotchbrite? That's what I do.  Or is scotchbrite preferred?

[Ron]

Interesting about the Scotchbrite.

Here's my regiment:
I open structure with brass
wipe down, hit any fuzzy's with coarse scotchbrite
wax, scrape
Brush with brass
Brush with medium
Brush with nylon
wipe off.

Is this overkill?

initially, the ski will get at least 3 coats, the more the better. Don't forget to wax the topsheets. I used to make fun of gary (because its fun) for doing this but it really does help to keep snow buildup off the skis.

[Svend]

Not sure if it's overkill (not as experienced as you), but I do everything you do except the brass and medium brush after scraping.? I just scrape and use a nylon brush, and I'm done.  I presume that's enough brushing, and if I did any more, it would feel like I was taking all the wax back off again -- just my imagination maybe, but there it is.  Maybe not enough brushing though....?

[Philpug]

. Don't forget to wax the topsheets. I used to make fun of gary (because its fun) for doing this but it really does help to keep snow buildup off the skis.

Claybar the top before waxing.

[Svend]

Top sheets too? Not hot wax, surely? You must mean spray-on or paste?

[SnowHot]

How about a nylon brush instead of the scotchbrite? That's what I do.? Or is scotchbrite preferred?

That is great and occasionally a cork too.

[Ron]

no hot wax on the tops, just some car wax.

Sven, the idea is to push the wax into the structure so removing the wax is a good thing. Remember, what causes good slide on the ski is having micro grooves (for lack of a better word) on the bases that allow good flow of air and water much like a car tire. if the bases were perfectly falt, the ski wouldn't glide well and would be sticky. it would cause a suction-like affect.

[Svend]

Gotcha -- thanks Ron! The physics of it make perfect sense to me now.  OK, I'm convinced...Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to scrape I go! (Hey Jim, we need a smiley for whistling here!)

[Ron]

How about a nylon brush instead of the scotchbrite? That's what I do.? Or is scotchbrite preferred?

That is great and occasionally a cork too.

TC, yes, I got a cork recently and it's great for applying fresh wax on the road without the need for an iron. really does a good job.