burgels Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 I'm going to snowshoe in a couple of weeks and I want to wax/tune it as cheaply as possible and I haven't done it before. How to's and what to buy would be helpful. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trouble Maker Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 If you want to do it right, it will cost you more initially than it would to take it into a shop. http://img159.exs.cx/img159/7537/skitunning2hw.th.jpg That's what you'll need for the 'basics'. That's about $75 worth of crap, minus the Iron (moms old iron), and I don't have anything to remove the wax. You might be able get away with not sharpening the edges, that tool alone (orange piece) is ~$40, plus another ~$10 for the diamond piece you see at the left bottom. I wouldn’t suggest it though. I will probably buy an iron next year because they are just easier to use if they are made for tuning. They don't have the holes a regular iron does, and the have a sloped front edge, which should help waxing the curved parts of the skis/snowboards. Despite all of this, I always get my stuff professionally done at the beginning of every season. I just use all of that stuff to tune my skis throughout the season. Usually about every 6 times or so, depending on how long I’m out/what the bases look and feel like. You could probably get away with just getting wax and a piece of Plexiglas to clean off the wax, if you have an old iron to use (it will pretty much ruin the iron for clothes). I wouldn't suggest it though. Here's a crash course of what I do, and have basically been told to do by the local ski/snowboard shop I always go to. A hard wax that you melt on, like the one you can see in the picture, is what you usually want. You drip it onto the base everywhere with the iron, and then you use the iron to spread it out evenly everywhere. DO NOT hold the iron in any one spot, ever, you can burn the base. After you get a nice even base everywhere, you use the piece of plexi glass to scrape it off. Then I use the nylon brush to rough it all up a little. You don't want a perfectly smooth base, it can cause a suction when the surface is flat to the snow. Pretty simple, time consuming, and messy. Sharpening, I won't go into the angles on the edges, just because I don't know that much yet. I've only sharpened one set of skis so far. That tool will let you set the angle, and you run it up and down the edge two times or so. First you do it with a metal file to set the angle/sharpen, then you do it with the diamond plated piece to polish/debur. If your edges are especially nasty/rusty, you might want to add a step before all of that with the diamond plated piece to help clear some of that off. You can probably find more tips on this, and general tuning guidelines (as far as angles) at the websites bellow. Visit http://www.fktools-us.com/ and http://www.swixsport.com Those two companies make all of the stuff I use, and it looks like they have tip sections on their website too. I've never done my board before, but I'm sure it would be pretty much the same process. You can hit me up on AIM sometime if you have any more questions, as I've waxed my skis dozens of times, and started sharpening the edges this year. Just about any shop in Columbus, especially if they wax and tune, will have everything you need in stock, and be able to give you tuning tips too. My suggestion, especially to maximize your enjoyment in Snowshoe, is to take it somewhere and shell out the $30-$40 it cost. Get the board in now though, wait times can be long this time of year (I always do mine far before the beginning of the season). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
street pilot Posted February 1, 2005 Report Share Posted February 1, 2005 Yeah, NEO has it about right. To get all of the supplies to do it right for a one time deal wouldnt be worth it.. When exactly are you going? I may be able to help you out but I am too damn busy now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verse Posted February 1, 2005 Report Share Posted February 1, 2005 The Skateshop in Grove City has a kit that has everything you need for about 50-60, or they can wax/tune it for you for 20-30, usually takes a day to get it back to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burgels Posted February 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 Yeah sounds like just paying to get it waxed is going to have to do right now. The ski shack up here said that they would do it for $10. We're going the weekend of the 18th. Thanks Neo, I was afraid it would end up costing more to do it myself, but I thought I'd ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trouble Maker Posted February 2, 2005 Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 Originally posted by burgels™: Yeah sounds like just paying to get it waxed is going to have to do right now. The ski shack up here said that they would do it for $10. We're going the weekend of the 18th. Thanks Neo, I was afraid it would end up costing more to do it myself, but I thought I'd ask.Hmm, that's sounds REALLY cheap. That's probably just to lay wax down. See how much it cost to remove your old wax, lay new down, and sharpen the edges, that is ideal. Especially since it sounds like you haven't had it done in a long time. Not a problem man, I help out where I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95probegt Posted February 2, 2005 Report Share Posted February 2, 2005 Check over as aspen ski and board, they just got a new machiene in there last year that does a really nice job, nice wax job and you edges are really sharp, it is cheap to i think only 15-20 bucks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.