wax getting old question - Snowboarding Forum

55Nick15 · 01-18-2009, 10:29 PM

how do i know when its time for a new wax job?

i ask this because i started carving decently well the last time i went and my base near the edge is a pale white shade (base is black)

ty
-nick

01-18-2009, 10:35 PM

White patches mean that the wax has worn off. The longer that you leave it the dryer the base can get and the more permanent damage that can be done to it. Once they get drying damage they can lose the ability to hold wax at all.

So wax straight away. How often you should wax depends on a number of things. But the most important one is that hard snow and ice scrape it away very quickly, whereas on powder it can last for a long time.

You may also have to re-wax if you experience big changes in temperature as there are different waxes for different temps. But generally an all-temp wax will do just fine.

55Nick15 · 01-18-2009, 10:40 PM

okay sounds good.. im on the ice coast but it wasnt to icy the other day but it was around 0 degrees F.

i dont really mind waxing.. just scraping.. but ill put some more on it b4 friday!

01-18-2009, 11:02 PM

Once the temp gets below about 7*f most waxes start to not work that well. Colder snow acts like tiny pieces of glass which just scrapes into the bottom of your base. Once it gets to about -4*f you will find most boards moving really slowly because the ice crystals just cut straight through the wax.

cold temp waxes have larger and harder wax molecules which makes them resist the scraping as much. However they don't absorb into the base as well because of their size which means that they tend to wear off pretty quickly as well.

Regular waxing is just something that ought to be done in colder areas.

AZred60 · 01-18-2009, 11:06 PM

probably time for a new wax job, but the whiteness can also happen if you didn't scrape thouroghly enough

01-18-2009, 11:11 PM

If you want to make scraping easier then when you wax then instead of dripping wax on there, touch the wax block on the base of the iron (on a low temp) just to get a slight melt on the block and then rub it on the base. i get about 4 inches of coverage for each touch on the iron. It comes out like a white paste. This does take a bit more effort than dripping but overall its faster. then when there is coverage all over the base just iron as usual. I can see if the wax covers everything when i iron. This leaves a very thin layer of wax on the board which is faster to iron and does not leave as much of a mess. After leaving it to cool down i find that scraping is so much easier and faster.

55Nick15 · 01-18-2009, 11:11 PM

any favorite brands of wax?

a friend recommended swix.. he said it was the best so i assume its pretty expensive.

i just picked up some ski wax from the local shop and have been using it .. all temp

01-19-2009, 12:13 AM

I normally use Kuu as I live in canada and it is a bit more readily available and it is really good stuff. But Swix is just as good, and i think it may be the biggest wax manufacturer but dont quote me on that. Both these companies have a wide range of waxes that go from fairly cheap to really expensive. So I dont think you could go wrong with swix.

Check out swix CH4 wax for colder temps. Its pricey but if you wax as i told you could get about 5 waxes out of a 60gm block that costs $11.

mag⋅net⋅ism · 01-19-2009, 11:06 AM

Typically I'll wax my board every four or five rides -- whether it looks like it needs it or not. I just tried a cold temp Kuu with my last wax job and love it. The RC crap that came with my Dakine kit stuck me to the snow like it was freakin velcro so the guy at the Boardroom recommended Kuu and it was awesome! It reminded me of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation when he sprays the bottom of that snow-saucer with industrial lubricant.

MunkySpunk · 01-19-2009, 11:32 AM

The white is base oxidation. It's not good and a sign your base is thirsty for wax.
I'll put a layer of hotwax non-flouro on the base first and then paste-wax it with high-fluoro between every trip. The hot wax is harder and thicker - protects it better from damage. But the fluoro keeps it fast and prevents excessive drying out - and the paste application means it's a fast job.
I'll put a new layer of hot wax on every five trips or so.
A lot of folks only wax once a season or worse, not at all, with the advent of P-tex bases.

Here's a great place for wax info. It's not fancy looking, but it's jammed full of useful crap.

01-18-2009, 10:29 PM	#1 (permalink)
55Nick15 Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 78	wax getting old question how do i know when its time for a new wax job? i ask this because i started carving decently well the last time i went and my base near the edge is a pale white shade (base is black) ty -nick

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01-18-2009, 10:35 PM	#2 (permalink)
powderjet81 Guest Posts: n/a	White patches mean that the wax has worn off. The longer that you leave it the dryer the base can get and the more permanent damage that can be done to it. Once they get drying damage they can lose the ability to hold wax at all. So wax straight away. How often you should wax depends on a number of things. But the most important one is that hard snow and ice scrape it away very quickly, whereas on powder it can last for a long time. You may also have to re-wax if you experience big changes in temperature as there are different waxes for different temps. But generally an all-temp wax will do just fine.

01-18-2009, 10:40 PM	#3 (permalink)
55Nick15 Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 78	okay sounds good.. im on the ice coast but it wasnt to icy the other day but it was around 0 degrees F. i dont really mind waxing.. just scraping.. but ill put some more on it b4 friday!

01-18-2009, 11:02 PM	#4 (permalink)
powderjet81 Guest Posts: n/a	Once the temp gets below about 7f most waxes start to not work that well. Colder snow acts like tiny pieces of glass which just scrapes into the bottom of your base. Once it gets to about -4f you will find most boards moving really slowly because the ice crystals just cut straight through the wax. cold temp waxes have larger and harder wax molecules which makes them resist the scraping as much. However they don't absorb into the base as well because of their size which means that they tend to wear off pretty quickly as well. Regular waxing is just something that ought to be done in colder areas.

01-18-2009, 11:06 PM	#5 (permalink)
AZred60 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Flagstaff, AZ Posts: 249	probably time for a new wax job, but the whiteness can also happen if you didn't scrape thouroghly enough

01-18-2009, 11:11 PM	#6 (permalink)
powderjet81 Guest Posts: n/a	If you want to make scraping easier then when you wax then instead of dripping wax on there, touch the wax block on the base of the iron (on a low temp) just to get a slight melt on the block and then rub it on the base. i get about 4 inches of coverage for each touch on the iron. It comes out like a white paste. This does take a bit more effort than dripping but overall its faster. then when there is coverage all over the base just iron as usual. I can see if the wax covers everything when i iron. This leaves a very thin layer of wax on the board which is faster to iron and does not leave as much of a mess. After leaving it to cool down i find that scraping is so much easier and faster.

01-18-2009, 11:11 PM	#7 (permalink)
55Nick15 Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 78	any favorite brands of wax? a friend recommended swix.. he said it was the best so i assume its pretty expensive. i just picked up some ski wax from the local shop and have been using it .. all temp

01-19-2009, 12:13 AM	#8 (permalink)
powderjet81 Guest Posts: n/a	I normally use Kuu as I live in canada and it is a bit more readily available and it is really good stuff. But Swix is just as good, and i think it may be the biggest wax manufacturer but dont quote me on that. Both these companies have a wide range of waxes that go from fairly cheap to really expensive. So I dont think you could go wrong with swix. Check out swix CH4 wax for colder temps. Its pricey but if you wax as i told you could get about 5 waxes out of a 60gm block that costs $11.

01-19-2009, 11:06 AM	#9 (permalink)
mag⋅net⋅ism Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 382	Typically I'll wax my board every four or five rides -- whether it looks like it needs it or not. I just tried a cold temp Kuu with my last wax job and love it. The RC crap that came with my Dakine kit stuck me to the snow like it was freakin velcro so the guy at the Boardroom recommended Kuu and it was awesome! It reminded me of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation when he sprays the bottom of that snow-saucer with industrial lubricant.

01-19-2009, 11:32 AM	#10 (permalink)
MunkySpunk -LIFETIME MEMBER- Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Berkshires Posts: 3,212	The white is base oxidation. It's not good and a sign your base is thirsty for wax. I'll put a layer of hotwax non-flouro on the base first and then paste-wax it with high-fluoro between every trip. The hot wax is harder and thicker - protects it better from damage. But the fluoro keeps it fast and prevents excessive drying out - and the paste application means it's a fast job. I'll put a new layer of hot wax on every five trips or so. A lot of folks only wax once a season or worse, not at all, with the advent of P-tex bases. Here's a great place for wax info. It's not fancy looking, but it's jammed full of useful crap.