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Advice on buying a full board waxing kit, please?

6K views 15 replies 12 participants last post by  supham 
#1 ·
I've grown tired of shelling out $25 a pop to get my board waxed (yeah, that's what it costs in Manhattan), and based on the information I've read and the tutorials I've watched, it seems like it's easy enough to DIY.

Can anyone recommend a full board waxing kit (scraper, iron, wax, vices, etc.)? I see some online for $130 - $200, but I really have no clue which are the best and whether they're missing any tools that I would need.

Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
If you are just waxing, all you need is a base cleaner, iron, wax, scraper, and scotch brite pad for final polish.

i just picked up an swix iron for $40 at REI, base cleaner would be like $10 at most, wax is pretty cheap too. The triangle shaped dakine scraper with the edge notch is $7. This is my favorite scraper. Scotch brite pads are super cheap too.

I think the vise is kind of unessacary for waxing. Just rig something up, i usually put a small box between my bindings and bungee the box to the table so it doesnt move. It works fine.
 
#3 ·
First off, good decision, it's pretty easy with the right tools and it will pay itself off after a few tunes. I don't have a suggestion on vices since I don't have the resources at the crib for a pair but the Dakine: Super Tune Kit should have all you'll need to get started tuning your own board. I think you can get it for like $60 - $70 online you just have to search around a bit.

Have to agree with the previous post on the vices, you're probably better off rigging something up at home unless you have the space and.or already have a utility type table to work on. It will save you a few bucks, they are nice to have but not necessary (i.e. I wax before every time out and I use an old office chair with arms, just offset the board so that one of the bindings is used as a stopper :dunno:).

The kit comes with Dakine's generic all temp wax so once you blow through that you can get wax at your local shop pretty cheap (compared to paying someone to do it) whether it's all temp or temp specific. Base cleaner is also nice to have but not necessary imo, its good for thorough cleaning of the base when you need it but honestly for in-season a brass brush works just fine to get the old wax off. I usually only clean the base that thoroughly before to the final wax, when the board gets put away for the off-season.
 
#9 ·
problem with the full kits is you get a few really small introductory products. A few years back, I got a kit and the base brush was tiny and the stone was really small, too. Fortunately, it had a decent adjustable edge tool and 2 bars of wax.

Most kits now only come with a non-adjustable edge tool (0/90 deg), a tiny stone, one bar of wax...and you don't even get any base brush.

If I knew then what I know now, I'd buy separately (probably in this order):

1. a good snowboard wax iron (they heat almost instantly, have presets, an indicator light, etc)
2. good wax in bulk (all temp is softer/faster to scrape and colorless)
3. plastic scraper
4. a common wetstone (for edge de-burring), medium size
5. a pack of common scotchbrite pads
6. edge tool (adjustable, only if you're gonna need anything other than 0/90 deg bevel)
7. brass brush (for pre-cleaning), medium size
8. corse nylon brush (for final brushing), med size
9. p-tex candles
10. metal scraper


If you shop right, all this will cost about the same as the basic kits. You'll probably get higher quality, but no luggage (bfd).

As far as the vises are concerned, I dont use any. Instead, I constructed a waxing stand out stuff I already had. For deburring and sharpening the edges, I just hold the board perpendicular on the stand with one hand and use the tool with the other...works fine.
 
#11 ·
I bought everything separate. Ended up costing around $250. Worth it.

The Dakine kit has all the essentials. I bought individual file guides as well as an adjustable one. But that's because one of my boards was tuned at a shop and I have no idea what the angle on the side edge is, but it's not 89 degrees...*grumblegrumble*


Be careful if you are going to wax with the bindings on. Keep the iron moving. You don't want to let any one part of the base get too hot anyway, but I always take the bindings off when I wax just to be safe. The vises aren't necessary, but if you have somewhere to set them up, they help. I waxed on my trip using deck chair arms and a towel to stop the board from slipping. It is nice to have good leverage for scraping so you don't have the board come up in your face.

Tuning your own stuff is the best. I brought all my tuning equipment on my trip and I used every piece of it--minus the p-tex candles, thankfully! I've gotten way more than my money's worth at this point.
 
#12 ·
Waxing has to be the most over scrutinized subject on this board, and that's saying something. This shit is not rocket science. Get an iron to melt the wax. Get wax. Get a scraper (metal is definitely the best). Melt the wax on and scrape it off. Slide down hill. Success!

Fuck base cleaners. If you need to clean your base, just do a hot scrape.

As far as all the final brushing, buffing, etc. unless you're competitively racing, you're not gonna notice a difference. Just scrape that shit and ride.
 
#14 ·
some of us ride "wetter" snow than colorado and need all the help we can get. Brushing with scotchbrite and/or a finishing brush cleans out our structure for less suction.

If I only waxed and scraped, I wouldn't glide half as far on the flats

I also don't ride everyday, so I can spread a wax job over several days
 
#13 ·
Unless the metal scraper has rounded edges, I don't know if I would recommend metal to someone who's never scraped a board before. You can easily gouge your base with a metal scraper if you don't know what you're doing.

I like the smell of my base cleaner. So I get excited to use it. Mmm. Noxious.
 
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