Polishing plastic scrapers

When mine is really full of wax I put it in some very hot water with dish soap for a while. Then clean it off with a paper towel and you're good. Never had to sharpen mine though.

Rub it on sandpaper to sharpen

I cut a new edge with an electric planer.

Metal vs. Plastic

Snowwolf: Just what is the deal with the whole metal vs. plastic scraper issue?

I have heard that using a metal one is detrimental to your base. Slipping and putting a gouge in your base, yes, but can you really do any other damage to your base?

I like to use a metal scrapper as well and have yet to see anything in my wax scrapings to indicate that I am "taking off base". :dunno:

I would be unhappy to find out that I have inadvertently done damage by using a metal scraper.

I'd like to put this issue to bed once and for all.

I use a panzer file to sharpen my plastic scraper.

Seems to me that if you push to hard with a metal scraper, you could take off all the wax AND some of your base material. That would be much more difficult with a plastic scraper. I wonder why you don't see metal scrapers with rounded edges to prevent gouges?

Sharpen a plastic one, when it gets full of wax, i.e. 3-4 times when scraping a board; just turn the edge of the scraper perpendicular (90 degrees) to the edge of the board and pull. If the edge of your board is relatively sharp it will sharpen the plastic edge of the scraper. But if you want to polish it, use plastic polish.

As for metal....you pull the scraper at an angle greater than 90 degrees...don't push it.

wrathfuldeity said:

Sharpen a plastic one, when it gets full of wax, i.e. 3-4 times when scraping a board; just turn the edge of the scraper perpendicular (90 degrees) to the edge of the board and pull. If the edge of your board is relatively sharp it will sharpen the plastic edge of the scraper. But if you want to polish it, use plastic polish.

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Yeah I've been using the same scraper for about 20 years now and this works for me. Never needed to "sharpen" it though, just clean the wax off if any sticks.

Maybe it's a harder plastic than newer scrapers?!?

Metal is the way to going you know what you're doing. If not, it's too easy to fuck up so plastic is the way to go. I wax every 2-4 days on a board, so I found plastic ones got dull far too quickly. Pretty much needed to cut new edges at least once a season.

BigmountainVMD said:

Seems to me that if you push to hard with a metal scraper, you could take off all the wax AND some of your base material. That would be much more difficult with a plastic scraper. I wonder why you don't see metal scrapers with rounded edges to prevent gouges?

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I bought a metal scraper and the first thing I did was to round the edges with a grinder. I also err on the side of less scraping rather than more, since the first or second run will take off excess wax anyway.

^ I subscribe to the opposite of that. It's "scrape, scrape, scrape, scrape, scrape....and then scrape some more" lol

Donutz said:

I bought a metal scraper and the first thing I did was to round the edges with a grinder. I also err on the side of less scraping rather than more, since the first or second run will take off excess wax anyway.

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Triple8Sol said:

^ I subscribe to the opposite of that. It's "scrape, scrape, scrape, scrape, scrape....and then scrape some more" lol

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Depends. Lately we've had (relatively) fresh snow with temps around 12f for a high. In these sorts of conditions scraping everything is a must and you gotta do all you can to get that base super perfect with whatever level of corking or graphite mandingo rub or whatever (I don't do any of that shit).

On the other hand, preseason, spring, slush, lack of fresh snow, warm temps...hell I may not scrape at all!

I keep one of these around Drywall Sanding Screen and run my plastic scrapers over it if I feel like wax has built up and/or they are dull.

snowklinger said:

Depends. Lately we've had (relatively) fresh snow with temps around 12f for a high. In these sorts of conditions scraping everything is a must and you gotta do all you can to get that base super perfect with whatever level of corking or graphite mandingo rub or whatever (I don't do any of that shit).

On the other hand, preseason, spring, slush, lack of fresh snow, warm temps...hell I may not scrape at all!

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Lessee.... 12f is -11c. We got down to -6 once. :laugh: Here on the wet coast, 12f is an impossible dream.

just curious, when do we need a metal scraper but not a plastic one to scrape off excess ptex after repairing the base?


and why scraping excess wax by pulling but not pulling and/or pushing?
and only in one direction?

Once you clean the plastic scraper, put in a vice and sharpen it a bit with your edge tool/ file. Set your bevels to 0 degrees…clean up the edges a bit with some fine sandpaper. Clean the file good when done.

Snowolf said:

I use a metal scraper.....:thumbsup:

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:thumbsup:

I use an old dakine edge tuner tool. Use the 90 degree bevel to keep a straight edge on the scraper.