Wax is apllied on prep – clean and open base. There’s used a glide wax based on our choice – universal for all temperatures, mostly in pink, white or orange color; yellow, red or violet for warmer or mildly cold weather, blue or green for the coldest or freezing conditions. Classic wax, mostly applied is the hydrocarbon wax based on paraffin. Another choice is the more pricey fluorocarbon wax. Somewhat like Teflon, the fluorine contained in wax reduces friction and repells water as well as dirt particles in snow and keeps ski base cleaner and faster.
Wax is melted by a ski iron, set for the temperature required by the type of picked wax (the “colder” wax the higher temperature and vice versa) and then dripped or rubbed onto a ski or snowboard base. Then the wax is ironed into the base for about three minutes, at first with quicker then with smooth, slower moves (at about 5 to 6 moves a minute). Wax left on edges is then removed with the help of the notch on a plexi scraper and skis or a board are saved for 20 – 30 minutes at a room temperature before scraping the wax off (a soft wax might be left on bases over night).
Then the wax is scraped off by a plexi scraper or a steel blade. The tools must be kept sharp by a file or a whetstone.
Finally the base is brushed by a bronze and then a nylon brush to remove the residuum of the wax and polish it. We can possibly give it a final polish by a horsehair brush or the white fibertex. Just before it there’s applied a structure by steel rollers.
Nordic kick wax application is dealt with in following chapter.
Wax Iron T14 Digital 1200W
