 Poster: A snowHead
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I do enjoy waxing quite a bit, but my living room floor enjoys it a bit less...
So I was wondering if there are more practical and effective ways to keep your bases slippery AND your floor clean. Hence the question: How do you all clean up after waxing and/or how do you prepare the room beforehand?
I used to lay a disposable plastic sheet on the ground before waxing, then at the end fold it up and throw it away. But still I'd get some wax shavings on the floor (and falling hot wax often perforated the sheet and stuck to the floor).
Recently I bought a thicker (non disposable) tarpaulin, but in practice that's even messier, as you have to get rid of the wax shavings somehow and that ain't easy...
Perhaps the best solution is offering to wax a friend's ski/board, then doing it at their place, but that's not always possible unfortunately.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Gustavo the Gaper, ...hmmm....yep we have the same issue. And if you live in Rotterdam I can see the problem if you are living in an apartment.
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Hot wax. Agree. No matter what you do, some gets dropped. We have a tile floor in the hall area of the shack-on-a-hill (no workshop there, so work on a board on trestles) and there's an old wool carpet which gets a few drips on it every time. Every so often, I iron it with kitchen paper between the wax and the iron and up it comes. If you are limited in space, I would get a cheap IKEA cotton carpet and unroll it for waxing then roll it back up again and leave against the wall.
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Edge filings. More tricky; nasty bits of metal which can get into skin quite easily. This requires a brush up and vacuum each time to make sure that nothing is floating around the room. Oh well, only takes a few mins.
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Shavings. Sometimes we just throw the skis on the wagon, drive to the underground car park, and do a quick scrape and brush there. Obviously, wax is hydrocarbon and polluting, but the car park gets swept every so often and so the shavings go with everything else. High flouro wax is quite different - nasty stuff, and I no longer use it since the flourocarbons are very persistent chemicals whereever you put them. If you live in an apartment, just scrape on the balcony and do a 2 minute sweep up. Done.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Great suggestions, thanks! I do live in an apartment, and scraping on the balcony is indeed a good idea, especially if combined with the carpet.
I was hoping I'd be able to do that with the tarpaulin I bought, but because it's a bit soft it's quite unhandy.
The edge filings are not really an issue for me, I just vacuum them, but I'm also a bit hesitant about vacuuming wax... ain't there maybe a chance it will clog up or even damage the vacuum cleaner? (especially if the cleaner heats up)
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I've got new wood floors and bought 2 packs of the cheapest carpet tiles I could find. First a sheet of that 'stop rugs slipping' material goes down, then the 8 carpet tiles, then everything happens on top of that - taking car not to 'walk through'. Then as soon as I'm done I vacuum up.
I won't say it's 100% effective, but a good 95%+, and all packs up nice and small to he tucked away until next time.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You need to scrape into something, not all over the floor and then try and pick it up. Try to catch it as you scrape it off. Use the least amount of wax you can. Or, have a dedicated repair/tuning room where all the mess can be brushed into a bag. Seriously though, I wouldn't use a vacuum cleaner, just a brush, because vacuum cleaners have fans in them, which have a habit of blowing light objects all over the place.
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I do it in the man cave with vises on my workbench, took a hole saw to the end of the bench, hung a bucket under the hole and just brush the scraped wax into the hole. Empty the bucket. Simples.
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| Gustavo the Gaper wrote: |
I do enjoy waxing quite a bit, but my living room floor enjoys it a bit less...
So I was wondering if there are more practical and effective ways to keep your bases slippery AND your floor clean. Hence the question: How do you all clean up after waxing and/or how do you prepare the room beforehand? |
I would do it in the bathroom as it has a tiled floor. Afterwards, I use bits of tissue, or a styptic pencil, if there's any bleeding and some soothing lotion to reduce redness. Waxing your own 'base' is quite technical and I would recommend asking a close friend or family member to help.
Good luck.
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@Klamm Franzer, 
@hang11, similar approach for me, except that I built a table and simple vices from a sheet of OSB, with edges to contain all the shavings, and brush them up with a dustpan and brush. Might have to borrow the holesaw idea to make it easier.
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I use an old vinyl tablecloth. It catches everything and I just shake it out in the dustbin.
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| musher wrote: |
| I use an old vinyl tablecloth. It catches everything and I just shake it out in the dustbin. |
That was my idea with the tarpaulin as well, but the part of "shaking it out in the dustbin" turned out a lot harder and messier than I had envisioned.
| hang11 wrote: |
| I do it in the man cave with vises on my workbench, took a hole saw to the end of the bench, hung a bucket under the hole and just brush the scraped wax into the hole. Empty the bucket. Simples. |
I'm seriously considering that, making my own table... yesterday I found this (which someone posted here on snowheads on a thread I hadn't found before): https://www.rei.com/blog/snowsports/diy-how-to-build-a-portable-ski-or-snowboard-waxing-table
Think I might try to make a simpler version of this...
| Klamm Franzer wrote: |
| Gustavo the Gaper wrote: |
I do enjoy waxing quite a bit, but my living room floor enjoys it a bit less...
So I was wondering if there are more practical and effective ways to keep your bases slippery AND your floor clean. Hence the question: How do you all clean up after waxing and/or how do you prepare the room beforehand? |
I would do it in the bathroom as it has a tiled floor. Afterwards, I use bits of tissue, or a styptic pencil, if there's any bleeding and some soothing lotion to reduce redness. Waxing your own 'base' is quite technical and I would recommend asking a close friend or family member to help.
Good luck. |
Thanks, that's a good tip! I've heard there's a new laser method nowadays that leaves your base super smooth so you never need to wax anymore (I'm from Brazil, people there are quite knowledgeable about this), maybe I'll look into that too!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I based my table on that. But since I don't need it to fold, I could simplify the design a lot. I then built adjustable supports that clamp onto rails, rather than ones that slot in to the sides of the table. It was pretty easy and seems to work just fine.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| mgrolf wrote: |
I based my table on that. But since I don't need it to fold, I could simplify the design a lot. I then built adjustable supports that clamp onto rails, rather than ones that slot in to the sides of the table. It was pretty easy and seems to work just fine. |
That sounds a bit like what i had in mind as well. Would it maybe be possible to share a picture?
Tusen tack!
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You know it makes sense.
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Waxing directly onto a hard floor is a bad idea, as it turns it into an ice rink afterwards. Don’t ask me how I know 
I put a thick plastic sheet down that covers a large area. The ones I have originally wrapped new mattresses, and were cut carefully so they could be used as coverups. After scraping, I vac up with a Henry on low suction so the sheet stays on the floor. Henry is a simple machine and doesn’t seem to have the fan problem described above. Then fold the sheet carefully ready for next time.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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In most kinds of snow, a couple of runs has the same effect as all that scraping and is a lot less messy.
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Poster: A snowHead
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This is, of course, a counsel of imperfection - but I'm an out and proud imperfectionist.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| pam w wrote: |
| In most kinds of snow, a couple of runs has the same effect as all that scraping and is a lot less messy. |
Not if you're using decent wax.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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We are having a shed installed next month with a work bench, might have to make something for in there to be my new servicing centra as Mrs endo is getting less keen on me using the kitchen worktop, all be it with a big plank to clamp to and collect most of the wax, may adapt said plank for the shed.
Using the crayoning technique I managed to wax midweek in apartment with no mess, and a small scrape on the balcony that brushed up very easily as there was so little to scrape.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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After using vices on workbench for waxing / servicing I then use a workbench outside to scrape or just hold the ski vertically and scrape.
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Many thanks for the pics, it looks great! Think I might try to do something similar (and most likely fail miserably).
| endoman wrote: |
| Using the crayoning technique I managed to wax midweek in apartment with no mess, and a small scrape on the balcony that brushed up very easily as there was so little to scrape. |
The crayoning technique is great indeed, think I should start using it more often. Don't know if there's ever a chance I'll use too little wax, but anyway, as far as I know we normally tend to use too much wax rather than too little.
| spyderjon wrote: |
| pam w wrote: |
| In most kinds of snow, a couple of runs has the same effect as all that scraping and is a lot less messy. |
Not if you're using decent wax. |
What exactly do you mean? How does the quality of the wax affect that?
Thanks!
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I use a decorators sheet on the floor first (if I can't wax/scrape outside), this stuff: https://www.screwfix.com/p/harris-taskmasters-polythene-dust-sheet-roll-50m-x-2m/19574 as an example
Roll up at the end and throw away. Its very wide, so pretty much catches everything.
If waxing, I put a lonth of the long paper that comes inside in Amazon boxes as packaging (just tear off the right length) to catch the hot wax and stopping it go through the plastic.
I used to put too much wax on and nowadays seem to have got it right save myself too much scraping.
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| spyderjon wrote: |
| pam w wrote: |
| In most kinds of snow, a couple of runs has the same effect as all that scraping and is a lot less messy. |
Not if you're using decent wax. |
Indeed, what's the point of using a wax that if the excess wears off after a couple of runs, will the rest of it stay around for any longer?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Well, it was the guy in our local ski shop in France who told me that. We experimented with our skis, scraping one of a pair and not the other, and putting them on blind. Struggled to tell the difference. A top pianist with perfect pitch will know when her piano is even a wee bit out of tune; most of those who bash away wouldn't notice. The excess wax gets scraped off anyway. There are some snow conditions - slushy - where unscraped skis will stick but mostly it's fine. If you lose a few seconds on your first couple of descents of the day, it's not a big deal.
When we were doing skis on the balcony of our apartment one day our French neighbour, who lived near Lyon and had skied all her life and was a far better skier than the majority of Brit holiday makers was intrigued and asked whether we did it "every year". When my husband (who was at the keen stage of ski tech) said he did it every week she thought it was hilarious.
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She must have been using better quality wax then 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I love the people that wax their skis way before they set off on holiday, having no idea what the conditions are going to be like?
I have snow-board mates who make a big thing of waxing their boards and then I ask them what temperature wax they used and how do they know what temps will be out where they are going in a month's time
We very rarely wax our skis, for most people skiing they will not notice any major difference, along with scratches in bases.
For snow-boarding it is far more important as it's the flats that get you and with no poles you really strive to get a good gliding board.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@Weathercam, my thinking is that temps vary massively during a skiing day and during a week out skiing so no point in being specific - that is something for racers and nerds. Yeah, maybe I could have a different wax for January and April to reflect the general fact that one will be colder than the other. AFAIK I use a "universal wax" which is OKish for most temps but presumably not the optimal for particularly cold/warm.
Never waxing at all? Apart from glide doesn't it help protect the base...? And so the skis last longer. Is glide/protection less important if skiing off piste/soft snow?
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@Weathercam, Very good points. I wax my board regularly exactly for that reason, but the skis just get once a year, cos I feel I ought to 
What base prep would you recommend for use on the current soft snow & sand combo?
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You know it makes sense.
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| pam w wrote: |
| In most kinds of snow, a couple of runs has the same effect as all that scraping and is a lot less messy. |
I feel that it comes off quicker if you don't scrape and brush, maybe bigger lumps of wax pull off the rest.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@Weathercam, I find that waxing for warm temperatures will be correct most of the time these days. The main French wax manufacturer recently changed their temperature ranges so that they have different waxes for warm and very warm conditions.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Weathercam wrote: |
I love the people that wax their skis way before they set off on holiday, having no idea what the conditions are going to be like?
I have snow-board mates who make a big thing of waxing their boards and then I ask them what temperature wax they used and how do they know what temps will be out where they are going in a month's time
We very rarely wax our skis, for most people skiing they will not notice any major difference, along with scratches in bases.
For snow-boarding it is far more important as it's the flats that get you and with no poles you really strive to get a good gliding board. |
I think this is a bit generalised. The truth it is depends on conditions, type of skiing, and skier. If skiing fast on-piste all my family would notice and care if their skis were not adequately waxed (and edges sharp). They can, and do, notice when the wax has deteriorated. My daughter would notice and care if the wrong wax for the conditions had been used, and not unusual for her to wax a few times on a weeks holiday. If the kids are messing about on side-piste or playing in the park/jumps they would probably not notice or care. Most of the time I use more "universal" oriented wax that will be good enough but not perfect for most conditions likely to be encountered in winter. If I know it will be warm (spring) I will adapt accordingly.
There is a reason that racers are obsessed with ski preparation. It makes a difference for sure and advanced skiers will benefit from having well prepared skis. Add to that some natural competitiveness and sibling rivalry and not surprising that it matters to my lot! To the extent that they notice and tease if someone else's skis are not gliding quite as smoothly as they might!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Weathercam wrote: |
I love the people that wax their skis way before they set off on holiday, having no idea what the conditions are going to be like?...
I have snow-board mates who make a big thing of waxing their boards and then I ask them what temperature wax they used and how do they know what temps will be out where they are going in a month's time |
Perhaps they have worked out why "universal wax" exists? And maybe they're smart enough to simply re-wax when the snow conditions require it?
Getting the wax right, particularly when temperatures are changing, is a small but quite satisfying thing.
So long as I don't have to wait for people with badly prepared gear it's a personal choice thing of course,
but there's a reason heli operators wax boards each and every day.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Weathercam wrote: |
| For snow-boarding it is far more important as it's the flats that get you and with no poles you really strive to get a good gliding board. |
I'd definitely agree with that point - you can certainly tell the difference in how 'grabby' the board can be when you're letting the board run flat-based on a track or trying to carry speed through a flat pitch section.
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@zikomo, all I know from living in the mountains all season long is that the vast majority of people here, unless they are racing don't really bother with waxing.
The only time people might get concerned as to how well their skis are waxed are on flatish chemins/trails if you are obviously a lot slower than others then you might well ask why is that?
As for 85% of the rest of the time skiing then most people are putting turns in to slow down rather than go any faster so wax is not an issue.
Currently friends are reporting porridge on the slopes and chopped up slush as temps are in double figs and no amount of wax is going to help that, it will only help as the groomed piste starts breaking down and getting warmer which might be as a result of sunshine as opposed to temps.
Temps in November/December/January tend to be more consistently colder and I will use a colder wax maybe, though again as I don't ski piste that often it doesn't seem to be so much of a problem.
For sure I might now, if I can be arsed put a wax on for Spring temps but only if I think I'm slow and that's not often the case, like I say 85% of the time I'll be throwing a turn in anyway.
Like I already said, snow-boards are much more susceptible to wax temp issues, but I no longer ride them so have not had the need to experiment, but I do agree with the post where you it's very satisfying to get it right whilst others are resorting to taking their boards off.
And then of course there are XC skis where it's all about the glide. I waxed mine this season and was amazed at the difference, or was that because the temps were that much colder and the piste was Uber fast along with a tail wind 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Weathercam, I don't doubt you for a moment. Just saying it depends on the skier and the type of skiing they are doing. There will be an element that slope time with good snow will definitely be more precious to Scottish skiers, and my lot are both committed and quite advanced skiers. Not sure if we would have a different attitude if we lived in the alps!
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@Weathercam, I know when I was working on snow, I couldn't be bothered to wax my skis very often... And for trips to La Grave and ski touring waxing seemed to be just another job which could be avoided,
These days my plastic skis get waxed every other week (otherwise the base will melt...). On our last trip to Tignes I lent a pair of my SL skis to a resident --- he mentioned about how well they ran.
I always use Universal wax, and brush my skis before snow use.... It seems to me that they run a bit better, and are less prone to damage. OTOH, the rock bashing that they take on a typical off-piste trip (like La Grave) probably makes that point a bit moot.
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@ski, yes I have yet to find a wax that works well with tree stumps
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Yes - at least its not about Covid. Wax, snow tyres, colour of ski boots - bring it on.
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| Weathercam wrote: |
| @ski, yes I have yet to find a wax that works well with tree stumps |
And one for stones, rocks and gravel as well please after 1/2 term in Serre Chevalier...
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FAQ
