 Poster: A snowHead
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A question which is best aimed at spyderjon and other ski tuning whizzes
What is the best way to sort out minor scrapes and gauges on ski bases - by minor I mean those that don't need the use of candles to fix, but are deep enough to not be 'repaired' through a usual coat of wax and scrape
Let me explain more. Most of my skiing is on plastic and invariably you end up with scrapes and gauges where you've caught the edge of a mat, something that's sticking up, etc. If the damage is not too deep, 9 times out of 10 a wax and scrape will make good the damage and things are back to normal
In the last couple of waxes I've spotted deeper scores which don't necessary get filled by a 'normal' wax and scrape. What should I do with these areas? - in the past I've just laid down more wax in these areas or even gone over this area once (wax and scrape) and then a second time when I waxed the base of the skis as a whole
Am I on the right lines (doing the above) or are they any tricks of the trade that will help?
I use the hard PolarX wax but can I fill the scrapes and gauges with a softer wax and then go over with PolarX?
Any thoughts, hints, tips as always much appreciated
Thanks a bunch!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Sleipnir, on plastic, don't bother as pretty much nothing will stick in. Whatever wax you put on will be pulled off in about 3 runs. PTex may last about an hour, if you're lucky. If the gouges are deep then Metalgrip (a sort of heavy duty Ptex, needs a gas soldering iron type thing to get it on though) does stick in - my patches tend to last several dozen sessions but will need redoing in time. The only other thing that really works is araldite (although it's not particularly slippery). But in general - don't worry about it (you should see my bases). Only thing to do is to make sure that any exposed lips/swarf are cut off to avoid any further catching. The inability to make sensible repairs is which I don't take skis for plastic onto snow, as you're likely to get bigger divots from rocks/stones in snow, which will wreck them for plastic. Plastic wears edges more rapidly, but repairs work for snow whereas they don't really for plastic.
If you want some Metalgrip I've got a great roll of it, more than I'll ever use - PM me your address and I can send you some.
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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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Sleipnir, if PolarX is coming out, then a softer wax would disappear even faster. I think you might be asking after Toko Repair Powder or a similar product.
There's a bit of a knack and hassle to using the TRP: the base being repaired needs to be very clean (can't avoid using base cleaner here) and the heat very precise to avoid singeing the rest of the good ptex.
I confess I don't bother with it and just use a base repair pistol.
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Sleipnir, Wot GrahamN, sez. Keep the edges sharp. If you have access to a base grinder, a light grind every now and then (I do mine probably once a year - based on a couple of hours use a week) will keep the bases flat.
Waxing won't 'repair' the scratches - all that happens is that the scratch is filled with wax. If you fill them with softer wax (even with POLAR-X) on the top all that will happen is that the wax will melt out sooner.
You don't need to scrape off too much wax for plastic - the more wax to wear off on the slope (assuming you skis are running nicely) the better.
The scratches most likely are caused by the wires used to tie the mats together, or (worse still) bare matting - someone at the slope isn't being tidy enough !
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