 Poster: A snowHead
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I've read the postings on removing rust but didn't find anything about preventing it. Our skis spend the summer with storage wax applied and get to the resort OK. The problem is getting home. I take a brush and remove all visible snow. I stand them up to dry somewhere warm and dry. I turn them over to let water run out of the bindings in the other direction. I dry them off with towel or lots off paper. I put on some Notwax. They go into the bags, onto the coach, onto the plane. When I get home there's rust on the edges and I get out then files. Mrs Moondog suggests vaseline. Does anybody have the definitive solution? 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I think it's difficult if flying, you're doing all the right things. One other thing to try if you have room is to not clip them together, they usually rust worst where they touch. When driving mine never rust, drying them, leaving them unclipped and leaving the bag open.
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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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Just don't worry about it?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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My dad told me that to prevent rust he used to put vaseline on the edges before storing his skis, because that is what other skiers told him to do. So Mrs Moondog deserves a prize.
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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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Do NOT put vaseline on edges - it's oil based & will get in to base adjacent to the edge & stop wax absorption - & a hot scrape clean won't get it out. Had a customer ruin a pair of skis this way although they were pretty smothered in the stuff.
They can get rusty in transit from condensation in the bag caused from being in the cold hold of the plane etc. Breathable bag is good but I'd recommend taking an oxo cube size piece of wax with you to lightly rub down the edges before packing.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Many thanks for the correct information spyderjon.
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Zardos Notwax is good for preventing rust too. Just wipe it on the edges before packing.
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Make sure they're dry before you pack?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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A simple solution for closed bags is to stick in some of the absorbant gel packs you get in boxes of trainers. Stick them in the oven on a lowish heat for half an hour then bung them in the bag and zip it up - should suck up all the loose moisture after you've done all of the above (bar the vaseline).
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| Moondog wrote: |
| When I get home there's rust on the edges and I get out then files. |
Taking a file to a dusting of very superficial rust seems like overkill. It won't get worse if you're storing the skis somewhere warm and dry, and it'll vanish the first time you take em out on the snow.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Maybe one day ski's will get stainless steel edges?
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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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A quick investigation shows that none of my machine tooling or handtools have stainless cutting edges. I'm assuming there's a good reason for this 
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Split1950, I hope not. It'd be tricky changing the bevels.
If you don't like the look of the rust, a gummy stone or stiff base brush will make short work of it.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Serriadh wrote: |
| A quick investigation shows that none of my machine tooling or handtools have stainless cutting edges. I'm assuming there's a good reason for this |
Indeed. Stainless doesn't keep a sharp edge very well compared with carbon steel, as stainless isn't as hard. (It can be made a lot harder with some very fancy, expensive alloying elements. Ah yes, stainless is also rather more expensive than ordinary steel; your skis will be going up in price too...)
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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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Serriadh,
Yes. Stainless steel although tough (note the correct use of the word) isn't hard.
I think your edges need a wipe over with a product called "ManUp". Its available at most major outlets.
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Poster: A snowHead
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homers double, I need a large jar! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I am sure they make enough profit on each pair of skis to pony up for a bit of material a bit more fancy..... 
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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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I think TI has been considered to make equipment lighter but stainless is probably a no-go.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Moondog wrote: |
| I've read the postings on removing rust but didn't find anything about preventing it. Our skis spend the summer with storage wax applied and get to the resort OK. The problem is getting home. I take a brush and remove all visible snow. I stand them up to dry somewhere warm and dry. I turn them over to let water run out of the bindings in the other direction. I dry them off with towel or lots off paper. I put on some Notwax. They go into the bags, onto the coach, onto the plane. When I get home there's rust on the edges and I get out then files. Mrs Moondog suggests vaseline. Does anybody have the definitive solution? |
Last day of skiing go to shop and have storage wax applied that evening. Collect in morning. Return home.
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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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Considering some of better hockey skates actually have stainless steel blades (at least my Easton has), I would assume it would do just fine also for ski edges. But if they can save another 50cents/pair, why not
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Skies rust more when the edges are in contact.
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| Split1950 wrote: |
| Maybe one day ski's will get stainless steel edges? |
Burton make a snowboard with stainless steel edges.
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| primoz wrote: |
| Considering some of better hockey skates actually have stainless steel blades (at least my Easton has), I would assume it would do just fine also for ski edges. But if they can save another 50cents/pair, why not |
Different set of engineering problems though, innit? Ski edges are a fair bit thinner and more flexible than the business edge of skates.
It'll be a bit more than 50 cents, because stainless steel is a bit of a pain to machine and it is quite possible you can just feed a wad of it into a ski-edge-making device designed to work with other grades of steel. There have been, and will always be some pretty daft skis out on the market... yet they're not using stainless steel or titanium either. This suggests to me that it isn't about money, because otherwise stainless edges would be offered by crazy expensive custom ski manufacturers like Wagner who are happy enough to use the best stuff, money-no-object, everywhere else.
Seriously. Its a tiny amount of superficial rust, unless you keep them outdoors over the summer. There's no problem requiring a solution here.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Quote: |
Different set of engineering problems though, innit?
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I think it because skate edges are fixed and thick and the edges on skis ae thin and have to be bent into shape (it would be easier to do so for a snowboard) I suspect when the edges are being shaped, stainless would be more difficult to work and fix in place (i.e. the epoxy prob doesn't work as well on stainless for obvious reasons). Also it's a known fact in the knife world that stainless does not hold an edge as well as carbon steel - it's the trade off you make for sea rated knives where stainless is pretty useful. Even so, you can get yacht knives that are not stainless as some sailors prefer carbon steel. It's also not easy to sharpen stainless blades.
And don't forget built in obselescence - the nice manufactuers want you to buy skis, not keep the same ones forever ....
I think the issue of rusting is something that one should be aware of simply because the area we are discussing is so small and thin. Surface rust is not an issue but I've had pitting in edges due to some localised flooding that needed some pretty aggressive work to remove - that's not good for the ski's life.
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OP - do you iron your boxer shorts?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Often times ski edges will have striations from the edge grinder, or file marks (or sometimes both). These are magnets for moisture leading to rust as are burrs and dings. As far as prevention goes, polishing the edges with a fine diamond or ceramic stone to remove the striations or file marks after removing any burrs and smoothing out or removing any dings will usually solve the rust problem or greatly minimize it. Since the rust tends to show up a lot on the base edges, you want to be careful not to overdo your base edge polishing if using a diamond stone and end up with a new set of base bevels. The side edges are much easier to address with the help of any decent side edge bevel tool. Once the edges have been polished to remove striations and file marks your rust prevention program is complete other than addressing any burrs or dings that develop.
If you are disinclined to do the work yourself, take your skis to a reputable shop and ask them to do it.
I agree with others who note that long as the rust is not allowed to progress to the point of pitting the edges, removing fine surface rust can be easily done with gummi stone. Pitting takes time to develop. During the season it should not be an issue if the skis are being used. However, depending on the humidity where the skis are stored during the off season or whether the skis have been used on salted runs without having been thoroughly washed down afterwards, edges will eventually become pitted which involves a more work and the removal of edge material to the depth of the pitting.
Fischer skis used a laser process some years ago to create a harder "Fischer plasma edge" on some of the skis in its lineup that were most likely to be purchased by customers not likely to be dedicated to regularly maintaining there skis. Basically, the result of the process was to harden the exterior surface where the side and base edges meet and make it more resistant to damage. It was much more resistant but not impervious. Ski tuners complained loudly that the edges were too difficult to work on with conventional shop tools and Fischer quietly abandoned the "Plasma Edge" after several seasons.
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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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It's surprising how quickly rust will develop. For example driving from one resort to another after riding in an evening will do it. The solution is simple:
Take small block of old iron-on wax in your bag.
When done riding, run old wax block over complete metal edges of board.
Chuck board in bag => job done.
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Waxing along the edges can be a very good rust preventative for skis in transit. Just make sure that you are sealing any moisture out and not in. Moisture that reaches the edges and remains for any length of time will hasten the formation of rust. In the Pacific Northwest in the USA, where a majority of the ski areas are commuter resorts, rust starting to form on ski edges even on the hour or two commute home is a common complaint usually traceable to grinder striations or file marks or ski edges with a lot of dings and burrs usually the result early season skiing. Although it involves some extra work initially, polishing your skis edges after a grind or file work has provided the best long term preventative solution that I've found.
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You know it makes sense.
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Thanks for the advice,guys. I think that I need to make more of an effort to get moisture out of the bindings before packing. Stand the skis both ways up for some time, for a start. Maybe on their sides as well.
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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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Just back and comparative success. My skis are rust free and my wife's have only a little rust. As Scarpa advised, I kept the edges apart (using bits of silicon kithen mat). I also made more of an effort to get the water out of the bindings, stood them on the tips, on the tails on the sides etc. Thanks for the advice. 
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Poster: A snowHead
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As philwig said, I just use an old bit of ski wax and run the wax over the edges once the skis are dry. It's worked for the last 8 years for me. I also do the same at the end of the season after they've had storage prep.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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*GT85?
*Disclaimer: I spray this on everything. I once sprayed some on my mountain bike disc rotors. I learned a valuable lesson about friction that 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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justatheory, bad man - DO NOT spray that on your skis, it'll get absobed with nasty consequences. If you have to use something like it what's wrong with fluro spray on wax??
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