Snowboarding :: Tuning Part 4 - Waxing |
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Base Cleaning
Next comes cleaning the base. Scrape the base with your scraper to remove any leftover excess wax. Use your metal scraper on any scratches with plastic burrs.
Make sure you're working in a well-ventilated area while using the base cleaner. At least open a window or door.
Use your base cleaner to wet the base, then rub it off with a rag. Repeat if necessary.
Let the base dry for about half an hour. Expect the base to be whitish in appearance.
Waxing
 | OK, the edges are sharp and the base is clean. Time for some fresh wax. I personally subscribe to the crayon method of applying wax as it's easy, and minimizes waste and scraping later. Usually I'll rub the wax on first to get good even coverage, then evenly drip just a little additional wax on top of that by holding the wax to the iron. Some references will tell you to only drip wax on, then spread it around with the iron. I find that way less precise in the amount of wax used, and don't like the idea of dry iron to base contact until the wax is fully spread around. |
 | You should have two types of wax on hand. Hard(cold) wax for along the sides which tend to lose wax first, and all-condition wax for the rest. Rub your hard wax along about an inch wide strip on both sides. Rub the all condition wax over the rest if the board. You can only rub-on so much wax before it's covered nicely. |
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Using your iron, move it back and forth over an area until the wax melts then move on. Using the crayon method you don't have to worry too much about overheating your base providing your iron is set at an appropriate temperature (i.e. your wax isn't smoking). If you don't think you rubbed enough wax on, you can drip some more on by holding the wax to your iron which is held vertically. Be careful as accidentally dripping hot wax onto your fingers, or touching the iron isn't fun. Let the wax harden for half an hour or so. |
Scraping
 | Time to scrape off the excess wax. The wax you want is impregnated into the base, everything else is excess. Scrape from tip to tail until you're no longer removing any significant amount of wax. |
Restructuring
 | Buff the base length-wise tip to tail with a scotch-brite pad to restore some base structure, or a course brush if you have pronounced base grooves. |
Tuning Articles
Part 1 - Post Ride
Part 2 - Work Area
Part 3 - Edge Sharpening
Part 4 - Waxing
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