Wax Question

[JGF]

I don't know much about ski wax...

I bought some skis recently, and while they were never used.., they do have a thick-ish layer of wax on the base. I am guessing it was for summer storage.

I am thinking I need to remove this wax. The skis came with new skins that are not cut to fit the skis, and in getting ready to trim them i noticed that the skins don't really stick to this wax.

I bought a (plastic) scraper and a brass brush - are these the right tools?

What I am planning to do.., is to just scrape the wax off, and brush the bases with the brush. Does that sound right?

Is there anything else i will need to do to get the skins to stick?

My only other skis with skins are Fischers with the short skins. I bought them from a store, they had no wax, and the skins stuck fine from day one.

[Woodserson]

Are these downhill skis? Or are they XC skis and if so are they waxless (they have scales on the bottom?) or are they wax skis (which require grip wax)?

If they are downhill skis with storage wax you should scrape it off with a heavy plastic scraper. Apply new wax, scrape, and then brush. There are lots of glide wax tutorials online. You can go basic with an all-temperature wax, or get more specific with temperature waxes. You will want to learn how to glide wax your skis. It's easy and improves your experience tenfold.

If they are wax XC skis and covered in gooey grip wax it will be a little bit more involved. Let us know!

[JGF]

They are AT skis.
no pattern...
The wax is not sticky - the skins won't stick to it.

i am planning use them in more of an XCD role than a skin-up, ski-down role. I was planning to get skis with a pattern (voile objective BC), but i found these (Salomon Mtn explore 88) mounted with the bindings i was already planning to get, at the right BSL, and skins.., all unused.., for less than the cost of the bindings - local guy just wanted to get rid of them.

I will probably still get the objective BC's and swap the bindings over at some point.., or maybe just get new bindings and keep this set up as is.

i have Fischer S-Bound 98 with 3-pin bindings also for real XCD - i am kind of experimenting with gear to see what i like...

anyway - after i scrape the "storage" wax off, and brush them.., you are suggesting more wax - what kind of wax should i put on them? will my skins stick to that wax?
thanks

[Woodserson]

Skins shouldn't stick too hard to the ski, you're looking for a tacky connection to the ski, not a full on glue where you're struggling to pull the skin off the ski... that's a problem. If it's not sticking AT ALL then it could be the skin, does it stick differently on your other skis glide section (not the scales)?

Back to the beginning... scrape the wax off, consider cleaning the base with a wax remover in case previous owner used something weird, then wax again with ski wax. Scrape, brush, clean up the loose wax dust so you don't contaminate the glue, and the skins should stick to it.

https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice ... board.html

Example of universal wax:
https://www.rei.com/product/777576/swix ... rature-wax

[Cannatonic]

you won't be able to scrape all the wax off - you need to use wax remover/cleaner. I've got a bottle of the Swix stuff, it works well, you can also just buy Goo Gone or another citrus solvent cleaner and use that.

[JGF]

[quote="Woodserson"then wax again with ski wax. [/quote]

is the Swix F4 worth using? that's pretty much all i have ever used - i have it in a deodorant container, and i think it was also called F4, but it was a paste in a little tin.

thanks

[phoenix]

F4 is a glide "wax"... just a paste really... particularly for warmer and/or wetter snow. I wouldn't want to put skins over it. And I wouldn't use it in cold temps.