AK in PA Posted February 6, 2004 Report Share Posted February 6, 2004 Anyone know what solvent is used in wax remover/base cleaner? I'd like to use one of the common solvents in my shop... mineral spirits, turpentine, laquer thinner, acetone, denatured alcohol, etc.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maciek Posted February 6, 2004 Report Share Posted February 6, 2004 Be careful with it as it dries out base. That is permanent damage to the board. I tried my skills of base maintenance in the past (when I was just a beginner) and I have one such board as a result of base cleaner application. What you should do is rather wax it with cheap wax and scrape all dirt with that wax. Then wax it again with proper wax as usually. It takes a bit longer but guarantees that base will not get damaged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted February 6, 2004 Report Share Posted February 6, 2004 Maciek's got it right. Wax with a cheap all purpose wax and then scrape it off when it is still warm and soft. This will pull most of the old wax and dirt off the board and out of the p-tex pores. If you must use a base cleaner the best thing is to use a citrus solvent. Don't let it sit on the base very long and make sure you get it all off. If it does dry out your base you may be able to get a stone grind and get rid of the dry p-tex, but only if it wasn't damaged too bad. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjl Posted February 6, 2004 Report Share Posted February 6, 2004 Really? I've always used base cleaner, pressed out all the gunk, wiped the base dry, let the small amount left evaporate out over 5 or so minutes, and then applied fresh wax on top of that. Is that a really bad thing to do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Donnelly Posted February 6, 2004 Report Share Posted February 6, 2004 From Tognar.com Hot wax your bases clean using a soft, warm temperature wax. Then wipe off the base while the wax is still liquefied or warm using a plastic wax scraper. Repeat this procedure several times to completely flush out dirt and contaminants from the base. To finish this process, leave the final wax layer to cool for 20-30 minutes, then scrape off excess with a plastic scraper. Brush out the base structure and you're ready for the application of your wax of the day. If you suspect oily contaminants in the base, you may need to use some wax remover to initially dissolve the residue...and then recondition the base using the hot scrape technique above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjl Posted February 6, 2004 Report Share Posted February 6, 2004 So, should I do this warm-wax + scrape procedure every time I wax the board (approx every 2 riding days), or should I just add new wax each time and do a warm-wax scrape every once in a while (like every 10 or 20 riding days)? I'm more interested in the long life of my board than in anything else. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted February 6, 2004 Report Share Posted February 6, 2004 I had a base go bad on me due to too much cleaning w/ citrus. It was a Burton Supermodel. It definitley got brittle and also it was really hard to get a ptex repair to hold. I've yet to see any damage from hot-scraping. I tend to only do it when the board appear to need it - if the base is dirty, or if I see wax caked up under the bindings for example (meaning I didn't scrape well enough last time). I generally do a regular wax job each tie out - I too find it relaxing and satisfting work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonerider Posted February 6, 2004 Report Share Posted February 6, 2004 Originally posted by Mike T I had a base go bad on me due to too much cleaning w/ citrus. It was a Burton Supermodel. It definitley got brittle and also it was really hard to get a ptex repair to hold. I've yet to see any damage from hot-scraping. I tend to only do it when the board appear to need it - if the base is dirty, or if I see wax caked up under the bindings for example (meaning I didn't scrape well enough last time). I generally do a regular wax job each tie out - I too find it relaxing and satisfting work. Why do your board after every single day of riding? Is it more of a ritual thing (to relax you like you said) or do you find that the wax is scrapping off extra quickly and you need the extra speed? I definitely noticed my base drying out at Mt.Hood, but I figure it was because of the corn snow and all the salt they used during the summer months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maciek Posted February 7, 2004 Report Share Posted February 7, 2004 Originally posted by Kent Mike - Not sure if you were replying to my post, but I never said anything was bad about scraping. The bad part is heating up your board all the time. Boards are held together with epoxy WILL separate when exposed to extreme heat. Hyperwaxing simply increases the likelihood of this happening. A citris cleaner will not (or shouldn't) dry like acetone or mineral spirits. But, it does leave a slimey residue in which you'll need plenty of fibrelene to clean off. (I use shop towels). I imagine your base issue was due to conditions at your hill. Fake snow (with contains a lot of minerals) and hills with a lot of salt certainly dry up your base faster..... Actually citris cleaner will dry P-Tex and that's the reason to damage. Even if the cleaner will not dry out itslef, it triggers process in P-Tex (just like saltor rice that absorbs water). That slimey residue does not help much. When you wipe it you will see for yourself. If you use wax on board then usual snow (including man-made) as well as salt will not damage your base. That is rather base cleaner that will make damage in 20-30 minutes. I do not know what you mean by fake snow, but I ride 80% of my snowboarding time on man-made snow and salty New Jersey conditions. No harm made by these to any of my boards... except occasional damages from rocks. Heating and waxing can damage, but that means that you have problems with temperature of your iron and time that you apply heat to the board. Too long kept iron in one place will definitely do the harm. Apparently some of us still need practicing hot waxing ;) How do your shirts and pants look like after ironing? Do you iron them yourself? That can help to understand how P-tex could be damaged. The best lesson is to get that fancy burn pattern on chest of a business shirt :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted February 7, 2004 Report Share Posted February 7, 2004 Originally posted by lonerider Why do your board after every single day of riding? Is it more of a ritual thing (to relax you like you said) or do you find that the wax is scrapping off extra quickly and you need the extra speed? I definitely noticed my base drying out at Mt.Hood, but I figure it was because of the corn snow and all the salt they used during the summer months. I guess I don't wax *every* time, just most times. And we get enough warm afternoons at Hood that more often than not, the board culd use a wax job. There's a couple of flats at MHM (Express->Shooting Star) where your wax job makes al the difference! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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