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Yea, I'm showing my Noobieness again, but I need advice...


NMU Alpine Boarder

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Ok, I have never owned a "Brand new" board where I actually cared about the base. Should I do anything special as far as the initial waxing goes? Here's what I am thinkin:

1. Apply Base Prep wax, Scrape

2. Apply an All Temp. wax, scrape

3. Apply Temp. specific wax, scrape

Does that sound like a good plan of attack?

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Since the board is brand new, there are a couple things you could do.

Wax, Wax, Wax, and more Wax. I like to use the hardest wax I have, and slowly heat up the board until the wax stays liquid for more than 10 seconds. Try to keep the board in a state of warmness where you let the wax saturate the base. I find that my waxings last longer, and my base becomes harder and much more impervious to whatever hazards lurke on the mountain.

Last time I got a new board I waxed it about 15 times before it ever touched snow. Its still wicked fast and in great shape.

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Guest rick ferguson

Matt D. , That's excessive in "MY" opinion. Wax on a board is like lotion on your skin, Your skin has only so many pores and can only accept so much lotion. Putting on 8hr. sunscreen every 15 minutes isn't going to make you any safer than applying it every hour! Base material can only absorb soo much, also when a board is waxed and scaped, brushed and buffed the amount of wax left is so minimal and most of that is IN the pores of the base. Only a film should be left on, this film DOES NOT protect from scratches due to tree's , rocks or dropping it in the parking lot. Wax a new board 15 times just sounds like you've got a dish of bad advise or am just super pumped and have spare time too burn. Plus how do you know if doing it 15 times makes it that much faster, since it was a new board. Maybe after 2-3 times it would have been the same, maybe it's just a very fast board and you've gotten better at riding faster!:) :) Base density . as far as strengh.is a concern, does nothing to change it to where you can notice it by applying wax. Wax is for sliding, reduction of friction, not for strengh.:) Choices in base material is what helps that!

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Consider getting current stone grind on the base, even though there is one already. A lot of factory stuff is just given the once over for looks, get somebody to give it TLC on a machine. A good stoning will open the base up a little more, helping impregnate with wax easier. This is a good alternative to 15 coats. I only have the attention span for 5 -7 coats.

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Originally posted by Thrillkil

kinda OT, but is teflon spray a practical wax replacement?

One step better would be an idea I wish I had the money to try - a base material that is bonded with an aluminum .063 thick sheet that has been hard anodized and inpregnated with teflon - slick as snot and hard as diamonds. NEVER wax again ;)

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Matt D. , That's excessive in "MY" opinion. Wax on a board is like lotion on your skin, Your skin has only so many pores and can only accept so much lotion. Putting on 8hr. sunscreen every 15 minutes isn't going to make you any safer than applying it every hour! Base material can only absorb soo much, also when a board is waxed and scaped, brushed and buffed the amount of wax left is so minimal and most of that is IN the pores of the base. Only a film should be left on, this film DOES NOT protect from scratches due to tree's , rocks or dropping it in the parking lot. Wax a new board 15 times just sounds like you've got a dish of bad advise or am just super pumped and have spare time too burn. Plus how do you know if doing it 15 times makes it that much faster, since it was a new board. Maybe after 2-3 times it would have been the same, maybe it's just a very fast board and you've gotten better at riding faster! Base density . as far as strengh.is a concern, does nothing to change it to where you can notice it by applying wax. Wax is for sliding, reduction of friction, not for strengh. Choices in base material is what helps that!

Rick... I'm glad you voiced "your" opinion. Doesn't make me wrong though. I received that advice from a former World Cup racer who tuned his own gear. He knows his stuff too. He'll wax a new board over 50 times before it touches snow.

You are correct that you only glide on a thin layer of surface wax, so as far as glide goes its not going to matter a whole bunch.

A sintered base is made by pressing a powder into a solid so it is very pourous. The objective by waxing many times is to fill those pours with a hard wax. When the wax cools the saturated base becomes harder.

I simply offer pieces of advice that I've picked up and have found to be true. If you chose to not believe whatever it is I said thats ok by me, but don't knock it till you try it.

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Guest AlpentalRider

I've heard that same wise tale as well from several sources. One group supposedly did a test by riding 2 identical boards - one waxed 15 times, one waxed 1 time - and seeing which was faster on a run. The results were that the more waxed one was faster.

But this was not a scientifically controlled study and the board could have been faster because the rider had a better run.

Before I believe this story (remember racers are hella superstitious as it is already) I want to see a scientifically proven explanation of how waxing more then a few times improves glide characteristics. If this is really true, it should be very easy to prove it because physics is physics. It's not like there's a mystery to figure out here, we're talking about wax being applied to a base.

So i'm still waiting for a good explanation...

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Guest rick ferguson

Matt D. , I'm talking about measurable results, one racer to a beginner carver? If the poster is asking how to wax a board, how experienced is he? How much harder is the base after a 100 waxing? , that's why I was careful to state "my opinion" If you can tell the difference between 3-4 waxes and 15 on a new board, your a better rider than I. We are talking micro differences at that point, if I was going for olympic gold , MAYBE I'd consider it, but it still sounds like a techy thing to do. I try not to rip on the techy side of things , but I know several and are good friends and I ride with them on boards that I DON"T tune the bases on for 2 years and wax only evert so often, and still blow past them and hold edges just fine, seriously, I have'nt edged my 178 since I've bought it , store it where ever it will fit in my work shop and it keeps up with the best of 'em. So you tell me ! A newbie really needs 15 waxing advise? You sound like you've got good knowledge of things, let's keep it simple. It's easy to substitute ability for equipment failure.

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Argh.... I'm not arguing about the board being that much faster because of many waxings. The main benefit is the harder base takes less damage.

Since when a board is new, it hasn't seen much wax. If you wax it a few times (you don't have to do it 15 times, thats for people like me to do who baby their ish), with a cold hard wax it will take less damage if you hit something. That was my main point all along. OK

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Need to correct a few myths.....

1) Softer paraffin/hydrocarbon waxes (yellow) will penetrate the base better on newer boards than harder plastic waxes..especially if the board has been stone ground. 5-6 layers should do the trick and then you can upgrade to harder waxes.

2) If your iron is smoking, it's too hot

3) Once the wax stays molten on your base, there is NO REASON to continue to wax. Either hot scrape or let stand for an hour if it's your final scrape.

4) Your base should NEVER get hot to the touch. If so, you are causing a change to the internal bonding of the board and risk delamination.

5) Always bring your boards to room temp before waxing, otherwise...consult #4

6) As a general rule of thumb, if you're boarding on 100% man-made snow...wax as if the temps are 15 degrees colder.....as the harder wax stands up better to the brutal man-made stuff.

K

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