snowboardfast Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 Is it possible to make your own hot box to wax your boards with and is it easy to do and are there plans available to do this?Is using a hot box way better than just regular waxing with an iron? I seem to have to wax my board a lot because the wax wears off quickly although maybe with a hotbox it would last a litle bit longer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Tat Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 Is it possible to make your own hot box to wax your boards with and is it easy to do and are there plans available to do this?Is using a hot box way better than just regular waxing with an iron? I seem to have to wax my board a lot because the wax wears off quickly although maybe with a hotbox it would last a litle bit longer? Try here http://lmgtfy.com/?q=How+to+build+a+ski+hot+box Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEJ Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 Great link Puddy Tat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowboardfast Posted June 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 Thank you for the info. Idid a quick look at this and I am not sure about this as it all pertains to skis and not snowboards and 1 article said you could ruin your skis and the same article also said that it is not a replacement for prepping your skis for the weekend. I would want to know exactly how to do this for a snowboard before I went to the effort? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.Nash Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 If you don't know what your doing you can burn you house or garage down very quick. This past season a person in tahoe melted a bunch of friends race skis and almost lost there house (oh and he had to replace all his friends skis) . I don't recomend hot boxing unless you fully understand what your doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Tat Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 From Tognar, which has a ton of info on waxing and tuning of alpine and nordic equipment. They indicate that hot boxing is used in epoxy repairs and also during normal waxing. They suggest that After hot waxing, leave gear in the box 15-20 minutes to allow the base to absorb as much wax as possible before you remove and let the skis/board cool before final scraping and brushing. I looked into building one of these a while back, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Cheers, Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Tat Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 If you don't know what your doing you can burn you house or garage down very quick. This past season a person in tahoe melted a bunch of friends race skis and almost lost there house (oh and he had to replace all his friends skis) . I don't recomend hot boxing unless you fully understand what your doing. I think this goes for electrical work in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowboardfast Posted June 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 Of course you can buy a hotbox ready to go for the affordable price of 1200.00. NOT! I doubt I will be doing this? It seems eaiser to just use an iron unless someone can show me some good plans and easy to build? Also explain why it is WAY BETTER? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.Nash Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 I think this goes for electrical work in general. There is alot more to it than just electrical work. The big thing is temp control and lenght of time for each wax cycle depending on how hard or soft the wax and cooling fans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Tat Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 There is alot more to it than just electrical work. The big thing is temp control and lenght of time for each wax cycle depending on how hard or soft the wax and cooling fans. The temperature control, fans and the required surrounding safety circuitry are all part of the electrical work on your box. Designing and building the hot box using failure assumptions so that you know how the system will react should a temperature sensor, fan or other system fail is also part of the electrical work. Also designing such that there aren't heat accumulations in areas of the box are part of the design and testing of the box prior to sticking an expensive ski into it. That being said a timer, heat source, thermostat, temperature sensor(s), fans and appropriate safety circuits isn't overly complex to set up. Wax cycle times at appropriate ambient temperatures are I assume available somewhere, likely from the wax manufacturer and aren't safety critical, though they are more critical to performance of the board. Intuitively one would guess that a hard wax at room temperature likely has a higher melting point and would probably require a longer cycle time in the box to allow it to soak into the base. Personally I don't think this part of it is rocket science. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b0ardski Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 DIY: Build a Wax Box With tips from Nathan Schultz. email print share comment related tags: DIY / Maintenance Enlarge Photo Share To make skis hold wax longer, you’ll want to build a wax box, or hot box*, which is an oven to bake your boards in. The dry, consistent heat opens up your bases’ pores†, allowing better wax penetration than you’d get with an iron. To generate heat, you’ll need a 120-volt space heater or a low-profile baseboard heater (about $65), preferably one with a reliable thermostat and timer—otherwise, buy them separately (about $20 each). Get two compact floor fans with four-inch blades (about $25 each). You can find these items at an industrial-supply store like Grainger (http://grainger.com). The box itself should be compact: a touch longer than your skis and tall and wide enough to hold the fans, heater, and skis. Make it out of wood lined with that silver, space-blanket-like foam insulating material, available at places like Home Depot. Use hinges to allow the box to open from either the top or side. Position the heater in the middle of the box floor, with the elements facing up. Place a fan on both sides of the heater to blow and suck air. This will create a convection current of hot air circulating throughout the box. Place a heat shield—a piece of thin sheet metal—a few inches above the heater with enough room for air to move freely. You want a deflector to keep the heat even throughout the box. One way to support the shield is to put four long bolts through the bottom corners of the box. Use metal shelving brackets to hold your skis six inches above the metal plate. It’s OK to stack more brackets for more skis above. Be sure to set the box away from walls and on a nonflammable surface like concrete. For added safety, you can use bolts drilled into the floor to hold the box off the ground. Or install a backup control to switch the heater off if the box gets too hot. Use an iron to melt wax onto your bases. Then cook ’em up at about 125 degrees Fahrenheit for four to eight hours for maximum saturation. With harder waxes, you can go up to 140 degrees for no more than two hours. Nathan Schultz, a cross-country ski racer and owner of Boulder Nordic Sport, has baked more than 3,000 pairs of skis in his shop’s hot box. His is an industrial jobbie that can hold 80 pairs at once. If you don’t want to build your own, he’ll cook your boards for less than $30 (http://bouldernordicsport.com). *Skiing’s use of the term “hot box” is not an endorsement of hotboxing your parents’ Camry. †Skiing does not recommend the use of a hot box for deep-pore facial cleanses. - SKIING MAGAZINE, JANUARY 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobD Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 I haven't built one yet, but I'm thinking about using tin HVAC duct for the box, maybe 12"x12". End caps are available, and can be hinged. The heat source would be outside the box with the hot air being ducted into the box. A baffle would even out heat distribution. Heat source would be an old fashioned metal case fan heater which could be screwed to the manifold. Very little to catch fire, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Tat Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 Then cook ’em up at about 125 degrees Fahrenheit for four to eight hours for maximum saturation. With harder waxes, you can go up to 140 degrees for no more than two hours. Interesting I was right with regards to temperature being higher but off with regards to time being longer for harder waxes. Feels a little counter-intuitive but maybe you start getting into temperatures that could affect the equipment you are boxing? Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Race_Carver Posted June 6, 2011 Report Share Posted June 6, 2011 Hot Boxing only has any benefit for alpine equipment if you are talking about speed skis for SuperG or Downhill events. Speed event skis spend much more time gliding flat on the snow than turning. I don't know anyone, including tuners at the World Cup level that hot box technical event skis for Slalom or GS events. Alpine snowboards are much more similar to tech event skis in construction and use (lots of turns being made). You really need to be careful with hot boxing. If the box gets too hot, it is very easy to overheat the epoxy and delaminate the equipment. Mike DeSantis doesn't suggest hot boxing alpine equipment (skis or boards) at all, with the exception of speed event skis used in serious competition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowboardfast Posted June 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2011 Thank you for all of the replies. I did not think hotboxing was such a good idea before I started this thread but I wanted to see what others thought about it or if they were doing it. I am concerned about overheating a board with a hot box and don't feel qulified to build one that would be precise enough to avoid a problem. Hotwaxing with an iron is not a big deal. Thank you for the info Race carver about the specific reasons for hot boxing and why it is not a good idea for alpine snowboards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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