Waxing, Opinions?

[Hindfoot]

With zero snow on our local high elevation ski back country within a 4-5 hour drive, but some precipitation, liquid or solid, possibly on the way, thoughts turn to waxing skis. It seemed somehow wrong to work on prepping my skis with no relief in sight for our endless clear weather; bad juju or something. As I was waxing two of my pairs yesterday, an old question arose and I knew there might be diverse opinions here about the best answer. Does it matter which direction you iron the melting wax onto your skis, and does it matter in which direction you scrape off the excess?

[airinwrite]

No. For Real?

[MattB]

[Greg]

Scrape and brush tip to tail. I don't think it matters which way you iron in the wax, although tip to tail is customary.

(It may well not matter which way you scrape and brush - especially on anything other than nordic race skis - it is a strict rule in wax rooms to scrape and brush tip to tail.)

[airinwrite]

Why would it possibly matter? After you scrape/brush/buff they are smooth. It's not like you're prepping/structuring the bases and raising hairs.

[aqua toque]

Ever tried it wiggly?

[whitehonky]

Ever tried it wiggly?

Yes...........

[aqua toque]

Yes...........

Did it have the desired effect?

[Baaahb]

Why would it possibly matter? After you scrape/brush/buff they are smooth. It's not like you're prepping/structuring the bases and raising hairs.

Smooth is, apparently, a relative concept.

[dschane]

Scrape and brush tip to tail. I don't think it matters which way you iron in the wax

This is what I was told when I first began doing it. Whether it matters, I can't say. I also wax my skis once a year b/c I'm not convinced it makes that much of a difference for any terrain that's not flattish or a race track.

[airinwrite]

It certainly makes a difference at temperature extremes to wax appropriately.

[Tele 'til You're Smelly]

It certainly makes a difference at temperature extremes to wax appropriately.

Agreed. At someone's suggestion here or on Teletips, this year I've just been cold rubbing the wax in then brushing instead of hot waxing- quicker, cheaper, no mess and seems to work great.

[Hindfoot]

Agreed. At someone's suggestion here or on Teletips, this year I've just been cold rubbing the wax in then brushing instead of hot waxing- quicker, cheaper, no mess and seems to work great.

Ah, but which direction do you brush? Also, what kind of brush?

[airinwrite]

I use a stiff nylon brush from Ace. I brush back and forth, usually starting at the tip. I finish by buffing with one of those micro fiber cloths from Dollar Tree.

[Hindfoot]

A few months ago, when it looked like we might actually have normal amounts of snow this winter I bought a fancy Swix metal bristled brush, steel bristles, I think. Assume this is for conditioning the p-tex, but now I'm not sure. I've always just hot waxed and scraped them until no more wax comes off, to prevent contaminating my skin glue with wax. Figured the snow would put the finishing touches on the wax. What are you supposed to do with the steel bristle brush? Looks like it could be damaging if used wrong.