Ski Tuning 101 Presents:

Ski Waxing Irons – a mini review
02/23/2010


This is a “mini” review because I will only be talking about two different irons and a couple of accessories. There are quite obviously dozens of ski tuning irons on the market, from a variety of manufacturers, but the two reviewed here are two of the most popular in the Swix lineup.

 
Further, www.ARTECHSKI.com believes that these two irons best represent the Ski Tuning 101 community, which is why they sent them my way for review.

And if you are wondering, yes, I will also be talking about off-the-shelf clothes irons.



This is a great no-nonsense waxing iron. It is inexpensive, easy to use, and the only moving part is an adjustable temperature dial.


I tested this iron out and was pleased with the results. It was wide enough to accommodate my mid-fat skis (100mm underfoot).


Like every iron I have ever used, the cord is too short. This is not a complaint specific to this iron, but ski irons in general. The cord is maybe ~2 feet longer than my skis (183cm) so an extension cord is almost always needed.

This is my personal favorite iron. I have been using this model for more than five years, and love everything about it. It is sturdy and has a good weight to it, which makes the waxing process smoother than when using lighter irons.


The clip in front is used to hold a strip of fiberlene paper. Fiberlene is used between the base of the iron, and on top of the wax layer on the ski. It is used to prevent burning the base of the ski at higher iron temperatures, such as when using cold temperature wax, like Swix CH4 or CH6. It also helps soak up excess wax, preventing it from dripping off the ski into the bindings, or onto the floor. Alternatively, fiberlene allows you to use less wax without risking a burned base. This is useful if you are using expensive race wax, and do not want to waste it. You can buy small, medium or large rolls of fiberlene here: Small, Medium, Large.

I also like the temperature dial on this iron. The dials reads in Celsius, but it also has markers for Swix’s most popular waxes. So if you have a stick of CH8 wax, you just turn the dial to CH8 and the iron will produce the ideal temperature for melting that particular wax.


Another useful item that ARTECH sent to me is the Swix Wax Metal Iron Holder, which sells for $25. I was skeptical of this item at first; it looked gimmicky, and seemed expensive for a piece of bent steel wire. That said, now that I have used it, I couldn’t imagine working without one again. It is a simple tool, but it prevents me from knocking the iron off my tuning table, or from just tipping the iron onto its hot surface. It is also useful for letting the iron cool down after waxing, without having to worry about it starting a fire. Maybe I am just paranoid, or clumsy, but this simple product is now on my must-have list.

Here is what the holder looks like without an iron:



On clothes irons:

It’s been awhile since I’ve used a clothes iron as a waxing iron, and now that I have seen the light of real waxing irons, I definitely would not advocate using a regular clothes iron. That said, I know that a lot of you are not going to spend the money on a legitimate waxing iron, so in the spirit of this blog and in the spirit of saving money, I will give some advice regarding clothes irons as ski waxing irons.

When you get down to it, clothes irons and waxing irons are just heated metal plates. Wax melts at a certain temperature. Apply wax to heated surface; melt into ski base, and voila!

The problems arise when you look at what clothes irons were designed to do. They were designed to de-wrinkle clothing, and the best way to do that is with heat and steam. To accommodate steam, clothes irons have holes punched in the metal base. This is bad news for waxing, because the wax will clog those holes, causing the wax to burn, and doing unknown damage to the iron. Burned wax is not good for skis. The holes also have the potential to collect dirt, which could easily be melted into the ski, or even scratch the base of the ski.

Secondly, clothes irons are flat all around, whereas waxing irons are curved up on tip and tail, as well as on the sides. Thus, the clothes iron will plow the wax out of the way rather than allowing it to move under the metal plate and melt into the ski base. You also run the risk of scratching the base of the ski, which I have done in the past.

Overall, I highly recommend buying a dedicated waxing iron. If you don’t, follow these tips for the best results with clothes irons:
1. Remove ALL water from the iron
2. Make sure the surface of the iron is completely clean of any debris
3. Know that scratches on the iron surface will translate to scratches on the ski base
4. Adjust iron temperature so it is just hot enough to melt the wax; any higher will burn the wax and ski base
5. Never use the iron for clothes again!
 
Wax:
I use Swix wax, but have nothing against any of the other brands. I am just used to their temperature coding method, so it keeps things simple. ARTECH has a huge selection of Swix wax. For a basic waxing kit, I would recommend a bar of CH7 or CH8 for your everyday wax. For spring, go with the CH10. CH10 is also a good cleaning and storage wax. If you ski on particularly hard or icy snow, the CH6 or CH4 are good to have, but they can be a struggle to melt and scrape. The 60g Swix packs should last you 3 rounds of waxing, so I always buy the 180g bulk packs of wax. For only a few dollars more, you will get a seasons worth of wax: CH7 - 180g, CH8 - 180g, CH10 - 180g.

Ski Tuning 101 Presents:

Base Edge File Guides - Review
02/03/2010

This is the big one! The “Sharpening the Base Edge” photo guide is the most popular page on this blog (other than the homepage of course) so without further ado, I present my Base Edge Guide Review.


For this review, ARTECH sent along four of the most popular tools for base edge sharpening. The FK SKS Base File Guide ($9), the BEAST Base Beveler ($20), the Swix Base Beveler ($30) and the Toko Adjustable Base Edge File Guide ($48)


For those of you just stumbling across Ski Tuning 101, www.ARTECHSKI.com has been supplying me with various tuning tools to review. Feel free to buy your tuning gear from whomever you want, but remember that this review wouldn’t have happened without ARTECH's generosity.

Things to know before diving in:

A. Base edge guide, base beveler, base edger, base-side guide, etc., are all interchangeable words for the tools being reviewed here.
B. Always sharpen the base edge before the side edge!
C. Choosing the correct diamond stone or polishing stone is an important part of base edge maintenance. See my review here: Diamond Stone Review
D. Filing the base edge should be left to a shop. I personally never use a file on my base edge; there is just too much room for error. Diamond stones and ceramic stones however are perfectly fine.

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1. Let’s start with the FK SKS Base File Guide, which goes for $9 and comes in 0.5, 0.7 and 1.0 degree angles.


 There isn’t much to say about this tool. It’s cheap and it’s plastic. The plastic seems to be relatively durable, and it’s easy to set up, but I wouldn’t recommend it for any kind of serious tuning because it is awkward to hold and use, and does not exactly scream precision.


If FKS machined this tool, or even parts of this tool, out of steel or aluminum, they would have a winner. Being that it’s completely plastic, I wouldn’t recommend it.

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2. Next up is the BEAST Base Beveler, which goes for $20 and comes in 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 degree angles. The average skier should be looking to use a 0.5 or a 1.0-degree base edge bevel.


The BEAST Base Beveler is my favorite tool of the bunch. I’ve been using it for years, and it is the best compromise between value, durability, precision and performance. It’s made from durable plastic and has a metal glide plate. The glide plate is what sits on the base of the ski, creating the specified bevel angle. Being that this piece is made from metal, it won’t wear out over time, guaranteeing lasting precision.


The BEAST is the only tool reviewed here that can accept any size diamond, ceramic, or Arkansas stone, as well as any size file. Using the BEAST requires a spring clamp to hold the stone to the guide. This is not a drawback, since they only cost about a dollar, and you should already have one lying around for your side edge guide.


The BEAST is easy to hold, easy to setup, and easy to use. There is no guesswork involved – if you set it up like you see in the pictures, you will be getting a good base edge tune. For most skiers and tuners, this is the ticket. It’s the tool that I will continue to use, and I highly recommend it.
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3. The Swix Base Beveler is next on the list coming in at $30, and in 0.5, 0.75, 1.0 and 1.5 degree edge bevels. Again, most skiers should be looking at the 0.5 or 1.0 degree options.


I’m torn on this tool. On the one hand, it is all metal (which = precision and durability), it is simple, and it is SO easy to use that it is actually fun. On the other hand, it does not accept anything thicker than a diamond stone, and even those are tough to fit in, which is a bit perplexing.


Also, those two metal pins that you see sticking out of the bottom? Those are what come into contact with the ski edge while tuning. What I noticed was that while tuning, those metal pins will absorb and deflect each and every little bump or ding in the ski edge, causing the tool to vibrate and make an awful sound. This called the tools precision into question, and made me wonder whether the metal pins were causing the edge to go dull. The BEAST only has plastic parts touching the edge, so you know that it cannot dull the edge. The Swix, however, I am not so sure about.


The Swix Base Beveler is an overall good tool, but I still prefer the BEAST.

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4. Lastly we have the Toko Adjustable Base Edge File Guide, which sells for $48, and adjusts between 0.5-1.5 degrees.


Those of you that have read my review on adjustable side-edge guides know that I am not particularly fond of any adjustable edge tool. The Toko is no exception. It is a durable, well-built tool, but it has many of the same problems of the Swix tool. It barely fits a diamond stone, and it has metal pins that grind against the edge of the ski during tuning.


Worse, the adjusting mechanism is poorly designed, and very far from precise. It is basically a screw head that, when loosened, slides up and down a scale of edge bevels from 0.5-1.5 degrees. The tool allows you to set ANY angle between 0.5 and 1.5 degrees including 0.9, 1.12, 1.06, you get the idea. The adjusting mechanism does not lock or snap into place when you reach any of the common bevels like 0.5 or 1.0 degrees. You have to eyeball it by lining up the markers, and hoping you are really at 1.0 degree, and not 1.1 or .90 degrees.


There is just so much potential for error with this tool that I do not recommend it. Toko could make some very simple design adjustments to this product and have a real winner on its hands, but until then, skip it.


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In summary, the BEAST is that rare find of value and performance. Just because you can spend more money, does not mean you have to. Pick up a beast, a spring clamp, and your choice of diamond stone, and you will be well on your way to a sharp base edge!

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Ski Tuning 101: diamond stone follow-up

Diamond Stone Review - Follow Up:
01/26/2010


A lot of you have been asking about polishing solution vs. soapy water. This seems to be an ongoing debate, and to be honest, I have no idea what's actually in the commercially available polishing solution.

Some of you have said that you just use water, or you own concoction of isopropyl alcohol and water. I'm no chemist, but in my experience whatever they put into the store bought polishing solution produces better results than soapy water, which may or may not produce better results than just plain water.

That being said, the polishing solution might be overkill for non-racers. Personally, I just use soapy water, and find no reason to try something else, because the results are great.

When I raced, I would use a progression of diamond stones (200 grit -> 400 grit -> 800 grit), which is something I don't do for my powder/mid-fat/all-mountain skis. When tuning race skis,  I would always use a polishing solution, and there is no doubt that it produced superior results compared to the soapy water. But again, if you're not racing, don't sweat it.

On soapy water, and keeping stones clean:


While the soapy water solution acts as a lubricant, it also has another important advantage: keeping your diamond stones clean!

Every time you run your diamond stone down a ski edge, a weird black gunk starts to accumulate on the stone, and on the ski edge. When I tune, I run a wet paper towel down the edge of the ski every 10 passes of the diamond stone. You will be amazed at how quickly that paper towel goes from white to black. I also dip the diamond stone in a cup of warm soapy water, and wipe off any black gunk that is building up on the stone.

If you don't continuously wipe down the edges and the surface of the stone, you won't get a good tune. All that build up will prevent the very tiny diamond surfaces of the stone from coming into contact with the edge. In effect, you will just be grinding around dirt, and not actually sharpening anything.


When to replace a diamond stone:


This is, again, a very un-scientific thing. Some of you have written saying your diamond stones have lasted for years. Personally, I have seen stones last for many seasons. It just depends on how well the stones are cared for. If they are rust and dirt free, they should easily last a few seasons. We're talking about diamonds don't forget; a soft steel ski edge is not going to wear down a diamond. What will happen is that the diamond dust, or whatever it is on the surface of the stone, will get scraped off over time. This is why it's important to use aggressive grit (100 to 200) stones on heavily burred or damaged edges, otherwise the cutting surface of the stone will just be scraped off. Again, think sand paper.
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