Ski Tuning

Ski Tuning 101 Presents:

2010-02-23T12:43:00.012-07:00

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.

Swix Wax Iron: T75 - $45

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.

Swix Econ Wax Iron: T74 - $79

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:

2010-02-03T13:40:00.018-07:00

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

2010-01-26T12:09:00.005-07:00

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.

Ski Tuning 101 Presents:

2010-01-15T16:27:00.009-07:00

Diamond Stones, a buyer’s guide.
01/15/10

Pick up your diamond stones and other tuning gear at: www.ARTECHSKI.com - supporting ARTECH helps support this blog.

Terminology to know before reading: grit. The grit of a diamond stone is a measure of how aggressive the stones surface is. Think sandpaper. Grit numbers of 100 are very aggressive, whereas grits of 800 and up are much smoother. A 100 grit stone will remove dings and rust from an edge, and an 800 grit stone will smooth and polish an edge. Using multiple stones of increasing grit in succession will sharpen and polish an edge, and give the best results. To save money, a lot of skiers only buy a 400 “general purpose” grit diamond stone.

For this post, I’ll be taking a look at 4 popular diamond stones that ARTECH sent my way for evaluation. They range in price from $16 to $27. It’s obviously hard to quantify something like the performance of a diamond stone, but I’ll do my best to illustrate the differences between the options at hand.

Before we get into the review, it’s important to quickly touch on technique. Specifically, the use of a polishing solution when tuning. I’ve written about this in the photo guide, but basically, a polishing solution is a lubricant that facilitates edge sharpening. It might come off as a gimmick, but it’s an incredibly important part of the process. ARTECH offers the most economical polishing solution: 2 oz’s for $7, or 8 oz’s for $18. The 2 oz bottle will easily get you through a season, as very little is needed.

The alternative to buying a polishing solution is to make your own. I’ve had success with liquid hand soap and water, combined in a spray bottle, and applied generously to stones before sharpening.

Lubricating diamond stones will yield superior results, and will also lengthen the life of a diamond stone by preventing it from clogging up with debris. Don’t skip this step!

1. The first stone shown here is the Swix Race Diamond File, which goes for a reasonable $16.

It comes in 100, 400, and 800 grits. It’s a great stone, and I definitely recommend it. Buying a 100 and 400 grit stone will make a great general purpose kit. Use the 100 for major dings and edge damage, and finish with the 400 to smooth things out. Adding an 800 grit stone will give an even smoother, harder, and sharper edge.

Here is a closeup view of the stone:

2. Next is the DMT Diamond Whetstone, which sells for $17, or $70 for a kit of all 5 grits.

I’ve used these stones quite a bit, but there is something about them that I just don’t like. I can’t put my finger on it, but I’ve just never been able to get the same results with the DMT stones as I have with the Swix or MoonFlex stones. The DMT’s come in grits of 120, 220, 325, 600 and 1200.

3. Up next is the Diaface MoonFlex Diamond File, retailing for $27.

I’ve also used these stones extensively, and they are far and away my favorite. The stones are advertised as being able to “cut and polish at the same time” due to the “crescent moon” design pattern. Now, I can’t speak to the science behind the patterns of diamond files. For all I know it could be a marketing gimmick, but first hand experience has led me to believe that there is something special about MoonFlex stones.

4. Lastly we have the Swix W.C. Diamond File Pro, for $29 a pop.

They come in grits of 100, 200, 400, 600 and 1000, and are noteworthy because they are the only stone with a metal handle reviewed here. The others all have hard plastic handles. I don’t know that this makes a difference in terms of performance, but other than that there is not much difference between these and the MoonFlex stones. Compared to the $16 Swix option, these are definitely worth the extra $13 for the serious tuner or racer.

Overall, the Moon Flex are my favorite diamond stones to use. The $16 Swix stones come in 2^nd place for value and performance, and are what I would recommend to the average ski tuner.

Ski Tuning 101 Presents:

2009-12-28T12:37:00.021-07:00

Side Edge Guide Buyer’s Guide: Part 2 of 2
12/28/09 - (Click here for part 1)

Part 2 of this buyer’s guide will look at four popular adjustable plastic side edge guides. Part 1 talked about the solid aluminum guides, which have the drawback (some would call it a feature) of being permanently fixed at a specific bevel angle.

These plastic guides are typically adjustable in increments of a half or a full degree. Usually from 0 up to at least 4 or 5 degrees. The benefit here is that if the side edge on your powder skis are beveled to 2 degrees, and your race skis are at 3 degrees, you will only need one tool to maintain both pairs. Sounds good, right? Unfortunately, there are some drawbacks, so keep reading if you want to know if one of these tools is the right choice for you.

The first tool, the FK SKS mini tool, doesn’t warrant too much attention. It’s about as basic as you can get. I wouldn’t advise using this as your primary means of edge care, even though it might be tempting because of $9 price tag.

To be honest, I’m not exactly sure what the purpose of this tool is. It’s too small to do any real work. And if you’re going to spend the money, there are much better and equally portable options out there. Pictures below:

The FK SKS Multi Base/Side Edge Beveler is next on the list, coming in at $35. I can’t say I’m in love with this tool. It’s both a side and a base edge beveler, which is nice, but unfortunately there are some compromises in precision and durability.

It’s an all plastic tool, so it will eventually wear down, which can lead to imprecision. Also, it’s not designed to fit normal size diamond stones for base edge sharpening. It will accept them for side-edge sharpening, but then what is the point of having a side and base edge multi-tuner if it only does half the job?

For $35, it’s certainly not a bad tool, but because of a few design flaws and an overall cheap feel, I think there are better options out there.

Next is the Swix Roller Multi-Angle Side Edge Beveler, which runs for $65, the most expensive of the bunch. This tool feels solid in-hand and is well built (metal + plastic). It accepts full sized diamond stones, but you need a coin or a screwdriver to change stones, or to change the angle of the guide. That can be a pain, but it's hardly a deal breaker.

Files and diamond stones can’t be angled more than a few degrees with this tool, so you always have to run the full length of the stone along the edge.This was fine for straight skis, but since modern sidecuts are becoming more and more drastic, problems arise. When you try to run a 4-6 inch stone or file straight on an edge with a lot of sidecut, only the ends of the stone or file will contact the edge, and the middle won’t be doing any work. This causes the edges of the stone to wear out before the middle sees any action, and the precision of the overall tool comes into question. So to avoid this, you have to angle the stone so that only an inch or so touches the edge. With most of these multi-tuners, that’s just not possible. The Swix can handle a bit of angle, so if your skis don’t have a wild slalom sidecut, you should be fine.

Overall this is not a bad tool. It’ well built, easy to use and can handle multiple pairs of skis with varying edge bevels. Personally, I prefer the aluminum file guides, but the decision is up to you.

Lastly we have the BEAST Side Edge Pro Edge Tuner. This is a solid piece of equipment. It’s mostly metal with a few parts plastic. It’s got a nice solid feel to it, and has a stainless steel glide plate on the base for smoother tuning.

This is the nicest multi-tuner of the bunch, but alas, I have a few problems with it. The first is that it’s not really a multi-tuner. You have to buy an extra $10 angle plate to change the angle from 2 to 3 degrees. That puts the total cost at $70 for a guide that can only adjust to two different angles. It’s more precise and durable than the other multi-tools because of it’s metal parts, and can handle full-size diamond stones (but NOT full size files) but for $70 you could buy a 2 and 3 degree solid aluminum file guides and a nice diamond stone, and still have money left over.

To me, I’d rather have the aluminum guides (reviewed in part 1) which don’t have any moving parts and can handle any size stone or file out there. The BEAST is nicer to handle than the aluminum guides, especially because you don't need a spring clamp, so if you like it than definitely go for it, you won’t be disappointed.

Overall, my stamp of approval still resides on the ever simple aluminum file guides. I’ve used a lot of multi-tuners over the years, and I’ve yet to find one that truly impresses me. The tools reviewed here aren’t bad, and are definitely a good fit for some skiers out there, but for my money, the solid aluminum guides are the way to go.

2009-12-11T11:56:00.015-07:00

The Side Edge Guide Buyers Guide:
Part 1 of 2. (12/11/09)

I’m going to kick off the next few months of product reviews with one of the most important tools in any skier’s kit: the side edge file guide.

One would think that sharpening a metal edge would be a simple task, but alas, there are many tools to get the job done. In my experience, keeping things simple produces the best results.

I’m going to review seven of the most popular tools for the job, starting with the simplest of them all: the solid aluminum file guide. I have 3 brands on hand, shown here, cheapest on the left, most expensive on the right: ARTECH ($22),SWIX ($30) and SVST ($31).

I’ve always favored this style of file guide. It’s easy to use, versatile, precise, virtually unbreakable and will last a lifetime. They accommodate any size diamond stone or file; all you need is a spring clamp to complete the package.

Compared to the plastic multi-tuners (seen in the first picture, which I will review next) the aluminum file guides are the better buy. The only drawback is that you can’t adjust the bevel angle. i.e. if the side edge on your race ski is set at 3 degrees, and your powder skis are at 2 degrees, you will need two different file guides. The plastic multi-tuners attempt to alleviate this problem, but with more than a few drawbacks.

The ARTECH brand side edge guide is the value option here, and will suit a majority of skiers:

The only advantage the SWIX guide has is that little trough cut out in the center of the guide. When you’re using a file on your edges, the trough will allow the metal shavings to move out of the way as you work your way down the ski. Other than that, the ARTECH and SWIX guides are the same.

The SVST guide is my favorite. For $31 ($1 more than the SWIX), you get a stainless steel plate on the business end, but you lose the trough. The lack of a trough is not a big deal for me, because for those of you that have read the photo guide know, I try to avoid filing my edges too much in the first place.

The steel plate, in my experience, allows the guide to really glide smoothly down the base of the ski as you tune. It just feels a whole lot nicer to use. That said, the SVST loses a point because I’ve seen that steel plate begin to peel off after HEAVY use. (i.e. a 20-person race team using it for a full season). Nothing a little super-glue can’t fix, though.

Here are the comparison pictures between the base of ARTECH/SWIX style guides and the SVST guide, which has the stainless steel plate:

SUMMARY:

To sum things up, you really can’t go wrong with any of these guides. The ARTECH wins for value, the SWIX wins for the ultimate combo of versatility and durability, and the SVST wins for performance.

keywords: ski tuning, ski sharpening,

Ski Tuning 101 - New Content '09-'10!

2009-11-19T15:47:00.008-07:00

Ski Tuning 101 is coming into some exciting new changes for the '09-'10 ski season.

Back in February when this blog went live, a lot of you took my advice and started shopping for tuning gear at ARTECHSKI.com, a company I've been buying from for years. ARTECH is a family-owned business out of New Hampshire that produces a lot of their own branded tuning equipment, all of which is competitively priced.

The goal of this blog has always been to demystify ski tuning for the average skier. It's no secret that most skiers don't have a clue how to maintain their skis, and no one understands that better than ARTECH. So the fine folks at ARTECH have partnered up with SkiTuning101 to help bring this blog to the next level.

The picture below is from a giant box of tuning equipment ARTECH sent me last week to evaluate. File guides, brushes, sidewall planers, starter kits, irons, vices, you name it.

Over the next few weeks and months, I'll be blogging about each and every piece of gear they sent, all with the same goal of simplifying the process of ski tuning. Each review will take a look at the most common options, across different brands and price ranges, for each category of tuning equipment. Want to buy a diamond stone, but don't know which of the million options is right for you and your budget? Soon, you will. There will be lots of pictures, too.

So stay tuned to the blog, and as always, feel free to email me with any comments.

Introduction

2009-10-01T16:11:00.008-06:00

Welcome to Ski Tuning 101!

When I started tuning, I had to teach myself everything. I found that shops will usually tell you anything to get you to buy more junk, and most resources tend to be geared toward racing.

There are a lot of great tuning resources on the web, but I have not found any that use photos to walk you through the process, start to finish, using basic gear. That’s why I’m here. I’m not a professional tuner or skier, and most of what I’ve learned is through trial and error. So take all of this with a grain of salt, and use it as a starting point for learning to tune.

I’ve done all the dirty work for you – from creating tuning kits for all different budgets, to putting together a basic photo guide to tuning at home.

So check out the links on the right to the nine different chapters, including the photo guide, and feel free to email me with any comments.

Chapter 1: What’s it going to cost me?

2009-10-01T16:10:00.002-06:00

Just like everything in life, you get what you pay for.

Tuning equipment is not cheap, but consider that you will be saving money by tuning at home, and that you will be prolonging the life and increasing the performance of your skis.

The pre-packaged tuning “kits” generally sell you things you don’t need, and leave out things you do. So I will recommend a few cheaper alternatives. I am pricing everything based on the 2007-2008 season catalog from www.ARTECHSKI.com - they are a small family owned business from NH, make a bunch of their own tuning equipment, and most of all, are generally the cheapest source for tuning gear on the web.

Chapter 2: The Basic Waxing Kit

2009-10-01T16:09:00.001-06:00

The Basic Waxing Kit

The Intermediate Waxing Kit

Basic waxing kit: – This is about as cheap as you can go, and this will be a very basic kit. It does not include anything for your edges, but it is enough to keep your bases happy. Here is a breakdown of what I have determined to be the most essential gear for waxing:

1 Scraper - A scraper is a thick piece of plastic, ~ 3x6 inches, and is used to scrape the hardened wax off your ski base after the wax has been melted and ironed on.

1 Nylon, Brass, or Bronze brush – Brushes are used pre-waxing to clean out the structure of the ski, and post-waxing and scraping, to do essentially the same thing. Brushing makes skis fast.

1 Iron - You can either buy a ski specific iron, or you can find a cheap clothes iron at Wal-Mart/Costco, or you can scrounge one from around the house or from a goodwill store. As long as you don’t put water in it, it will get the job done. Water creates steam – you just want the heat. Be careful to inspect the base of the iron for dings or scratches that can dig in and damage the base of the ski. I would recommend just buying a ski specific iron, they last forever, have a curved surface which makes waxing easier, and are temperature controlled so you are less likely to burn the base of the ski. But a clothes iron will work just fine.

1 brick universal wax– General use, wide temperature range ski wax. More on this later. A brick should last you a season.

I have put together shopping lists at ARTECH.com to keep things simple:

The Basic Waxing Kit

The Intermediate Waxing Kit

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Chapter 3: The Basic Edging Kit

2009-10-01T16:08:00.001-06:00

Basic Edging Kit

Intermediate Edging Kit

Basic edging kit: – Just like waxing, this is about as inexpensive of a kit as possible. Maintaining the edges of the skis serves two purposes: 1. To prevent and/or eliminate rust. 2. To keep the edges sharp, so they will grip on hard surfaces. If edge grip does not matter to you, edge maintenance can still be important. Rusty and deformed edges can make a ski unpredictable, and generally crappy edges = crappy resale value. I would recommend saving up until you can buy good diamond stones and edge guides, as the more expensive edge equipment will last longer and perform better. Of course, I will list the absolute minimum that you need to get the job done:

1 File guide – A file guide is basically a piece of aluminum cast in an L shape, and is used to hold edge maintenance tools (like files and diamond stones) at a fixed angle so that you can accurately tune the edge of the skis. File guides are some of the most expensive and most important things you will have in your kit, but they are also going to outlast everything else you buy, including your skis. Make sure to purchase the correct size/angle guide. They generally range from 0-4 degrees, in one degree increments, depending on your ski. Check with the manufacturer/local shop to see what your edges are set at. Remember: a 91 degree guide and an 89 degree guide are the same thing. Just as 92 and 88 are the same. Much more on file guides in the photo tuning section.

- As far the plastic multi/variable angle edge tuners go, I would not recommend them. They tend to be more expensive than the aluminum single bevel edge guides, are usually made of plastic which wears down quickly, and will result in an imprecise tool.

1 half-size Diamond stone – you will get more value out of a full size stone, which sell for more, but the “pocket” size stones get the job done. Go for a “medium” or “400” grit stone – this is a middle range stone that is good for general edge maintenance. You will want to pick up a rough grit (200 or 100 grit) for repairing damaged sections of edge.

1 Spring clamp – used to hold the diamond stone to the file guide.

1 Spray bottle of soapy water – Spray soapy water on your diamond stones before using them; it acts as a lubricant between the stone and edge. It will make sharpening more effective, keep the stone from becoming clogged, and will help prolong the life of your diamond stone(s). You can buy edge-polishing solution by the bottle, but the consensus seems to be that soapy water works just as well.

I have put together shopping lists from ARTECH.com to help keep things simple:

Basic Edging Kit

Intermediate Edging Kit

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Chapter 4: Upgrading the Basic Kit

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Recommended Upgrades

The following list includes, in no particular order, items that are worth investing in and adding to your kit:

P-tex candles – An essential item for base repair.

Metal Scraper - Essential for scraping off p-tex.

Butane lighter – Used to melt p-tex. Regular lighters burn at a lower temperature than butane lights, and take longer to get p-tex candles burning.

Ski vices – Worth the investment, and will last forever. You can get creative and invent your own system for holding skis down securely, but once you use good ski vices, it’s tough to go back. (Keep in mind that a lot of ski vices only open up to a certain width, and regular vices do not accommodate fat skis. There are vices available that open up wider, but they are more expensive.)

A decent Iron – Also worth the investment. When compared to a clothes iron, ski specific irons are: temperature controlled, have thicker bases (with no holes to be clogged) that disperse heat evenly and have a curled tip and tail to make spreading molten wax around easier.

Files – There are a lot of options available. Fine or “second cut" files are good for general purpose use. Bastard files, characterized by wide teeth, are used to reshape a damaged edge, or to change the bevel of the edge. In general, I avoid using files at all costs. It is very easy to screw things up using a file, and I have found that I get more reliable results using a course diamond stone.

True bar - used to ensure that the base of the ski is flat. Bases that are convex or concave can affect ski handling. If your bases are way out of whack, have them ground at a shop.

Base edge beveler – used to keep your base edge (different from your side edge) in good shape. Same deal as the side edge beveler: make sure to figure out your base edge angle. They typically range from 0 to 0.5 to 1 degree. A base bevel of 1 degree is common. Again, avoid the “multi-angle” tools. Like files, I avoid touching the base edge unless it is damaged. It is easy to over-bevel the base edge, and there is no going back unless you have the skis ground.

Moonflex Diamond Stones – A million times better than the DMT stones, but also more expensive. Your call.

Sidewall Planer – Over time your edges will wear down, and your diamond stones/files will begin to make contact with the ski sidewall more than the edge, making it impossible to tune.

Brushes – a good brush kit: 1 nylon brush for general purpose, 1 brass/bronze brush for pre-wax, 1 copper brush for post-wax, and 1 horsehair brush for polishing. Either the square or oval brushes work fine.

Wax – Worth it to get a huge “brick” of wax (180g) for $16, rather than spending $8 on a 60g bar. Also, it is worth investing in temperature specific waxes over just “universal” wax. From Swix, these are the “CH” waxes. They are a higher quality wax than general purpose wax, and are designed to perform in specific temperature ranges and snow conditions.

Brands: Swix, Toko, Holmenkol, whatever. They’re all good. However, things like wax and diamond stones are color coded differently by each brand, so it’s a good idea to keep from mixing different brands of wax or stones in the same kit.

Recommended Upgrades

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Chapter 5: The Photo Guide

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Part 1: Prep

-The following guide includes instructions for basic tuning that should be performed on a regular basis.

- Read through the entire guide before you begin.

Key Points:
a. Always work from tip to tail.
b. Base edge before side edge.
c. Edges before waxing.

What I’m using:

Photo 1, L-R: copper, nylon and horsehair brushes from ARTECH.com, a brick of Swix CH10 warm wax, a thick rubber band (brake retainer), 2 spring clamps.

Photo 2, L-R: true bar, 3 Moonflex brand diamond stones (200, 400, 600 grit), black p-tex candle, butane lighter, SVST brand 93 degree side edge guide, “Beast” brand 1 degree base guide, plastic Artech brand scraper, fibertex pads (underneath scraper), Swix iron, all on top of a regular work bench/sawhorse, mounted with a 3-piece Swix ski vice set.

Step 1 – The Brakes: This should be common sense, but figure out a way to keep the binding brakes pulled back when tuning. Heavy-duty rubber bands work great, and are available from online ski tuning stores. Vacuum cleaners also use heavy duty rubber bands, so check around a hardware store for a cheap alternative.

Step 2 – Set-up: Secure the ski using vice grips, or by your own creative method, so that the ski is level and the base is facing upwards. The ski should be secure - enough so that it cannot be knocked off the table and will be able to withstand the motions of brushing and waxing.

Step 3 – Clean the base:
a. Start by brushing out the base with your brass brush (can be substituted for nylon brush). This will clean the base structure of all the gunk from the last time you skied, so that you do not unintentionally work the dirt into the base while tuning. If the bases are visibly dirty, use some wet paper towels to clean them off.

b. When brushing, always work from the tip of the ski toward the tail. Use both hands on the brush, and brush the ski with moderate and even pressure from tip to tail. This is NOT like brushing your teeth or cleaning the grill; you are not scrubbing the base, you are brushing it. Avoid putting all your weight over the brush. It helps to mentally divide the ski into a few small sections, and overlap the brushed sections as you move toward the tail. Brush the ski 3-5 times, or whatever feels appropriate.

Side note: If your skis are just coming from a stone grind, use Fibertex to knock down the tiny burrs on the base that get kicked up during a grind. Think of it like sanding down a freshly cut wood surface. I usually fold the fibertex pad in half, and put a scraper or other flat object on top so that the pad contacts the ski evenly at all points. Use similar motions as brushing, but do it as many times as you can possibly stand. As in, 50-100 times. It takes a lot of work to get your base fast after a grind. Brush with a copper/brass brush at regular intervals while fibertexing to raise up any remaining burrs to be broken down by the fibertex.

Chapter 6: Sharpening the Base Edge

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Suggested Kits:
Basic Edging Kit
Intermediate Edging Kit

Reviewed Tools:

Base Edge Guide Review

Diamond Stone Buyer's Guide

(Before you continue, make sure you have read through Chapter 5)

a. This can be a tricky process. However, it does not need to be done as often as your side edge. I try to avoid touching the base edge as much as possible, simply because it is so easy to screw up.

Before you begin, you need to know the angle your base edge is set at. If you do not know, look on the manufacturers website, or ask a shop. A typical base bevel is from 0.5-1 degrees. A file guide will call a one degree bevel either 89 or 91 degrees. Same difference. Begin by attaching a diamond stone to the guide using a clamp (as shown). Wet the diamond stone with your polishing solution or with a soapy water solution (keeping it in a spray bottle works well). This lubricates the stone and the edge yielding better results, and keeps the stone from becoming clogged with dirt.

b. If part of the edge is damaged, rough to the touch, or case hardened from hitting a rock, begin with a coarse diamond stone (100 or 200 grit). Sharpening the base with a file is difficult and can be very imprecise – generally, if your edge is heavily damaged, you may be better off having a shop take care of it.

Also worth noting: a rough section of edge can destroy a file or diamond stone. To get by this, I keep an old ceramic stone/whetstone lying around that I will use to take down as much of the burr/damage as possible. Then I go to a coarse diamond stone, then a file, then finish with diamond stones.For normal maintenance and sharpening, use a medium (400 grit) diamond stone, and work your way toward fine (600-800 grit) stones.

With the diamond stone face down on the edge, use both hands to maintain light and even pressure on the stone where it touches the edge and the guide where it touches the ski. Work from tip to tail. Again, mentally divide the edge into small sections as you work down the ski, always overlapping where you were before.

Wipe down the edge with a wet paper towel every few passes – you will see all the black gunk that comes off, and you do not want this clogging your diamond stone. It’s also a good idea to rinse off the diamond stone between edges. Depending on the condition of the edge, a few passes may be all it takes.

I have put together shopping lists of all the supplies needed for edge maintenance:

Suggested Kits:
Basic Edging Kit
Intermediate Edging Kit

Reviewed Tools:

Base Edge Guide Review

Diamond Stone Buyer's Guide

Chapter 7: Sharpening the Side Edge

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Suggested kits:
Basic Edging Kit
Intermediate Edging Kit

Reviewed Tools:

Side Edge Guide Review - Part 1

Side Edge Guide Review - Part 2

Diamond Stone Buyers Guide

Diamond Stone Buyers Guide - Follow Up

a. Begin by setting up the ski so that the base is perpendicular to the floor, and stand so that the base is facing you. Attach the diamond stone to your file guide using one or two clamps (as shown). I like to angle the stone a bit so that only a portion of it makes contact with the ski. Because skis have an hourglass shape, a stone will not sit evenly on the edge of the ski, only the ends of the stone will be making contact. To get by this, I angle the stone, as shown. The rest is similar to the base edge procedure. Wet the stone with polishing solution or your homemade soapy water solution.

b. Place the stone and guide on the ski (as shown below) and, similar to the base edge, use light and even pressure as you move the stone down the ski. Again, use a coarse (100-200 grit) stone for damaged sections of the edge, and a medium (400 grit) stone for general maintenance/sharpening. Sharpen the edge, wiping it down every so often, until it is smooth of any dings or other roughness. Rinse of the stone and guide between each edge. The edge should now feel sharp and be smooth to the touch, and should appear shiny.

A quick sharpness test: lightly scrape the back of your fingernail on the edge. A sharp edge will take off some fingernail shavings, a dull edge will not.

I have put together shopping lists of all the supplies needed for edge maintenance:

Suggested kits:
Basic Edging Kit
Intermediate Edging Kit

Reviewed Tools:

Side Edge Guide Review - Part 1

Side Edge Guide Review - Part 2

Diamond Stone Buyers Guide

Diamond Stone Buyers Guide - Follow Up

Chapter 8: Waxing

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The Basic Waxing Kit

The Intermediate Waxing Kit

How often should you wax? A good rule of thumb: if the bases are white, it's time to wax. I wax every three or four days of skiing, depending on snow conditions. Cold hard snow and ice put more wear on the base than warmer snow and requires more frequent waxing.

a. Choose a wax. If you don’t care, go with an all purpose universal wax, or a “warm” or “cold” temp universal wax. Choosing a wax is simple – if it's April and 50 degrees out, go with a warm wax. If it’s January in New England, go with a colder wax.

b. The ski should be secured so that the base is facing up. The brakes should be pulled back sufficiently far so that they will not obstruct the iron. The ski should be room temperature and dry. Not a good idea to wax a cold ski.

c. Make sure the base is free of any debris left over from working on the edges. Begin by brushing the ski a few times as described in Step 3 of Part 1. Brushing before waxing opens the structure of the ski so that the ski will better absorb the wax.

d. Now that the ski is clean, you can begin waxing. Get the iron just hot enough to melt the wax. Each wax has a different melting point, and you want to avoid over heating or burning the wax.

e. To avoid burning the base, I usually “crayon” the wax onto the ski before I begin melting it on. This is a pretty simple process and works just like it sounds. The idea is that a thin coat of wax is already covering every inch of the base before an iron ever touches it. It also serves as a way to conserve wax.

f. Hold the wax up to the iron, and allow the wax to drip onto the base as you move down the length of the ski. In this case, the pictures below explain things pretty clearly. It is hard to say how much wax should be used, but when in doubt, use more rather than less.

g. Now you have droplets or a stream of wax running down the length of the ski. Starting from the tip, iron the wax into the ski using a back and forth motion, ensuring that the wax is flowing to and over the edges of the ski.

Keep the iron moving slow enough to allow the wax to become liquid, but fast enough so that you are not overheating the ski or the base. The wax will become liquid, and should stay in liquid form for a few inches trailing behind the iron as you move down the ski. No need to put downward pressure on the iron. If the tip is still liquid when you get to the toe piece of the binding, you are probably going too slow. When in doubt, go faster. You don't want to burn the base.

h. As soon as you are finished waxing the first ski, immediately scrape off the wax. This is known as a “hot scrape” and is used to clean out the base. More on scraping in the next section. If you already hot scraped, wax again, this time allowing the ski to cool completely before scraping. Set the hot ski aside and begin working on the other.

i. You can wax as many times as you want. I usually do at least one hot scrape followed by one or two coats of additional wax. By this I mean that I hot scrape, add a layer of hot wax, and let the ski cool. Then I scrape and brush, and repeat the waxing. The more you wax, the faster the ski becomes, or so the theory goes.

j. If you have brand new skis, or your skis were just stone ground, it is important to put the ski through at least 5-10 cycles of waxing before you ski them. This is important even for non-race skis.

I have put together shopping lists of my favorite/recommended waxing tools:

The Basic Waxing Kit

The Intermediate Waxing Kit

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Chapter 9: Scraping and Brushing

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The Basic Waxing Kit

The Intermediate Waxing Kit

a. Scraping is pretty simple. There are two kinds of scrapers: thick and thin. I prefer the thick scrapers, but try them both and see for yourself.

Take the scraper, and hold it at 45 degree angle, or about how it is held in the photos. Use two hands to apply even pressure to the scraper, and moving tip to tail, scrape off the wax working in overlapping motions. Don’t be afraid to put some pressure on the scraper; the idea is to get off as much wax as possible. This may seem counterintuitive. The base of a ski is porous, and the point of waxing is to fill up these tiny pores. Scraping is removing the excess wax that did not make it into the pores.

b. Scrape until no more wax comes off. Warm temperature waxes comes off easily, cold wax can take a bit of work. Be mindful to “scrape” the wax off the base rather than pulling it off in chunks. If the wax you are scraping off has turned black, you probably burned either your base or the wax.

c. Brushing is also a simple task, and has been explained in Chapter 5. When brushing after waxing, you will kick up little white specs of wax, as shown in the photos below. I start brushing with a copper brush, and finish with the horsehair. The more you brush after waxing, the faster the ski will be.

d. Go skiing!

Shopping lists of my favorite and recommended tuning tools:

The Basic Waxing Kit

The Intermediate Waxing Kit

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