Ski and Snowboard

(FAQ)
There is a school of thought that base cleaners/wax removers should never be used on the ski bases and hot scraping is the only method to employ for cleaning ski and snowboard bases. The thinking is cleaners will dry out the bases and destroy the wax saturation level and optimal glide achieved through repetitive wax cycles.

There seems to be some old wives tales at work when it comes to the debate over using cleaners vs. hot scraping with a soft wax. From a technical standpoint sintered bases are basically inert and do not bond well with anything. The surface of the base in contact with the snow is amorphous and random in nature. Structuring the base creates lines in the base material and establishes a pattern, but the underlying material is still amorphous and random.

Wax (or base cleaner for that matter) only penetrates a very small amount into the base, about 15 microns and only where random voids exist. 15 microns is a very small measurement (1% or so of base thickness~15 to 20 microns is about 0.0006 to 0.0008 inch). How can base cleaner possibly “dry out” the base if it only penetrates 15 microns? The answer quite simply is it doesn’t. Base cleaner, or at least Maplus base cleaner is basically detergent dissolved in a solvent. The solvent almost entirely evaporates and the detergent works to properly clean the base. When you take your dirty car to a car wash do you wax it first or clean it with detergent and then wax it? I’ve tried both and the later definitely seems to work better.

A distinction should be made between paraffin and perfluorinated waxes. A specific base cleaner called Fluorclean should be used to remove perfluorinated waxes as it is designed to remove all traces of fluorine from the base. Hot scraping at best blends new wax with a combination of old wax and contaminants in the old wax. I admit you will notice some contaminants being drawn out of the base when hot scraping if the base is dirty, but the iron is not a magnet and does not magically remove all contaminants using wax as a conduit. Residual wax left on the base after hot scraping will still have undesirable stuff in it.

Additionally, duration and type of cleaners can be employed judiciously to expedite and provide clean bases, ready for the next coat of wax. The longer a wax remover or solvent sits on the base, the more it can cut into the wax and any contaminates. Also, a more aggressive cleaner can also be used to remove the surface contaminants in little time and use of materials while eliminating the hot scraping steps and mess. Diluted (1:5) household cleaners like Simple Green can provide adequate cleaning. Biodegradable citrus based cleaners can be great options for cleaning the base and removing wax when harsher solvent based cleaners are not needed or desired. For base repairs, base cleaners are necessary, coupled with some sanding and cutting of the base material.

So, back to the original question. The best way to clean the bases is the method that is best for you, your preferences, time available, costs or beliefs: either hot scraping, base cleaner or a combination. If you are concerned about base cleaner remnants on the base, you can also hot scrape afterwards or simply wipe off with water.

A caveat to keep in mind is that skis and snowboards tend to run better and faster after more wax cycles and time on the snow. So, more aggressive cleaning would require more wax cycles to optimize the glide than a less aggressive, more topical cleaning.

(FAQ)

Like any cutting tool, you need to keep sharp for quicker, easier & better results. Why waste the material and just toss them when they can be used for years. Having a few sharpened scrapers around is also nice when you have a lot of scraping.

A plexi-scraper works best when it’s edge is straight and smooth and the corners are sharp without burrs or jagged areas. Very much like wood, plastic can be cut and formed with a variety of methods and tools to achieve desired results:

1) A dedicated scraper sharpening guide with a file, ceramic cutters or a carbide blade.
2) Setting up a 90° dedicated or multi-angled side edge guide with a panzer or very coarse file.
3) A large, flat or panzer file secured to a bench or in a bench vise
4) Power tools: belt sander, jointer, router table, etc
5) Coarse sandpaper or drywall screen on flat surface
6) Securing a plexi-scraper in a bench vise and quickly scraping edge with sharp metal scraper

7) Or: Ski (also Snowboard) Scraper Sharpener with carbide bit for long life and fast reliable edges for production scraping and convenience.

Edited: 9/1/11

For those who grew fond of the Maplus Universal (Green) and Universal Hot (White) solid waxes in the past can rest assured that the formula, glide and durability is the same, but the colors changed over the past season.

Maplus Universal (Green) is now Briko-Maplus Universal (Red)

Maplus Universal Hot (White) is now Briko-Maplus Universal Hot (Yellow)

This is also true for the Universal Fluoro and Universal Fluoro Hot series.

Description:

Economical  Universal wax. -15 to 0 degrees C (5 to 32 degrees F) and above.

Universal (red) hard, high melt paraffin snow temperature -15 to -5 degrees C. Ideal as initial base prep wax when snow temperature is cold or snow is abrasive ie. man-made snow.

Universal Hot (yellow) soft, medium melt-point paraffin glide wax for saturation and protection of ski and snowboard bases. Ideal as an initial base prep wax when snow temperature is warm, as a first wax after stone grinding base and hot scraping. Snow temperature -5 to 0 degrees C.

One option to repair splits and slices in plastic boats is hot air plastic welding with compatible plastic welding rod. Check out this excellent video on how to weld a plastic boat submitted by 4CRS  aka Four Corner River Sports. Check out 4CRS on YouTube videos for excellent paddling action:

This is also a very viable technique to repair all kinds of plastics in our gear, including ski boots (cracks and holes) and ski/snowboard bases. We’ve been experimenting with some base repairs with good results. One concern is controlling the temperatures and air dispersement so more than the repair area is not affected. With a digital heat gun and small nozzle, it’s been pretty straight forward and encouraging so far.

Briko-Maplus is known for exhaustive testing and formulation of their products to provide the best glide for very specific to broad conditions. Not only is snow temperature an important consideration for optimal glide, but also snow aggressiveness and types, humidity and stage of snow transformation.

Here are this year’s Briko-Maplus Wax Charts by snow aggressiveness for alpine and nordic skiing and snowboarding waxes:

(Click on images to expand)

Click here to download the Briko-Maplus Wax and Tools Catalog for 2011-2012.

The new fiber roto-brushes on page 27 are worth a look. Made from polyester or merino wool are highly versatile and effective because the fibers free and polish the base structure more efficiently and at less cost. Application of powder and liquid wax is better than using a roto-cork.

Please contact us if you have questions or need any Briko-Maplus products that are not found in our store.