It is that time again. Time to prep the quiver
for the season is almost at hand. If you were smart and put your
skis away with sharp edges and a thick coat of wax covering the
base and the edges, then you may not have much to do, but for
the rest of us it is time to get to work.
Cleaning
Begin by wiping down the ski with a damp rag.
Then secure the ski in sturdy vises and begin work on the base.
If there is dirt embedded in the wax, and there probably is,
make sure that you don't try to just scrape it off and call it
good to go. Scraping may just work more of that grime into the
base, especially with today's more porous, sintered bases. Many
people have heard the term "sintered base" but don't
know what it means. Traditional bases consist of melted polyethylene
plastic that is poured into a mold. A sintered base is created
by compressing, under heat, hundreds of thousands of tiny balls
of base material. Because the material is not melted, the chemical
composition of the base material remains unchanged. This forms
a much harder and durable, yet porous base that allows wax to
be more easily absorbed. This increased porosity means that sintered
bases can be more work to get clean but the payoff is in longer
lasting wax jobs.
Use a citrus cleaner and absorbent rags and/or
3M scrub pads to remove the old wax and then wipe down with a
clean rag and rubbing alcohol. There are commercial ski wax removers
available but they are usually expensive and the citrus cleaners
work well and they are safe. Also, you can buy a large container
inexpensively, at a hardware store. After the final cleaning,
let the skis sit for about 15 or 20 minutes so the alcohol has
a chance to evaporate.
Checking The Bases
|
Use a true bar, or lacking that, a clean full
width scraper, to check the bases for
flatness. Draw the bar along the base from tip to tail and watch
for light under it. If the bases are concave you will see light
in the middle of the bar, convex bases will admit light under
the outside parts of the bar. |
|
Now days, with the hard sintered bases found
on most quality skis, it seems I find the bases to be convex
most often. If the bases are really bad in this regard, it may
pay to take them to a shop and have them do a good flat stone-grind.
Just ask for a flat grind and tell them you will sharpen your
own edges. I'll tell you why I think this is a good idea in a
bit.
To flatten your own bases use a medium grit
emory cloth, or carbide sandpaper, on a block wider then the
widest part of the ski. Work carefully using a firm, consistent
motion. Do not use a power sander. Alternatively, many folks
use a very sharp scraper, on a clean base. Check your progress
with the true bar as you take the base down. Concave (or railed)
bases can be flattened by using a large file to take the edges
down. Refer to the edge tuning
article on this site for more information on using files as well
as sharpening and beveling your edges. I am a big believer in
sharpening my own edges, it is not hard and I have seen skis
ruined by incompetant techs using powerful edge sharpening tools.
Big Tim had a pair of K2 Mod Ex's ruined a couple of years ago
by a genius and future rocket scientist (we're sure). The guy
ground the inside tail edge on one ski down really bad, leaving
maybe 1/24th of an inch of edge. The edge tuning prodigy's bosses
weren't too happy when they had to replace the skis.
Base Repairs
Here is where it gets fun. Repairing base
gouges can actually be enjoyable, that is if you don't burn yourself.
I still have a small, nasty scar on my right hand from a bit
of hot, melted, P-tex that landed there more than 10 years ago.
Be careful, this stuff can hurt you.
If you have a deep core shot that exposes
the edge support under the base or the actual core of the ski,
you may want to take it to a shop and have them perform a base
weld with a machine that uses super heated air to fuse the repair
material in a more permanent way to the base. More on this later.
The first and most important step in repairing
a gouge is to clean out the ding thoroughly. A common cause of
P-tex repair failure is contamination of the area with wax and
dirt. Use an old tooth brush, or better yet a small wire brush,
to clean out the gouge with alcohol. Following up with warm soapy
water (I use TSP) and rinsing with clear hot water is a good
idea too. Dry the area completely before beginning the
actual repair. Blot the gouge with a dry towel and either wait
awhile (20 minutes min.) or speed up the drying with a blow dryer.
When you are ready to begin the repair, light
the p-tex candle and try to get it to burn clean. When it is
not burning cleanly, black carbon forms and this can interfere
with the bonding of the repair to the base. It also looks bad.
I have found that if I put the candle in the freezer for an hour
and get it real cold before use, it seems to burn cleaner. Also
the angle you hold the candle at is a factor. Experiment to get
a good clean flame.
Hold the burning candle close to the base
while dripping it into the gouge. This helps keep carbon from
forming and contributes to better adhesion. Keep your scraper
or a small piece of sheet metal handy to move into the path of
the dripping P-tex if the flame gets big and turns yellow. Adjust
the position of the candle, rotating it with your fingers and
moving it close to the scraper. Get the flame toned down and
burning cleanly, then move the scraper away and resume filling
the gouge. Sometimes, when it really gets smoking, I will extinguish
the flame, let it cool a bit and re-light it. Use plenty of P-tex
to over-fill the edges of the ding and bring the P-tex repair
material up above the level of the base.
We have prepared a short
web video illustrating the procedure: Link
to movie
Let the repair cool for at least 20 to 30
minutes before starting the process of removing the excess P-tex
and leveling it out. While one ski is cooling, go ahead and start
work on the other.
To remove the over-flow of Ptex and flatten
out the repair, many folks just use a sharp scraper, shaving
off a little bit at a time until the repair is nearly even with
the base. You can then use a little medium grit sandpaper and
a block to get it just right. It is very important to work slowly
and carefully while scraping so you don't pull the repair out
or otherwise compromise the bond. You can also use a razor blade
in one of those little holders for removing the bulk of the overflow,
but I find this method a to be a bit trickier.
Now, a little more about core shots. As mentioned
above, the best method of repair is to take the ski to a shop
and get the core shot base welded. There is a home alternative
though that many folks have used with success. You clean the
ding as described above, then fill the hole with slow cure epoxy.
I have used a product from boat shops, called "Marine Tex",
with great success. As the epoxy cures it tends to shrink a bit,
which is perfect. While it has firmed up, but still a little
soft, take a razor blade or X-acto knife and carefully score
a grid pattern into the material. Let the epoxy cure over-night
and then fill the indentation with P-tex as described above.
The P-tex will bond nicely if you did a good job scoring the
grid pattern. Shop techs will dog me for sharing this shortcut,
a base weld really is the best way to go, but many of us have
performed this repair and achieved a long lasting repair. I have
had Marine-Tex repirs last for years, while only having to re-apply
the P-tex over-coat occasionally.
Take your time performing base repairs and
you should have success, rush it and you won't. Preparing the
gouge properly is key. Remember to make sure that you are working
in a well ventilated area, P-tex fumes are pretty darn toxic.
Waxing For The Start Of The Season
This is the most important wax job you will
do all year, the application of the base coat over a totally
clean and wax free base. We have a fairly detailed article
on waxing up on the site but here is a little more info about
this first wax job.
A completely clean and wax free base, especially
a sintered one, will require more time with the iron to work
plenty of wax into the pores. Don't rush this "ironing in"
process. Work the wax in for a good 7 to 8 minutes with the iron
on "medium", maybe even longer, remember, this is the
base coat for the season, at least it is for me. I maintain my
skis carefully during the year so I can just scrape and iron
in new wax, I rarely strip them down to a bare base during the
year, I don't have the time. Reduce the heat a bit if the wax
begins to smoke much. Burning and over heating breaks down the
wax and alters it's chemical composition.
Let the wax cool for twenty to thirty minutes,
I have found that if I let the skis cool overnight before scraping
them it seems to work even better.
Inspection
Now that all these other steps are complete,
take a few minutes to carefully look at your skis, particularly
the bindings.
Look for cracks in the top sheet around the
tips, especially if you get a lot of air. Look for warning signs
of structural failure all along the skis. Check the binding screws
with a screwdriver to make sure they are tight. Inspect the cables,
look for indications of wear and broken strands. Look at the
cable guides, on the Superloop the Delrin guides can wear out
and expose the cable to the cutting action of the screw threads
that hold the guide to the plate sidewall, so check these and
replace if necessary. On aluminum plates like the Riva, look
for cracks where the plate turns up to form the sidewall. Catch
them early and you can drill a tiny hole in front of the crack
to keep it from running further. Some of the newer bindings seem
to be a lot more trouble free, but check them out carefully anyway.
You may be the first to discover a new weakness. Better to figure
it out in the shop now than 6 miles into the backcountry on a
cold snowy day this winter!
Check out the binding tensioning mechanism
for cracks, inspect for over stretched springs or loose parts.
Take a look at the "bindings"
article on this site to find out about reported problem areas
in your bindings and look them over with this in mind.
Get Ready!
Giving your skis a good once over and a complete
prep now is a great idea. When the season begins, many of us
find time at a premium, juggling the needs of family and work
with the overwhelming desire to get as many days on the snow
as possible. Prepare for the season now, as much as you can,
will free up that precious time when it counts.
Cover | Site
Map | Telemark
Talk Forum