Why does wax turn white?

Just out of curiosity, I'm debating whether or not I should bother re-waxing
the board. Basically I freshly waxed it at the end of the season, and now
after several months the wax has turned white in patches. My board has a
black base which makes this phenomena quite visible. Anyone know what's
actually going on when the wax ages, how it will affect the purpose of the
wax?

Steve

"Stephen" wrote in message ...

Just out of curiosity, I'm debating whether or not I should bother re-waxing
the board. Basically I freshly waxed it at the end of the season,...

Waxing once per season is not enough. I check the wax every time I go
boarding. I check it between every few runs and touch it up as need
be. Wax is your friend.

When waxing at the end of the season, it's recommended that you don't scrape
until you ride the board the next season. The wax will oxidize and turn
white over long periods of time. Direct sunlight and high temperatures will
accelerate the oxidation. For best performance, I would recommend you clean
the base with a citrus cleaner and then wax again.

Sean Martin
Donek Snowboards Inc.

http://www.donek.com/
phone:877-53-DONEK

"Stephen" wrote in message
...
Just out of curiosity, I'm debating whether or not I should bother
re-waxing
the board. Basically I freshly waxed it at the end of the season, and now
after several months the wax has turned white in patches. My board has a
black base which makes this phenomena quite visible. Anyone know what's
actually going on when the wax ages, how it will affect the purpose of the
wax?

Steve

When waxing at the end of the season, it's recommended that you don't
scrape
until you ride the board the next season. The wax will oxidize and turn
white over long periods of time. Direct sunlight and high temperatures
will
accelerate the oxidation. For best performance, I would recommend you
clean
the base with a citrus cleaner and then wax again.

OOH.. you just hinted at a question I've been meaning to ask. I see these
snowboard base cleaners that are kind of expensive for the little amount
that you get. What makes them special? Or aren't they and are they just
some other cleaner that we normally buy in a special bottle labelled
"Snowboard base cleaner"?

Cheers,
Scott

For best performance, I would recommend you clean
the base with a citrus cleaner and then wax again.

What are the pros and cons of using a citrus cleaner versus a hot scrape
to clean? (Hot scrape = wax and then scrape while still tacky - much
like waxing one's legs / face / etc, it pulls dirt from the pores in a
base) I like clean bases but I don't want to damage them by over-doing
it.

Thanks


Mike T

Thanks, the oxidation is what I'm getting at, and the beer-induced wondering
of whether or not it is actually less effective. I'll try to keep not
scraping it in mind at the end of this season. I decided to clean and rewax
anyway, during the excitement of the local hill announcing they would be
open today. Definitely nice to get back out there!


"Sean Martin" wrote in message
et...
When waxing at the end of the season, it's recommended that you don't
scrape
until you ride the board the next season. The wax will oxidize and turn
white over long periods of time. Direct sunlight and high temperatures
will
accelerate the oxidation. For best performance, I would recommend you
clean
the base with a citrus cleaner and then wax again.

Sean Martin
Donek Snowboards Inc.

http://www.donek.com/
phone:877-53-DONEK

"Stephen" wrote in message
...
Just out of curiosity, I'm debating whether or not I should bother
re-waxing
the board. Basically I freshly waxed it at the end of the season, and
now
after several months the wax has turned white in patches. My board has a
black base which makes this phenomena quite visible. Anyone know what's
actually going on when the wax ages, how it will affect the purpose of
the
wax?

Steve

I try to avoid as many nasty chemicals as I can. Citrusol (sp?) known as
Goo Gone at your local grocery store runs a couple dollars and dissolves wax
just fine. It's made from Orange oil and is relatively benign. It comes in
about 1 pint containers and cleans a lot of bases. We use it in the shop in
place of most solvents as well. It's an excellent base cleaner and is used
by world cup tuners as well.

Sean Martin
Donek Snowboards Inc.

http://www.donek.com/
phone:877-53-DONEK

OOH.. you just hinted at a question I've been meaning to ask. I see these
snowboard base cleaners that are kind of expensive for the little amount
that you get. What makes them special? Or aren't they and are they just
some other cleaner that we normally buy in a special bottle labelled
"Snowboard base cleaner"?

Cheers,
Scott

"Scott Lindner" wrote in message ...
Is that essentially the same stuff?

Smells like it.

What made you decide on using that product?

I had some GM Fabric Cleaner lying around already. I tried it, and it
worked. It will remove paint, but since it is intended to clean
surfaces and fabrics inside automobiles, it is probably OK on most
plastics. It won't harm the polytetrafluoroethylene bases of skis or
snowboards, but I'd keep it away from the topsheet, lest the graphics
be removed.

It's not health food. Use common sense if you choose to work with it.

Info on snowboard/ski base material. There are many manufacturers.
http://www.daikin.cc/products/view_f...uctfamilyid=32

Info on 1,1,1 trichloroethane:
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts70.html

"Mike T" wrote in message .. .
For best performance, I would recommend you clean
the base with a citrus cleaner and then wax again.

What are the pros and cons of using a citrus cleaner versus a hot scrape
to clean? (Hot scrape = wax and then scrape while still tacky - much
like waxing one's legs / face / etc, it pulls dirt from the pores in a
base) I like clean bases but I don't want to damage them by over-doing
it.
Mike T

I don't know about waxing my body like Mike ;] but I also was taught
that you should do a hot scrape to clean all the junk out of the pores
in the base. If I could do the same thing with this citrus cleaner
that would be great (saves time and wax). Can anyone confirm or
contribute to this point of discussion?

--arvin

" Do you know of a good resource online somewhere for the do's and don't's
for
snowboard care? I'd like to read up on it, rather than

Try www.kuu.com. There's a PDF manual and a video too! I learned alot about
board waxing and general maintenance from it. One thing i never knew about
was texturing the freshly waxed base. Oh. My. Lord. What a difference in
speed! Anyway, wicked site. They also talk about cold-shocking the base
before scraping like they invented it or something. It is a common sense
thing my friends and I have done for years.