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#1
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is plastic wax scraper necessary?
I want to start waxing my board but never did it before.
just wondering if those plastic wax scraper with a square edge is really useful. can't I just use something like a putty knife? At the hardware store, I found a 12inch long paint guide ($4) - it has a 12inch x 4inch metal edge and plastic handle. I would think that would scrape stuff better than a square piece of plastic. please let me know if you've used a plastic scrapper and if it's worth $8 - $10. |
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#2
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I want to start waxing my board but never did it before.
just wondering if those plastic wax scraper with a square edge is really useful. can't I just use something like a putty knife? At the hardware store, I found a 12inch long paint guide ($4) - it has a 12inch x 4inch metal edge and plastic handle. I would think that would scrape stuff better than a square piece of plastic. please let me know if you've used a plastic scrapper and if it's worth $8 - $10. $8 - $10 seems like a lot for a plastic scraper. The most I've paid is $4 or $5. I tried a putty knife and it flexed too much which made it skip which can nick your base. I find a "ski sized" scraper works better than a "Snowboard sized" scraper for this reason as well - less flex, less skipping, wax comes off more evenly. |
#3
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Mike,
thanks, everything in Cali cost more. =( okay, now I get why they're shaped like a thick piece of plastic (so it doesn't flex). I'll check if that paint guide thing flexes. if not, I ain't paying $8 plus tax. what do you mean by ski-sized vs snowboard sized? do you mean like a 10' scrapper vs 6' ? |
#4
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what do you mean by ski-sized vs snowboard sized?
do you mean like a 10' scrapper vs 6' ? Yep - the one I use is actually 5 inches wide, and 1/4" thick: http://www.race-werks.com/product.ph...6000&cat_id=18 Mike T |
#5
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Sharp scrapers are key to a good wax job. Buy several of those
scrapers or equivalent all at once. You'll thank me later! A scraper only lasts for a few wax jobs and they need to be completely clean to work right. You save a lot of work with a sharp scraper. Personally, I use paste. Start with a good hot wax and paste can keep you going for weeks. I like F4 and toko because the dry on hard and rub in. |
#6
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I agree, use the ski-sized scraper vice the snowboard sized scraper.
Much better results. Eric |
#7
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Sharp scrapers are key to a good wax job. Buy several of those
scrapers or equivalent all at once. You'll thank me later! A scraper only lasts for a few wax jobs and they need to be completely clean to work right. You save a lot of work with a sharp scraper. Scrapers can be brought back to life though! I find using a fine metal file followed by 400 grit sandpaper will resore smoothness and sharpness to a plastic scraper. I run the file flat along the scraping edges and then use the 400 grit sandpaper to smoothe any rough spots. I would guess that I file/sand a scraper after maybe 40 usages though, not just a few. I used to wear 'em down faster, the less wax one uses, the less scraping and the less wear on the scraper! Personally, I use paste. Start with a good hot wax and paste can keep you going for weeks. I like F4 and toko because the dry on hard and rub in. I have never tried paste... but since I find hot waxing to be a kind of waxing ritual after a long day of working in front of a computer, my quiver is always waxed up and ready to go BTW my favorite "inexpensive but effective" brand of wax is SVST Ultra-Wax. Those 10 ounce bricks last forever even if you are obsessive about waxing like I am. The yellow is great for spring riding and for hot-scraping. (Note that they doi *not* follow the same color scheme as Swix or Toko) Link: http://www.race-werks.com/product.ph...4100&cat_id=17 Mike T |
#8
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wrote in news:1102982176.820967.142340
@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com: I want to start waxing my board but never did it before. just wondering if those plastic wax scraper with a square edge is really useful. I've found the plastic scrapers get dull really fast. They can be revived, but its a PITA. Lately I've taken to using this guy he http://www.blades.com/product/index....tId=141882&cp= 698548.1209832&parentPage=family Its a wide scraper - hard plastic casing with a small metal edge. You do need to be a little more careful with it, but it makes much quicker work of things. I also find it can be cambered slighly when needed (no board is 100% level across its whole surface). Don't forget to get a structure brush too. |
#9
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"Mike M. Miskulin" wrote just wondering if those plastic wax scraper with a square edge is really useful. Its a wide scraper - hard plastic casing with a small metal edge. You do need to be a little more careful with it, but it makes much quicker work of things. I just use a plain metal scraper. But I scrape the majority of extra wax when it's still hot, so the effort (and a risk of messing up the base) is minimal. Then I just finish it off with 1) CD disk cover plastic "scraper", 2) scotch-brite pad and 3) structure brush |
#10
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"Dmitry" wrote I just use a plain metal scraper. But I scrape the majority of extra wax when it's still hot, so the effort (and a risk of messing up the base) is minimal. YEah, forgot to mention that the idea here is that by scraping the wax while it's still hot you get to put some pressure on it so that it'll get into the base pores even better. I have no idea if it actually works, but sure is much quicker to remove excess wax while it's still soft. And much less messy, creates one big pile of wax instead of a bunch of little sticky pieces that are hard to clean. |
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