Steel Brushes

Sorry if this has been discussed, but I am just getting back to the
newsgroup now that the snow is falling. I have been seeing plenty of
catalogue space recently given to steel brushes, both hand and roto.
Not talking about the old Swix BBQ brush. It seems as if there are two
different flavors, fine and very fine. Was wondering if anyone had any
experience with these, if so, were they useful? Hope to find out more
fromt the wax gods out at West Yellowstone this week.

Dan Vargo
SLC, UT

The goal with the brushes is to get a bristle that is fine enough
(diameter-wise) that it can reach deeper into the ski base structure.
The trade-off as you get to the finer diameter is that the bristle
gets more flexible. So while brass and copper brushes do a good job
they have a limit because of this trade-off point.
The next step past brass is to use steel. Since steel is stiffer
the diameter can be made smaller. The same trade-off applies though
for diameter versus stiffness based on the type of steel used.

The fine steel hand-brushes are a step up from the brass/copper in
cost but the effects can be really good. A lot of people like to
brush out the colder/harder waxes with a brass or copper hand brush
to help expose the base structure. Using a fine metal hand brush can
make this job go faster/easier to better expose the base structure.

The same goes with the roto-brushes. Red Creek has brass, fine steel
and ultra-fine steel. I've used all three back-to-back on the same
ski at the same time (each getting a section of the ski with the same
structure and wax). The results are quite visible. If you can afford to
get the Ultra-fine it's amazing. I've spoken with several people that
concur (I'll let them speak/write for themselves).

These brushes are also used at the start of a wax job to clean the
bases up so you can get your waxes of the day right to the base.

Price independent the finer steel brushes are worth it.
Using a brass/copper brush is still better than not using one
(if you have to be budget sensitive) in the prep.

Rodney
[disclaimer: I do sell all these types of brushes. But the facts
still remain the same :-) ]

Daniel Vargo wrote:

Sorry if this has been discussed, but I am just getting back to the
newsgroup now that the snow is falling. I have been seeing plenty of
catalogue space recently given to steel brushes, both hand and roto.
Not talking about the old Swix BBQ brush. It seems as if there are two
different flavors, fine and very fine. Was wondering if anyone had any
experience with these, if so, were they useful? Hope to find out more
fromt the wax gods out at West Yellowstone this week.

Dan Vargo
SLC, UT

"Rodney/SkiWax.ca" wrote in message ...
The goal with the brushes is to get a bristle that is fine enough
(diameter-wise) that it can reach deeper into the ski base structure.
The trade-off as you get to the finer diameter is that the bristle
gets more flexible. So while brass and copper brushes do a good job
they have a limit because of this trade-off point.
The next step past brass is to use steel. Since steel is stiffer
the diameter can be made smaller. The same trade-off applies though
for diameter versus stiffness based on the type of steel used.

The fine steel hand-brushes are a step up from the brass/copper in
cost but the effects can be really good. A lot of people like to
brush out the colder/harder waxes with a brass or copper hand brush
to help expose the base structure. Using a fine metal hand brush can
make this job go faster/easier to better expose the base structure.

The same goes with the roto-brushes. Red Creek has brass, fine steel
and ultra-fine steel. I've used all three back-to-back on the same
ski at the same time (each getting a section of the ski with the same
structure and wax). The results are quite visible. If you can afford to
get the Ultra-fine it's amazing. I've spoken with several people that
concur (I'll let them speak/write for themselves).

These brushes are also used at the start of a wax job to clean the
bases up so you can get your waxes of the day right to the base.

Price independent the finer steel brushes are worth it.
Using a brass/copper brush is still better than not using one
(if you have to be budget sensitive) in the prep.

Rodney
[disclaimer: I do sell all these types of brushes. But the facts
still remain the same :-) ]


But wait Rodney - what about raising of base hairs, as I learned the
hard way with my brass brush. Resulted in extremely slow skis in cold
conditions, till I shaved the base with a swix razor. Steel sounds
worse.

Dell Todd wrote:

But wait Rodney - what about raising of base hairs, as I learned the
hard way with my brass brush. Resulted in extremely slow skis in cold
conditions, till I shaved the base with a swix razor. Steel sounds
worse.

Steel can be more aggressive than the brass/copper brushes.
When using a brass or steel brush to help at the beginning of waxing
(hand or roto brushes) the goal is to expose the base and its
structure better. This helps clear the structure of dirt and old
bits of wax. With both hand and roto brushes you should fibertex
after to remove any raised "hairies".

Some brass brushes are more stiff than they should be. Some people are
aggressive with their brushes as well. That can contribute to changing
the structure of the base and/or raising a lot of hairies. As there is
the trade-off between bristle diameter and stiffness you have to trade
off excess stiffness and applied force to the brush so you minimize
any resulting hairies. The goal is to have the very tips of the bristles
just lightly brushing the ski base. The structure on the base is fairly
shallow (compared to most things) so very little pressure is needed to
reach down into the "valleys".

When using a brass or steel brush near the final stages of waxing they
are not to be used as a polishing or finishing brush. They should be
used to "break the surface" so the final, softer brushes can more
easily expose the structure. There will still be a enough of a film
of hard wax above the actual base material that the brass or steel
brush is not contacting it. And certainly the warmer softer waxes are
too easy to penetrate through, so brass and steel should not be used
in the final wax stages (not that they would be needed either).

Anyway, fibertex after. It's common with the double handled roto brushes
that the brass or steel brush is on the shaft with the roto-fibertex.

Rodney