Rex Powergrip

I bought some Rex powergrip waxes based on some good reports I have
been hearing about them, but I am a little confused about the
application. Supposedly you are to heat the can with a hair dryer, dab
some dots on the grip zone with your finger, iron in, and cork when
cooled. Is this correct?

I tried to apply some of the blue today and found it to be rather
messy. It became very stringy when trying to apply it warm with my
fingers. I was hoping to avoid using klister, but this seems almost as
bad. It looked OK after ironing, but when I tried to cork it, it
became very rough and sticky again. What am I doing wrong? Hopefully
someone with experience with the product can help. Also any tips and
tricks about conditions and usage would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance-
Ron Bott

Ron Bott wrote:

I bought some Rex powergrip waxes based on some good reports I have
been hearing about them, but I am a little confused about the
application. Supposedly you are to heat the can with a hair dryer, dab
some dots on the grip zone with your finger, iron in, and cork when
cooled. Is this correct?

For purple powergrip I heat it in the can and dab it on with my finger,
for blue or green I just smear it on from the can like soft kick
wax. For all of them I then spread it with my thumb while heating it
with the hair dryer. Keep heating and spreading it until you have a thin
smooth layer. I don't bother corking it.

I tried to apply some of the blue today and found it to be rather
messy. It became very stringy when trying to apply it warm with my
fingers. I was hoping to avoid using klister, but this seems almost as
bad. It looked OK after ironing, but when I tried to cork it, it
became very rough and sticky again. What am I doing wrong? Hopefully
someone with experience with the product can help. Also any tips and
tricks about conditions and usage would be most appreciated.

I've been very happy with powergrip in a very wide range of conditions.
If the snow is new, use a thin layer. If its old and transformed use
a thicker layer.

-Ilene

Ron,
In addition to Ilene's good way, check the Finn Sisu site:
http://www.finnsisu.com/waxing.html. Here is a slight variation on that
the inimitable Ken Salzberg sent me back in Jan 2001, under the rubric,
"Here's how all us midwest folks put it on:"

1. clean kick zone, sand kick zone
2. Heat, with heat gun, hair dryer, kick zone, and wax.
3. Dab wax on kick zone (re-heating ski and wax as necessary)
4. Heat wax on ski, smooth out with finger.
5. Heat smoothed wax some more (to help set it up, or something).
6. Let wax cool, then lightly go over it with a (dedicated) synthetic
cork.
7. For race purposes, put on a very light coat of Hydrex (one or two
spritzes for the whole kick zone).

The way I do it, after some experimentation with the above methods, is
now a bit different. I focus primarily on warming the ski and then
(big) dot the kick zone with PG. Partly that came from the difficulty
of warming the little cannisters (the bigger containers are much easier
to use) and partly from realizing it wasn't much necessary. At 75F, PG
is usually soft enough to get a sufficient amount by rubbing your thumb
in it and then pressing it on the ski. If necessary, warm the container
a little to soften it up, but it doesn't need to be kept warm.

I put big dots close down both sides of the kick zone, run the hair
dryer over it again to get the ski and wax warm again, and then use the
same thumb to spread it down the ski. Keep doing this and keeping the
ski warm (sometimes I use an iron and finish with a thumb). When spread
evenly, run your (PG-designated) klister scraper up the center channel,
and then resmooth what's been raised. Finally, run your warming gun
over it back and forth until it all looks black (vs charcoal grey).
Clean the side of the ski with wax remover. Let it dry for at least 30
minutes inside, if not overnight. Run your cork (I use backside of one
cork only) lightly back and forth to remove the all sheen. Yes, it
won't be smooth. And yes, your thumb and maybe another finger will need
cleaning after the initial application. That's what Lava bar soap and
industrial soap powder are for. Like with klister, it takes some
practice to get the hang of it. I'll often wrap a paper towel and
rubber band around the kick zones to protect everything else in the bag
and car.

Ken mentions Rex's Hydrex for races. GP tends to ice up in loose snow.
Hydrex is expensive stuff, like $40+ for a little spray can, so must be
used sparingly. An effective alternative for most circumstance is to
crayon a couple of layers of the appropriate Toko carbon wax on top
(Swix would probably work, too). This can be done inside or out, corked
lightly or not corked at all (PG should not be corked strongly because
that warms it up and with another wax would cause mixing). The added
layers help prevent icing and I find helps PG with kick and durability,
esp. where the snow is abrasive.

Generally, PG should be put on thicker than you think, definitely
thicker than klister, with most in abrasive conditions. This is based
on a hands-on discussion with the US distributor, Ahvo of Finn Sisu, and
partly from experience. Also, for everyday use I'll often add another
temp range of PG without cleaning. Since late December I've had one
pair with PG violet, one with PG blue or green, I can't even remember
any more, and just added the day's Toko as the conditions warrant.
That's the kind of durability and wide range you get with it. The only
times PG seems lacking is in warm wet snow and ice, upper 30s or higher.

Hope that helps,
Gene


Ron Bott wrote:

I bought some Rex powergrip waxes based on some good reports I have
been hearing about them, but I am a little confused about the
application. Supposedly you are to heat the can with a hair dryer, dab
some dots on the grip zone with your finger, iron in, and cork when
cooled. Is this correct?

I tried to apply some of the blue today and found it to be rather
messy. It became very stringy when trying to apply it warm with my
fingers. I was hoping to avoid using klister, but this seems almost as
bad. It looked OK after ironing, but when I tried to cork it, it
became very rough and sticky again. What am I doing wrong? Hopefully
someone with experience with the product can help. Also any tips and
tricks about conditions and usage would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance-
Ron Bott

Ron Bott wrote:

I bought some Rex powergrip waxes based on some good reports I have
been hearing about them, but I am a little confused about the
application. Supposedly you are to heat the can with a hair dryer, dab
some dots on the grip zone with your finger, iron in, and cork when
cooled. Is this correct?

I tried to apply some of the blue today and found it to be rather
messy. It became very stringy when trying to apply it warm with my
fingers. I was hoping to avoid using klister, but this seems almost as
bad. It looked OK after ironing, but when I tried to cork it, it
became very rough and sticky again. What am I doing wrong? Hopefully
someone with experience with the product can help. Also any tips and
tricks about conditions and usage would be most appreciated.

I heat the can (purple rex) and dot it on the ski. Then take the hair dryer
(actually a heat gun) and warm it up on the skii. When it have the proper
temp i take a plastic scrape and drag it over the "wax" to get a smooth
and even layer. No kork, just a plastic scrape.
Don't use to thick layer because it tend to freeze and eat up the glide.

It is not that good on new fallen dry snow, then it takes out the glide.
The best snow is old 0--5C with som moist in it, then it rocks.
I have shortening the kickzone 8cm once and could have taken out more
without sacrifice the grip in that condition.

--

Forward in all directions

Janne G

On Fri, 13 Feb 2004 08:28:23 +0100, Janne G
wrote:

Ron Bott wrote:

I bought some Rex powergrip waxes based on some good reports I have
been hearing about them, but I am a little confused about the
application. Supposedly you are to heat the can with a hair dryer, dab
some dots on the grip zone with your finger, iron in, and cork when
cooled. Is this correct?

I tried to apply some of the blue today and found it to be rather
messy. It became very stringy when trying to apply it warm with my
fingers. I was hoping to avoid using klister, but this seems almost as
bad. It looked OK after ironing, but when I tried to cork it, it
became very rough and sticky again. What am I doing wrong? Hopefully
someone with experience with the product can help. Also any tips and
tricks about conditions and usage would be most appreciated.

I heat the can (purple rex) and dot it on the ski. Then take the hair dryer
(actually a heat gun) and warm it up on the skii. When it have the proper
temp i take a plastic scrape and drag it over the "wax" to get a smooth
and even layer. No kork, just a plastic scrape.
Don't use to thick layer because it tend to freeze and eat up the glide.

It is not that good on new fallen dry snow, then it takes out the glide.
The best snow is old 0--5C with som moist in it, then it rocks.
I have shortening the kickzone 8cm once and could have taken out more
without sacrifice the grip in that condition.
I do the same except smooth the heated wax with thumb or finger and
then heat again to melt smooth. No cork.

Thsi wax should definitely be thin for newer snow and thicker for old
snow. PG purple is almost a miracle wax around 32 F.

For all my fiddling around, I've never fiddled with Rex much less PG. What's
up? It sounds like a friggin trip to the beauty parlor to use it!

I see it said that PG Purple is great around freezing...but isn't Toko Yellow
Dibloc (old?) as well?

Toko Yellow has been working great for me every day this past week, around
freezing, fresh and new fallen snow. I thought that was the deadly trouble
zone? Well, maybe I've just been on the slight safe side since it's been about
29F.

I think of Rex for colder, drier Canadian snow for some goofy reason. Rex Green
glider? Brrrr!

Man, so many waxes!

Then there's this Hydrex stuff. Yikes!

--

Jeff Potter
****
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