7 Steps To Waxing Your Own Snowboard

It won't be long before snow season is here, which means that it is time to get your snowboard out of storage and get it ready for winter. While you could hand it over to a snowboard shop to be waxed, you can get similar results by doing it yourself. Plus, you can save money, despite the fact that you may have to shell out a bit of cash on a few inexpensive pieces of equipment – and it isn't hard to do with a bit of construction.  

What Will You Need?

To wax your own snowboard, you will need snowboard wax, a wax iron, a scraper, a clean cloth, a base cleaner, and a structuring brush.

Note: It is ideal that you use a wax iron, though you can use a standard clothes iron, although you will need to dedicate its future use to your snowboard.

Note 2: Make sure to select the right wax for your board. Waxes tend to be temperature-specific and are based on the temperature of the snow where you will be riding. If you are ever in doubt, choose a universal, or an all-temperature, wax.

Instructions

  1. Remove Bindings – Before you do anything else, you need to loosen and remove any bindings on your board. You don't want any screws near the surface of the base when you bring the wax iron to the snowboard, as this could cause serious, and permanent, damage to the board.
  2. Clean the Board – In order for the new wax to absorb into the base of the board properly, you need to make sure that you are working with a clean surface. Therefore, you will want to use a cloth and a base cleaner to remove any dirt and grime from the board. Use a clean cloth to wipe off the base.
  3. Melt Your Wax – Use a low-to-medium heat setting and hold the corner of your wax against your iron above your board until it begins to melt at a slow drizzle. Starting at one end of the snowboard and allowing it to drip onto your snowboard, move it around the outside edges and then zigzag through the middle. Try to maintain an even coat of wax.
  4. Iron the Board – Now, it is time to iron the board. Make sure to use a circulator motion and cover the entire surface. Don't stop or the board could get too hot and you could damage it. Make sure that you re-melt all the wax that you previously dripped onto the board.
  5. Allow the Wax to Cool – Once you have finished ironing, you will want to let the board cool completely and the wax set. This will probably take around 30 minutes.
  6. Scrape Down the Wax – After the wax cools, you will take your scraper at a 45-degree angle and scrape off the excess wax. This should be done in long, continuous strokes, starting from the nose and working your way toward the tail of the board. There is a notch in the end of the scraper, which should be used to remove stray wax on the edges of the board.
  7. Structure the Base – Last, but not least, brush the board with the structuring brush from the nose to the tail of the board. This will remove any leftover wax and add small grooves into the wax, which helps your board run faster and smoother in the snow. 

For more information, contact a company like Shoptek.


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