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Prosper

This is the way.
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If just cleaning the base before waxing and not wanting to take off all the wax any issues with using something like Simple Green either full strength or diluted?
 

Bad Bob

I golf worse than I ski.
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West of CDA South of Canada
Alcohol. Will drink some in the garage while cleaning or scraping the skis.
 

Jacques

Workin' It on Skis Best I Can
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Bend, OR
If just cleaning the base before waxing and not wanting to take off all the wax any issues with using something like Simple Green either full strength or diluted?

Use what works...
upload_2019-6-15_19-31-41.jpeg


Glide Wax Cleaner.jpg
 

Jerez

Skiing the powder
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Our skis get nasty dirt on them for sure. Ski in the desert and that just happens. Was about to go for the Glide Wax Cleaner but then saw

This from the Swix website: DANGER … Flammable liquid and vapour. May be fatal if swallowed and enters airways. Toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects. Repeated exposure may cause skin dryness or cracking.

Is there a base cleaner that is less toxic? Does just plain alcohol, Method cleaner, or simple green work?
 

Steve

SkiMangoJazz
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Nov 13, 2015
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Hot wax and scrape while hot works well.
 

Jerez

Skiing the powder
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Thanks @Steve … I do that now, but it does not seem to take off miscellaneous dark gunk as @Jacques says. Perhaps it's too late in that I've since waxed the skis after not being able to get the schmutz off in the past. On the other hand, I'm just a hack recreational skier, so it may not matter that much...:(

On another note. I am not sure I'm getting the running burr off the bases correctly after filing and polishing my side edges. (I leave the base edge to the pros.) Currently, I take the finest diamond stone I have 800 and gently run it
diagonally
off the base edge
the length of the ski
freehand.
Is that OK or am I undoing my own work?:huh:
 

Doug Briggs

"Douche Bag Local"
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You want to use a very fine stone (your finest stone) on the base edge AFTER stoning the side edge. Just doing the side edge leaves the dreaded hanging burr. You are only aiming to remove burrs when stoning the base edge, not sharpening, per se. Certainly not setting a bevel.
 

Jerez

Skiing the powder
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Thanks @Doug Briggs I do use a very fine stone. I do it freehand though. I figure if I'm not applying a lot of pressure, I ought not to be hurting the edge. Right?? Or do I now have to invest in a base guide just to take that hanging burr off?
 

KingGrump

Most Interesting Man In The World
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This the side edge tuning video from the Toko guy.
He addresses the hanging burr issue starting at 23:00.

 

Doug Briggs

"Douche Bag Local"
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Thanks @Doug Briggs I do use a very fine stone. I do it freehand though. I figure if I'm not applying a lot of pressure, I ought not to be hurting the edge. Right?? Or do I now have to invest in a base guide just to take that hanging burr off?
freehand is fine. Your stones should be fine enough that you can't be messing up the bevel, just taking off the burrs. Just like Willi. ;)
 

Wilhelmson

Making fresh tracks
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I freehand the burr on my wife's and kids' skis so they don't hook up at the wrong time. If it's typical new england am conditions, I just leave my burr on and it wears off after a few sloppy turns on hard snow. Still run the risk of catching the edge in some moguls or on the side of the trail and suffering consequences, but that hasn't happened.
 

Jacques

Workin' It on Skis Best I Can
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Bend, OR
Our skis get nasty dirt on them for sure. Ski in the desert and that just happens. Was about to go for the Glide Wax Cleaner but then saw

This from the Swix website: DANGER … Flammable liquid and vapour. May be fatal if swallowed and enters airways. Toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects. Repeated exposure may cause skin dryness or cracking.

Is there a base cleaner that is less toxic? Does just plain alcohol, Method cleaner, or simple green work?

Okay, so don't drink it. Don't pour it in a water way. Don't light it on fire. If you swallow some don't let it get into your wind pipe!
Been using for years.
 

Doug Briggs

"Douche Bag Local"
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Breckenridge, CO
While Willi is hitting the base edge with the ski on its edge, it can be easier to de-burr the bases when they are base up. You can use two hands to manage the stone that way and you can see the edge and the stones effect on it. I will hold the end of the stone away from the edge (outboard, if you will) in a way that allows me to easily manage the angle it makes with the edge. Just a pinch or a relaxation of the outboard hand can change the angle. Look at the base edge and see where it is brightening up the edge. Your goal is to de-burr which puts your focus on the working part of the edge (where side and base edge meet) but there is no harm in polishing the base edge from edge to edge. By watching the polish of the base edge, you can make sure that you are hitting the working edge and not missing the burrs. Sound and feel will give you the feedback too.

This video shows how I hold the stone when doing base edge work. At 0:06 I show how you can adjust the angle of the stone be squeezing/relaxing the outboard hand.


Another thing to note is that the distance the outboard part of the stone is from the ski corresponds to the distance that you would see if you were using the true bar method of determining base edge bevel. At 58 mm from the edge, the distance in mm between the ski and the tool represents the base bevel. So if your skis have a 1 degree base bevel, the stone should be about a mm above the ski at the point 58 mm from the edge.
 

Rich_Ease_3051

Getting off the lift
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May 16, 2021
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734
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Sydney
Is there a difference between the newer I84-70N Glide Wax Cleaner and the older I84-70C Glide Wax Cleaner in terms of being fluoro free?

The newer I84-70N Glide Wax Cleaner has the green leaf indicating that it's fluor free
1624296682515.png


While the old one (I84-70C) doesn't


1624296735778.png
 

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