How To Hot Wax A Snowboard

It is very simple to hot wax your snowboard.
You will need a hot wax iron, wax, buff pad(Green Scotchbrite Pads work well.) and scraper.
You can use plastic or metal scrapers, I prefer the metal scraper because it will not dull as easy..

Step 1: Area to Wax

Find and area to wax your snowboard. I have this nice little bench with braces that holds the snowboard level. Plug in your iron and get your wax ready. It is best if your snowboard has been sitting at room temperature so the base can absorb the wax more readily.

Comments

[gcharlie1]

I prefer using Choad Cheese Wax, it's locally sourced handcrafted wax, and made in the USA.

Seriously it's the most powerful wax formula on planet earth.

http://crackgrease.com/store_wax.html

[btaberner]

Will the iron be okay to use on clothes after doing this?

[rlnbkseeberger]

so what about really big gashes, how do you grind those out? also i am a ski patroller and i never wax my board, so you dont have to wax your stuff

[lane96]

The best iron I've seen for doing this belonged to my cousin. He took a regular iron like the $8 walmart model and then used a tig welder to fill in the holes on the bottom. Next he ground it down flat again. No more need to worry about those annoying holes! I've heard that you should heat the board with a hair dryer first to avoid stressing it and potentially damaging it but who knows.

[eddiegotbackstabbed]

After going thought all the procedures of waxing the board. Am i supposed to leave some amount of wax on the board as a sheet or is it ALL supposed to come off? because i thought the waxing was meant to cover all the groves scrapes of the base board.

[GiveMeMyCawwot]

Dude, "wax after 2-3 riding sessions."? a little much, dont you think? (in theory, you couldn't wax it too much, but that would start running high costs in wax and the time to do it) just a thought.

[free.heeler]

I think after 2-3 sessions is a little excessive. I ski 120 days + a year and I find every 10-20 days to be about perfect. Following these instructions though might leave you with a less than desirable result needing more frequent updates. When you're waxing skis or a snowboard, you aren't so much adding a layer of wax, but making a whole new layer on the bottom of your stick(s). What you are trying to do is make, what is essentially, an emulsion of the base material and the wax. Once you get the wax spread out on the base, you need to keep ironing for a good little while making sure to evenly heat the entire base. A good rule of thumb is to iron long enough so that the board is warmed through (you can feel the heat on the top of the ski/snowboard). At the same time you need to be very careful not to burn the base material. Once you've applied the wax you need to let things cool for a fairly long period. I usually wait at least overnight. Not until it's cooled for an extended period should you scrape. If you scrape too soon or without ironing long enough you end up removing most if not all of the wax you've added.

[Eggbertius]

racers wax in the parking lot at the hill every day, and some nuts will use rub-on wax at lunch

[declanthedork]

lol I keep rub-on in my pocket and wax every couple of hours ;)

[Rossiroller]

 really? i always heard that excess wax on your base slows you down. its the wax that sinks into the base that makes it faster... but thats just what i was taught

[Vixen8387]

Is the iron you use just an old regular iron?? or is it a special iron for waxing only? I gotta learn to do this... got me a snow board for myself finally and want to keep it waxed!

[sssssbooom]

You can use almost any iron. I was trained by a professional, and he said don't waste your money go to your local thrift store and pick one up for a couple bucks. The only thing it needs to have is adjustable heat.

[strayturk]

I just picked one up from local Walmart for 6 bucks. It's a steam iron, but as long as i never put water in it, should be fine.

[wildflower96]

Where can I buy wax? I really need to wax my snowboard but this is the first time I have since I bought it and I have no idea where to get wax from.

[mrcranky]

My only comment here is that if you use a metal scraper, you need to be very careful not to dig into your ptex base. With a plastic scraper, it is generally much harder to damage the actual base material of your board, and it still works great to remove the excess wax. Otherwise, great tutorial.

[Ekaj]

I don't use a waxing iron I just use my mom's old iron and it works great.

[Justin McKay]

I think that's what they did here... they just called it a "waxing iron".

[admanrocks]

good job, now just learn how to ski.

[PetervG]

board

[admanrocks]

no, you mean ski

[Dark_Helmet]

Can you finish it off with steel wool for an even smoother finish? It works on finish for furniture, but I'm curious to know if you've ever tried this or think it would work on a snowboard.

[StrangeRanger]

You actually don't want a "smooth" finish. You want the base sintered, that is, having tiny lines running the length of the board. These are the channels where the water forms and this is actually what makes the board/ski slide over the snow faster. Same theory as in ice skating. j