Now That I Have All of This Wax, How Do I Put it On?

Below You Will Find Detailed Descriptions On How to Hot Wax.

• Start out by securing your ski in some manner so it is not flying all over the place as your brushing and scraping, preferably in some type of nordic ski vise or form.
• Next, prepare the base for waxing by brushing it with a nylon brush (ALWAYS work tip to tail when working on or waxing bases). This removes old waxes and cleans the base of the ski so the wax can better penetrate the base.               
• Next, wipe the base with a clean dry cloth to remove the wax flakes that have accumulated from the nylon brushing.
• Now its time to drip wax onto the base of the ski. Once the iron is pre-heated to the right temperature (if your unsure about iron temperature, read our article titled: Iron Temperature) hold the iron over the base of the ski in one hand and hold the wax in the other hand. Press the wax (very lightly) against the iron and as the wax starts to melt, manipulate the iron so that the wax drips from it onto the base of the ski, move down the length of the ski, allowing the wax to drip evenly onto the base of the ski. Also, spend the extra money on a true wax iron and forget using the thrift store iron, you will be much happier with the results and won't burn your bases.
• Next, place the iron on the ski base and as the wax melts (shiny transparency look) move the iron across the base of the ski in a slow circular motion smoothing the wax evenly across the ski base, covering all areas (tip to tail).
• Now, place the iron face down and covering the width of the base, near the tip of the ski, slowly pull the iron toward the back of the ski, (take about 45 seconds to travel the entire length of the ski). This step should be repeated no more than two times, as to not overheat the bases.
• Now, let the wax cool (about 20 minutes at room temperature).
• Once the wax has cooled, its time to scrape. Start by scraping the groove and edges first, working tip to tail of course. Also, use actual groove and plexi scrapers instead of your old credit card, they will produce much better results and be easier to work with. Next, scrape the rest of the base, starting at the tip, hold the scraper at a 45 degree angle away from yourself and slightly canted so one side of the scraper is ahead of the other. Push the scraper toward the tail of the ski in nice smooth strokes, making your way toward the tail. Repeat this a few times, until the majority of the wax is off the ski and the base looks clean. Now, make one or two smooth strokes across the entire length of the ski.
• Now its time to brush. Take the nylon brush, (making sure you have wiped off the old wax particles from when you brushed the base in the beginning) and begin brushing from tip to tail. You can brush for quite a while if you would like, but about 10 minutes of consistent brushing should do the trick.
• Finally, wipe the wax dust produced from brushing off the base with a clean dry cloth and then place your skis together with a nordic ski tie. Now your ready to go skiing.

                        
      (Step 1: Base Brushing)           (Step 2: Wax Dripping)                (Step 3: Ironing)                   

                       
                           (Step 3: Scraping)                               (Step 4: Brushing)