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base cleaner?

Jacques

Workin' It on Skis Best I Can
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Hello

Am a newbie and about to start waxing my and my families skis.

I wanted to know if a household citrus cleaner / degreaser from home depot is a good choice for a base cleaner?

Are these ok or is there something else to consider? I am just getting started so wanted to know if there is an alternate to buying specialized cleaners marketed just for the ski industry.

The concentrated gallon for $11 makes 16 gallons.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/ZEP-24-oz-Heavy-Duty-Citrus-Degreaser-ZUCIT24CA/203804192

http://www.homedepot.com/p/ZEP-128-oz-Heavy-Duty-Citrus-Degreaser-ZUCIT128CA/203804190

Just get the Swix Glide Wax Cleaner and you will enter the 21st century. It's the only base cleaner you will ever need, Forget everything else. Plus it's made for ski bases by those who knew what they were doing when they formulated the product.

Then about waxing since you mentioned that. See this VIDEO. You need to listen to the whole thing, if not you will miss important things. Good luck to you!
 

Bill Seddon

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are you guys using Dominator renew or similar as a first layer when starting waxing for a new season? I'm going to source some GWC over here instead of hot scraping, but usually put a layer of renew in first before going to the zoom. Just rec skiing, but I find the process therapeutic.
 

James

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are you guys using Dominator renew or similar as a first layer when starting waxing for a new season? I'm going to source some GWC over here instead of hot scraping, but usually put a layer of renew in first before going to the zoom. Just rec skiing, but I find the process therapeutic.
Yes, but honestly I don't always do it. It's good to use a base prep wax for penetration and helping the glide wax bond.
 

KingGrump

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I use Swix BP 99.
I find the base holds up better between wax jobs. Most likely my imagination.
 

KingGrump

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No, BP 99.

Edit to add:

IMG_20170922_185453.jpg

The BP 99 is a nordic wax. I find it better for my purpose than the BP 88. YMMV
 
Last edited:

Jacques

Workin' It on Skis Best I Can
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are you guys using Dominator renew or similar as a first layer when starting waxing for a new season? I'm going to source some GWC over here instead of hot scraping, but usually put a layer of renew in first before going to the zoom. Just rec skiing, but I find the process therapeutic.

Yes, Dominator Base Renew is awesome. You don't need to use it each time you wax, but from time to time and always the first wax to use to prep a base.
I use it in my hot box for all first cycles nowadays.

Remember that each time the ski is cooled, wax is expelled from contraction. This not only forces wax out the bottom of the base, but also into it, toward the core.
This is why multiple heating and cooling cycles work to get the base saturated as deep as possible. May not be very deep, but the extra depth in microns makes all the difference.

I don't remember where I saw someone say that they noticed no matter what wax was being used in the WC waxing room, that most all used Dominator Base Renew waxes first. They have a Race Renew that contains SRB additive, (Solid Rocket Booster), Because it contains Fluorographite Polymer it is way spendy, so you probably don't need to go there.
 

Jacques

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I use Swix BP 99.
I find the base holds up better between wax jobs. Most likely my imagination.

May not be your imagination. A good base prep. wax is needed to get a harder wax to adhere. Any good base prep wax should be soft to deeply penetrate the base as possible. Softer wax equals smaller molecules. Smaller goes deeper. Deeper means better bond to base. Wax likes wax, so then the day wax will then adhere better and last longer.

That said Dominator Base Renew waxes simply can't be beat.
 

Muleski

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Dominator Base Renew is great. Can highly recommend like others.
I got in the habit of using Race Service SBC {Special Base Conditioner} as my first wax on new skis, or even on fresh grinds, at one time. Was shown that by a serious race tech friend. It always worked exceptionally well.
Dominator was easier to find and cheaper. Now my go to.
 

Doug Briggs

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i use base renew graphite. rub on before race wax.
 

James

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No, BP 99.

Edit to add:

View attachment 30079
The BP 99 is a nordic wax. I find it better for my purpose than the BP 88. YMMV
Aha, did not know! Why do you like the 99?

I liked that Race Service 1 SBC wax too for prepping.

This is a good video on brushes. It uses the Red Creek brand but the concepts of brushing the surface, structure, and polishing are pretty clear. Troy Caldwell of Caldwell Sport.
 

KingGrump

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Why do you like the 99?

I go through a lot of wax. I do about 20 pairs of skis during my preseason tuning sessions. I used to use BP 88 for base prep. Hence the 900 g box. Saw the BP 99 on sale in 2015. Bought a whole bunch. Works out to about $71 / 900g. Slightly cheaper than the BP 88.

The 99 is a soft wax. I seem to use less of it. It wets out the ski really well. Similar to the flow / feel difference between the Swix CH10 & CH8. A 60g block will cover quite a few pair of skis.

I try to wax a pair of skis once they been on snow for 4 or 5 days. Sometimes that doesn't happen. Eight days appears to be the limit when I experienced some real noticeable difference with the 88. With the 99 I have gone 10 days without waxing and it is still OK. Not great but OK. The 99 also appears to delay graying of the black ptex base better than the 88 between waxing. To me, the graying is a sign the ptex is drying out. .

Once I run out of the 99 I'll go back to using the 88. Unless I find the 99 on sale first.
 

Jacques

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Aha, did not know! Why do you like the 99?

I liked that Race Service 1 SBC wax too for prepping.

This is a good video on brushes. It uses the Red Creek brand but the concepts of brushing the surface, structure, and polishing are pretty clear. Troy Caldwell of Caldwell Sport.

Since you brought brushing into the thread, I will say I do like this Scraping & Brushing video better. There is no sales pitch for brushes and one can see what is happening to the ski base much better. To the OP, this is all part of good waxing. The information war is on! Ha ha.
 

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