Ski care. Ski maintenance. We process skis using the hot lubrication method
1.) Solvent;
2.) Water and soap;
3.) Cases;
4.) Paraffin.
2. You came home from the store and just bought skis. What to do next? Take the purchased item in your hands and wash it, gently clean the surface from all kinds of dirt and paraffin. If the skis are not washed with an ordinary soap solution, then resort to the help of a solvent and cleaning mixtures. With them, your skis will simply shine with happiness.
3. Never let your skis cross each other. Special covers must be used for any transportation. It is impractical to transport skis without them, because the inventory can be completely damaged. If for some reason there are no covers, or they are torn, use adhesives between the skis. In the common people they are called "Velcro". They can either come with skis or be sold separately in a sports store.
4. But how to take care of your skis at home? Everything is much easier than you think. First of all, you need to know that skis must be kept dry. However, they must be placed away from heating furnaces and appliances. Still, let's not forget what they consist of. The skis themselves are on the floor. Ski poles should also be in comfortable conditions - away from heating devices and batteries.
5. Take a closer look at the skis in the store. See if there are any burrs on them. If there is, then consult with the seller how to behave with such inventory. If desired, you can take the skis to the nearest workshop for a total cleaning. There they will clean them for you, and sharpen them if necessary, not forgetting to finally lubricate with a special ointment and polish.
6. Well, you, of course, must remember that the most important thing when caring for skis is the constant application of a special ointment to them. Some use paraffin for this case. You need to constantly pay attention to the sliding surface of your skis.
7. It should be borne in mind that skis, like other mobile equipment, lose their quality over time. Therefore, if they are dear to you, then you need to take care of them all year round, and not just during winter season skating. Only in this case, your companions will always be "in good health" and will serve you faithfully for decades! Good luck and success! May the most difficult mountain peaks submit to you!
Let's talk about how to wax skis at home. It's not difficult at all, the main thing is to arm yourself with our advice, paraffin grease and an iron, and then get down to business. It is advisable to take an old and unnecessary iron, in addition, there should be no Teflon on its sole (the Teflon coating will be damaged after contact with paraffin, and it will be impossible to iron clothes with an iron). An important point: the iron must have a temperature controller. It is advisable to buy paraffin specially designed to cover skis. We recommend choosing a universal grease designed for a wide temperature range (for example: grease from minus three degrees to minus twenty or from plus ten to minus ten). If ski wax is not available in any way, then an ordinary candle or medical paraffin will do, although the efficiency, of course, will decrease. If you are not striving for records on the track, and are not chasing seconds, then choose the simplest paraffin without frills.
Turn on the iron to the minimum temperature, put the skis on a flat surface (for example, on the floor or on a table) with the slippers up and heat the paraffin on a warm iron so that drops drip onto the slippers. It is very important to prevent smoke and crackling of the paraffin, and carefully drip paraffin every 3-5 cm along the ski. After that, carefully iron the slippers with an iron, achieving an even distribution of paraffin over the entire surface.
Excess paraffin must be scraped off with a ruler or knife, but a special scraper is best suited for this purpose. If you decide to seriously engage in skiing, be sure to purchase this tool. Paraffin must be scraped off completely. And finally, it remains to grind the rest of the lubricant with a cork (you can use a regular wine bottle cork). If you did everything right, your ski bases will become shiny, glossy, and their surface will resemble a mirror.
How often should this procedure be performed? In many European ski resorts, lubrication is carried out each time the customer returns the ski to the rental, or every seven days of active skiing. This allows you to keep your skis in top shape for three to four seasons. But so often only a great enthusiast dares to wax skis with paraffin, and we recommend that everyone else paraffin the right sports equipment as soon as a whitish coating appears on the slippers - a sure indication of the deteriorating plastic protection. In addition, modern tools allow you to lubricate the skis right next to the track or track, and without any irons: just use the paste or gaseous lubricants and grinding that comes with them. However, such a pleasure is not cheap, but buying new skis will be even more expensive!
We wish you that your skis always glide perfectly and remain in excellent condition for many seasons!
In order for your ski equipment to serve you as long as possible, it needs careful care.
Skis that do not have a plastic coating on the base should be tarred immediately after purchase, and then this operation should be repeated at the end of each season. Before grinding, the skis are cleaned of varnish or old ointment, the sliding surface is heated for gas stove or a blowtorch, but so that the resin does not burn. Then the sliding surface is smeared with tar or liquid ski wax, rub it and heat it again so that everything is absorbed into the ski. The hot ski is smeared again and left to absorb the ointment. Then, after wiping dry, the skis are placed in spacers.
top surface wooden skis from time to time it is useful to cover with oil varnish. This gives the skis an elegant look and protects them from the effects of water.
Cracks and breaks can be glued with BF-2 glue or epoxy resin. Gluing points can be reinforced with wire staples or thin nails. Very good result gives an overlay of fiberglass impregnated with epoxy resin with the addition of 1/10 of the hardener. If this is not the case, you can use any durable fabric folded in several layers and impregnated with BF-2 glue. Before applying a patch, the tree is carefully cleaned. It is best to withstand such a patch under load at a temperature of 80-120 ° during the day, and then paint over it. The overlay can also be made of thin tin.
Defects in the plastic sliding surface are well sealed with nitro putty, which is applied several times in a thin layer on a clean, fat-free surface. Holes in plastic can also be repaired with a thick solution of celluloid, which is easy to obtain by dissolving finely chopped and emulsified pieces of film in acetone. It is also good to use epoxy, polyester or acrylic resins for this. The upper plastic edges on alpine skis can be repaired using the same tools.
Recovery appearance on the upper surface of skis, damaged paint or plastic is cleaned with a thin sandpaper and nitro-paint is applied to it - best of all from a spray bottle. When the painted surface dries, it is sanded with a thin sandpaper, and then with felt, a colorless varnish is applied and polished with a cloth. To give the surface a mirror shine, it is varnished two or three times.
It is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the metal edges in alpine skiing and inspect them regularly, immediately replace the screws that have flown out. If during the ride you find that the edge begins to dangle, it must be immediately strengthened or removed completely, so that later it can be properly put on all the screws. From time to time, it is useful to sharpen the edges and pins of the sticks with a file.
At the end of the season, all metal parts of the skis must be cleaned and lubricated with petroleum jelly or other similar lubricant.
Skis should be stored in a cool place tied up and best when standing up. If there is a sharp temperature difference in the room depending on the height, then the skis are stored lying down, on the edge. For cross-country and pleasure skiing, the spacer should not be more than 5 cm. Alpine skiing does not need a spacer at all. Too much spacer for glued skis does not increase their weight deflection, but only harms, creating residual stresses in the wood.
Broken cross-country or alpine skis can be repaired by a good carpenter, so broken parts should not be thrown away. Repairing cheap skis is not worth it - repairs will cost more than buying new skis.
Boots, both the upper and the sole, should always be well coated with a special ointment for sports shoes or grease. Before impregnating the shoes, it is necessary to preheat them with warm air, for example, from an oven. The shoes are impregnated until the skin is completely saturated. Ski boots are best soaked in paraffin wax. This makes them more rigid.
Before each skiing trip, the boots are lubricated with a special shoe polish for sports shoes. This protects them well from getting wet and gives them a neat look. Ski shoes, well smeared with shoe polish, are stored on special wooden blocks. This is especially important for ski boots. If there are no lasts, boots can be tightly stuffed with newsprint.
In no case should you, as it unfortunately often happens, walk in ski boots without skis. To do this, you need to use felt boots, cloth boots or boots.
Before you go skiing in new boots, you need to knead them on the leg - put on a woolen sock and walk for half an hour indoors. This applies especially to ski boots, in which the beginner at first feels like a diver on land.
To improve the connection with the skis and to protect the sole in ordinary ski boots, it is recommended to attach the same plates with holes for the pins of the welt attachment to the bottom of the toe with aluminum rivets:
Broken bamboo sticks are repaired very simply. To do this, the cracked knee of the stick is wrapped with insulating tape, adhesive plaster or thin wire.
Leather stick loops and ring straps are also soaked in boot wax two to three times a season. Before each ski trip, the fastening of the rings on the sticks is checked.
Rice. 11. Ski shoe lasts
Properly caring for your skis can extend their lifespan. There are several basic rules:
- Salt and open areas of soil - no! Avoid exposed areas from snow, and roads where salt can be sprinkled on the surface.
- Transportation of skis only in a protective case;
- The use of lubricants;
- Edge control and sliding surface.
- clean the surface from the previous application of lubricant;
The next step is sharpening. To do this, we wind a layer of electrical tape on one end of the file. The angle of inclination is increased by the method of additional winding.
After sharpening the sliding surface, you should go to the side of the skis. This procedure should be performed more frequently, approximately once every three days.
The final stage of processing is the removal of scuffs and roughness.
Ski boot care
For shoes, there are also care rules:- Proper leg clamp adjustment. This will ensure a comfortable riding condition.
- Use shoes only for their intended purpose. The main task of these boots is skating, if you need to go a long distance, then you should take them off and carry them in your hands. It is also necessary to take care of their cleanliness, otherwise problems with fasteners cannot be avoided.
- Dry thoroughly after riding, do not use the heat of the batteries. It is usually recommended to put boots in the cold or indoors, but placing paper inside.
- Storing shoes in a case. But before that, take care of the cleanliness of the shoes, it is necessary to clean both the inner surface and the outer one. Usually a soap solution is used for this. Then comes the moment of drying, dry with paper placed inside. And only after that we remove the shoes for storage, be sure to place them in a case.
Ski binding maintenance
Also, don't forget about fasteners:- Absolute purity. This procedure is carried out with cold water.
- Treating the fasteners with silicone spray will give protection and durability to the fasteners.
- Proper transport of skis. It is considered correct to transport skis with a sliding surface to each other.
- The exclusion of backlash in the fasteners, during storage, it is worth slightly loosening the springs.
- Storage in a case.
Ski pole care
Everything is much simpler here, it is enough to control the condition of the rings and lanyards. If there are defects, repair or replace.These tips will help you understand some of the intricacies of caring for your skis and accessories. They will help both novice skiers and skiers with experience.
