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How often do you tune?
- Thread starter ski diva
- Start date
Thatsagirl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Ski Diva said:
I don't think it's an exact science. I sharpen/tune and wax my skis "when they need it." :o Sometimes, the conditions warrant tuning, or at least a "touch up," every few days. Other times, I can go a month without it. Fortunately, since my husband is a patroller, we can take a run, decide the skis need some work, and then go into the patrol base and do what needs to be done right there, on the patrol's work bench.
Thatsagirl
I used to be every 5 days. Especially since I ski Eastern Powder the edges need to be sharp. I'm trying to tell myself that they can go longer if the conditions warrant it. Brought them home today to get them done for the holidays. Plus with the lack of snow, I hurt my bases yesterday!!
volklgirl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Tuning and waxing is easily done at home. Many people have their skis stone ground and edge bevels set at the beginning of the season, then just maintain them and wax them the rest of the year. Waxing should be done whenever the bases look white and hairy or dry (in other words, not shiny, smooth, silky black).
Waxing is the easiest....you can use an old home iron covered with foil - set the temp so the wax just melts, not smokes when you touch it to the iron. Holding the wax to the iron, drip a line of wax down the ski, then iron it into the base, keeping the iron moving constantly so the base doesn't melt. When the ski is all covered, set it aside to harden and do the other one. Then take the first one and scrape all the wax back off so only the wax that penetrated into the base remains (you can buy a scraper for $2-5 - but even a credit card will work in a pinch). Do the other one. You're all done!
Actual tuning requires more tools and time, but I can go into that too, if you want. Usually, you'll start out just waxing then move to tuning when you feel really comfortable with the wax process. Tuning should be done whenever a ski feels like it's acting abnormal (skidding out on every turn, or grabbing and feeling 'hooky').
A side note: every time a ski is run through a belt or stone grinder, it takes off a tiny layer of base and edge. Each layer reduces the possible useable life of the ski. If you do get your skis shop tuned more than 1x a year, have them do it by hand unless the ski bases need to be repaired or flattened.
Waxing is the easiest....you can use an old home iron covered with foil - set the temp so the wax just melts, not smokes when you touch it to the iron. Holding the wax to the iron, drip a line of wax down the ski, then iron it into the base, keeping the iron moving constantly so the base doesn't melt. When the ski is all covered, set it aside to harden and do the other one. Then take the first one and scrape all the wax back off so only the wax that penetrated into the base remains (you can buy a scraper for $2-5 - but even a credit card will work in a pinch). Do the other one. You're all done!
Actual tuning requires more tools and time, but I can go into that too, if you want. Usually, you'll start out just waxing then move to tuning when you feel really comfortable with the wax process. Tuning should be done whenever a ski feels like it's acting abnormal (skidding out on every turn, or grabbing and feeling 'hooky').
A side note: every time a ski is run through a belt or stone grinder, it takes off a tiny layer of base and edge. Each layer reduces the possible useable life of the ski. If you do get your skis shop tuned more than 1x a year, have them do it by hand unless the ski bases need to be repaired or flattened.
Thought I'd bump this up. Any further opinions?
MaineSkiLady
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
About every 3rd day. Waxing is easy, and I love how it feels....unless I put on the wrong wax for the wrong temps :( - the edge stuff gets left to DH, who studies the Tognar ski tool catalog annually. Eastern hardpack can dull 'em pretty quick. On an ice day, edges can make or break a day.
tradygirl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Wax probably every 3-4 ski days unless snow conditions are changing drastically (cold to warm or vice versa).
I don't do my edges very often since I don't ski on the groomers much. I think I've only sharpened the edges on my BC skis once! I'd like to be better about de-burring more often.
I don't do my edges very often since I don't ski on the groomers much. I think I've only sharpened the edges on my BC skis once! I'd like to be better about de-burring more often.
cyn
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
We dry off our skis and file off any burrs after every session. Then we apply a light coating of wax on the edges to keep them from rusting, and wipe off the excess.
Both of us like our edges really sharp, so I guess we have full tunes whenever they're needed during the season.
Both of us like our edges really sharp, so I guess we have full tunes whenever they're needed during the season.
Lori_K
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
We got a tuning kit and just started doing ours this season. Wow, what a difference regular waxing makes! We like to do it about every 3 days. After three days, you can really start to notice a difference in how the ski behaves on the snow.
We still go to the ski shop for major tune-ups and repairs, as needed.
We still go to the ski shop for major tune-ups and repairs, as needed.
It totally depends on where I am and what conditions are like.
Here - I rarely care if I have any edges on most of my skis (and the ones that need edges only get skied a handful of days a year). So edges only get tuned maybe a couple times a year. I know it used to be a big deal and I'd tune them every day or two when skiing on ice.
And wax just depends on conditions. I'm at the point where I just wax if either my skis are feeling slow or we have a big temperature change. Otherwise I've gotten somewhat lazy about that too. Though not nearly as lazy as most of our friends who won't tune their skis all year long.
Here - I rarely care if I have any edges on most of my skis (and the ones that need edges only get skied a handful of days a year). So edges only get tuned maybe a couple times a year. I know it used to be a big deal and I'd tune them every day or two when skiing on ice.
And wax just depends on conditions. I'm at the point where I just wax if either my skis are feeling slow or we have a big temperature change. Otherwise I've gotten somewhat lazy about that too. Though not nearly as lazy as most of our friends who won't tune their skis all year long.
lil mountain girl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
i'm with altagirl in the edge department . . .
luckily we don't have much need for supertuned edges most of the time
!!!
as for wax . . . i find every time i use my skins, they tend to strip my skis of wax, so i often neglect waxing as i'm just going to ruin my wax job the next day or two anyway . . .
that said, i try to wax a couple of times a year or whenever my skis feel like they really need it, and i definatly do storage wax at the end of the season to protect my bases.
luckily we don't have much need for supertuned edges most of the time
!!!as for wax . . . i find every time i use my skins, they tend to strip my skis of wax, so i often neglect waxing as i'm just going to ruin my wax job the next day or two anyway . . .
that said, i try to wax a couple of times a year or whenever my skis feel like they really need it, and i definatly do storage wax at the end of the season to protect my bases.
Love this one - pushed me to realize how much I need edges again, after skiing the scratchy NE hardpack! My answer as to how often - nowhere near enough, and like now, usually when reminded somehow!
I really resist shelling out the $ to get them done. Do you sharpen your own edges? How can I learn to?
I really resist shelling out the $ to get them done. Do you sharpen your own edges? How can I learn to?
volklgirl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Check this out for a start: https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2186
We do all our own waxing (every 1-3 days), tuning ("as needed", usually every 5-7 days), and base repair using the solder method rather than the drip method. The whole thing is so rewarding! I can now brush, wax, scrape, and brush out 3-4 pairs in 1-1 1/2 hours and do minor, non-edge-involved repairs by myself. The only time we take them in is when the structure is gone (once every 2-4 years).
liquidfeet
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I wax twice a week, once before the Wed night race, and again before the weekend. But if I run an iron over the ski after one day of skiing, there's clearly no wax left, no matter what temp wax I used. I've done this (carefully) just to check. So I guess if I really care I should wax before every day of skiing. I'm not going to do that, sorry, way too much work.
Sharpening ... well, I'm getting more used to doing the side bevel, but I'm still afraid to touch the base bevel. I sharpen the sides of the skis before every race. I am learning from verbal descriptions here and in books. It's so much harder to learn this way, but I'm eventually going to know what I'm doing. For instance, I've learned that the file that came with my file guide works best if I put it in the file guide not straight but at an angle. And that the file itself cuts best one way, and not the other (I still can't figure this out just by looking .... there's nothing in the instructions about this, and there are no markings on the file either. I have to keep switching it to see which way it works best, using feel to determine it.)
I have been shy about pressing with the file, but shyness does not lead to sharp edges. After sharpening it carefully last week, I was skidding all over the place out on the hard icy snow. I took the skis to the shop at the base lodge and had them do the side bevels on the machine, and then boy were they sharp to my touch, and boy did they grab the snow nicely. Now I know my gentle touch on the file was way too gentle. Next time I'll press much harder with the file until the edges feel as sharp as the kid in the shop made it feel. I honestly don't know which of us will use up more metal, me pressing harder than I've been doing, or him using the machine. Probably him. I won't have to go back to him again because now I know how much sharper the edges can be.
It's a long process for me to learn this without a friend standing beside me to teach me how. But it can be done, little by little. I think it's kinda like when I re-plumbed a bathroom, rebuilt the shower, rebuilt the floor, rebuilt the wall and door frame because the new shower was too big to get in without tearing a big hole in there. Had to stand around in a plumbing store and shoot the bull and ask questions and read books to figure out how to do the plumbing, but it got done and the leaks eventually disappeared, and the shower worked! Miracles happen, with remodeling bathrooms and skiing too.
When I'm doing this stuff this way, sort of alone and in the dark except for written instructions, I often wonder how many other women are going through the same thing, and how they feel about it. Anybody else going through this?
Sharpening ... well, I'm getting more used to doing the side bevel, but I'm still afraid to touch the base bevel. I sharpen the sides of the skis before every race. I am learning from verbal descriptions here and in books. It's so much harder to learn this way, but I'm eventually going to know what I'm doing. For instance, I've learned that the file that came with my file guide works best if I put it in the file guide not straight but at an angle. And that the file itself cuts best one way, and not the other (I still can't figure this out just by looking .... there's nothing in the instructions about this, and there are no markings on the file either. I have to keep switching it to see which way it works best, using feel to determine it.)
I have been shy about pressing with the file, but shyness does not lead to sharp edges. After sharpening it carefully last week, I was skidding all over the place out on the hard icy snow. I took the skis to the shop at the base lodge and had them do the side bevels on the machine, and then boy were they sharp to my touch, and boy did they grab the snow nicely. Now I know my gentle touch on the file was way too gentle. Next time I'll press much harder with the file until the edges feel as sharp as the kid in the shop made it feel. I honestly don't know which of us will use up more metal, me pressing harder than I've been doing, or him using the machine. Probably him. I won't have to go back to him again because now I know how much sharper the edges can be.
It's a long process for me to learn this without a friend standing beside me to teach me how. But it can be done, little by little. I think it's kinda like when I re-plumbed a bathroom, rebuilt the shower, rebuilt the floor, rebuilt the wall and door frame because the new shower was too big to get in without tearing a big hole in there. Had to stand around in a plumbing store and shoot the bull and ask questions and read books to figure out how to do the plumbing, but it got done and the leaks eventually disappeared, and the shower worked! Miracles happen, with remodeling bathrooms and skiing too.
When I'm doing this stuff this way, sort of alone and in the dark except for written instructions, I often wonder how many other women are going through the same thing, and how they feel about it. Anybody else going through this?
liquidfeet
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Thanks, VGirl. You must be talking about a big long file that takes two hands to hold. I wouldn't trust a hand-held file in my hand to do side bevels. With my minimal experience doing this, I know I couldn't hold it continuously at the same angle.
What I've got for sharpening my edges is a small rectangular file about 1/2 inch across and 2" long which fits into a red plastic file guide with little wheels on it and an adjustable degree dial that determines what bevel will be cut. I can place the rectangle into the plastic file guide any number of ways. It's how I place it into the file guide that is mysterious. But somehow I do get the job done.
