1) Make sure your base is free of dirt and grime. There are a number of spray on base cleaners, but if you’re doing this at midnight before a powder day, scraping off excess gunk will do. This is also a good time to de burr your edges – a file or even a green scruby will do – and get rid of rust and nicks.
2) With your iron heated up to the desired temp, check the wax recommendations, a rule of thumb is not so hot that it smokes, but just hot enough to melt the wax, hold the wax to the iron over the board and dribble a line down one side near the edge and up the other. You can follow through with a line up the center of the board. Many people just dribble randomly until they are satisfied. While there no such thing as too much wax, the more you put on, the more you have to scrape off.
3) Ever iron your shirt? Me neither, but this seems really similar to pressing out the wrinkles. With smooth slow motions, run the iron up and down the base until the wax is nice and shiny. When your base heats up it absorbs the wax, so the hotter you get it, the more is soaks it in, jut remember, never leave the iron in one place. That base is plastic and it will melt.
4) Let it cool. You may hear variations on this, and there is more than one way to skin a cat, so do your thing, but wherever there is snow to ride, someone is waiting for their rig to cool.
5) With a sharp scraper, hold its edge about 45 degrees to the base and begin to scrape up the excess wax. Some like to pull the wax off and some like to push it. Others do both. Just get as much wax off of your base as possible. Think your done? Scrape some more.
6) Just like brushing a thoroughbred. Make big, long brush strokes from tip to tail until you see a glossy sheen come though.
7) Scrub-a-dub-dub. A common “green scrubby” works just fine for this finishing step which removes any remaining loose wax, and adds a final shine to the base.
8) Clean your top sheet. It’s easy to overlook how itchy your boards get from all that fun. Use a household cleaner to polish them up. You’ll be amazed and this also keeps snow from sticking.
9) Mention to your friends as you drop into your run that you just waxed, and wave goodbye.
