Bike:
Bike:
Waxing Guide
Can I use a regular clothing iron to wax my skis?
You certain can. But should you? Unless you are the most infrequent waxer, we strongly advise the purchase of a dedicated waxing iron. Let us compare the attributes of each side by side:
| Waxing Iron | Clothing Iron |
|
gets hot and melts wax thick base with no holes for even heating temperature range / settings designed for glide wax lightweight construction accurate regulator that maintains a constant temp |
gets hot and melts wax too all your silken slacks will hang beautifully |
Clothing irons are not designed to hold accurate temperatures. If you’ve ever ironed clothes (and most of us at O&B’s have not, so the following half-sentence is hearsay) you know that the iron cycles through a wide temperature range. You can hear the heating element click off and on as it struggles to maintain some semblance of consistency. This is certainly good enough for those Old Navy factory seconds, but not for your [insert large $ dollar $ amount] skis.
So why is accuracy such a big deal? The ski bases need to be heated to at least 200 degrees F (depending on the particular wax) before they begin to actually absorb anything. If they are heated much beyond 300, you risk "sealing the bases", melting the pores in the base together and preventing future wax saturation (very bad). It doesn’t make good sense to touch your ski bases with an iron set to "Permanent Press," especially when it’s a cheap-o big box store model. Nasty things will happen.
In summary, to use a clothing iron on skis or snowboards is to clip your fingernails with a chainsaw. We don't like it, and neither would you.
But if you must wax on the cheap and insist on using a clothing iron (which will bar you forevermore from admittance into Valhalla), try it on the lowest setting and keep a vigil over it. We understand what it's like to be strapped for cash. You can even buy a thermometer and check the actual iron temperature as it cycles around--all glide waxes have their optimum melting / absorption point printed on the packaging.
| A Waxing Iron The best choice... Ullr is pleased. | A Clothing Iron A "Linen" setting? Sacrilege! |
