Do Liquid snowboards suck? Hotbox Q.

BLOOD SWEAT STEEL · 11-24-2007, 12:34 AM

I waxed my girl's board and cooked it the hotbox for 90 min, and about 1/2" section of the ptex (right on the seam between 2 different colored strips of the logo, die-cut) kinda curled up and blistered a little. Weird. I'll be able to repair it, but I'm just more puzzled than anything. The box is not insulated, so I know it's not over 140 or so in there, especially with a garage temp of 20* tonight. Matter of fact, the wax at the tip and tail was barely even melted, so I know it's not frying in there or anything. Not a lot of experience - I've only cooked 3 pairs of skis in there so far, but no problems until now. I have 3 150w heat bulbs in there 20" apart and roughly 18" from the bottom of the board. Have I done something wrong, or is it just shitty construction?

advres · 11-24-2007, 01:49 AM

Yeah, they are pretty marginal at best. Not bad for a beginner but pretty useless after one season if the person progress at even an OK rate.

BLOOD SWEAT STEEL · 11-24-2007, 04:29 PM

Jeez.

So I cut the bubbled part out and epoxy in a patch. When I go to wax over the repaired part, the iron actually starts melting the ptex around the patch and turning it to goo.

Screw this thing.

Looks like we're going board shopping.

**GapersGoHome** · 11-24-2007, 04:58 PM

Redonkulous. I have a K2 disciple collecting dust at a friend's house... can't remember the size, though... want it?

**shmoesmith** · 11-25-2007, 01:30 PM

they are alright boards. I would look at your hotbox temps though. As I recall when i bought my wax iron it said that you should never have the iron temps more than 110 or 115 degrees or you could actually start to melt the base and have the pores in it seal up. Even at 110/115 degrees you weren't supposed to ever stop moving with the iron. While you may not have had the same problem with your skis, you may have fucked up the bases so they won't accept as much/any wax in the future. I would turn the temp down on that thing if you can. Lower power heat lamp maybe?

**shmoesmith** · 11-25-2007, 02:35 PM

OK, I was off on my temps...well, I think i was right with what my iron said, but here is an excerpt from tognar's instructions on proper waxing and the warning that goes with it.

"HOT WAX WARNING
According to the folks at Toko race service, the optimum temperature to heat a base is to 130°C (266°F)...this allows maximum wax penetration. But be very careful, because at 140°C (284°F) you can burn a base, effectively sealing it so it will not longer absorb wax. Most domestic irons lack an adequate heating element ...as soon as it touches the p-tex base it starts to cool quickly. This results in part of the ski or snowboard getting good wax penetration and other parts poor penetration. These irons can also jump up well past 140°C (284°F) when trying to reheat... so choose a good wax iron."

Still seems like your box is too hot.

IE · 11-25-2007, 02:40 PM

Heh... I thought you melted your board completely into a liquid and were being sarcastic with the title. Was actually kinda hoping for some pics

...

BLOOD SWEAT STEEL · 11-25-2007, 05:10 PM

Appreciate it, GGH. We got her a new 5150 today though.

I just don't think this thing can get that hot. Immediately after I take skis/board out, they're hot to the touch if you hold on for more than a few seconds, but getting into the 200+ degree range would definitely burn fingertips, and it doesn't burn. I guess a thermometer would help.

I thought about the box just being too hot, but the box and the iron melting the base? Unpossible. I've had this iron like 8 years - prolly used it on 100+ wax jobs and never a problem.

**KungFu Eddie** · 11-25-2007, 05:43 PM

Liquid snowboard eh. Sounds like a radical new design, from my expierience snowboards are typicaly solid and I fail to see how one could operate it in a liquid state, but good luck.