Mountain Flow Eco Wax

[burrito]

Anyone else find their wax incredibly hard to scrape? It’s tough to the point where I have to use a metal scraper - my usual plastic one doesn’t stand a chance at getting this stuff off.

I thought maybe it was because I was waxing outside in cold-ish temps, but I did a pair today in about 60-degree sunshine. Same story. I guess it’s still worth it to not be breathing in fluorocarbons, but damn.

[mr_pretzel]

That blows, I haven’t given their stuff a shot yet. Also a metal scraper is probably ruining your base bevel

[burrito]

That blows, I haven’t given their stuff a shot yet. Also a metal scraper is probably ruining your base bevel

Meh. I was worried about gouging my bases the first time I used the metal scraper, but it's all good. I've never been that picky about my tune, bevel, etc. anyway. It's just annoying and time consuming more than anything.

[danmelon]

It’s a little sticky. A sharp plastic scrapper and shorter strokes work. In between a few scrapes I clean the edges of the plastic scrapper with the metal one. This wax is a little more work than conventional wax to get off, but i managed to do a few good tunes with it. Took an extra half beer for sure.

[M_R]

No experience with this wax but generally harder to scrap wax’s are typically for colder temps and last better on abrasive refrozen snow. In the Swix line blue(~-6 to -10 degC) scraps harder than purple (~ -4 to -7) and then green ( -10 and colder )even harder than blue

Maybe you got the extra cold temp version of their wax?

[burrito]

It’s their “all season,” 8F-30F. Might be worth taking a belt sander to my plastic scraper to get a bit better edge on it.

[ZomblibulaX]

Sharp scraper for sure. It's a little tough to work with but I think it's got the best range of any hippie wax I've used. Saving the planet is hard work, man.

I do wish they'd give us an idea of what plant waxes they are using, I assume carnauba since it's hard but who knows.

[stuckathuntermtn]

I sharpen a pair of scrapers every single time I wax. It takes a few seconds and makes for great results. I have an old multi angle edger. 0 degrees with a panzar file.
And then yeah. Some waxes are just harder to scrape then others. Purl's spring wax seems a little hard, but the store was out of One Ball Jay. Not the best slush wax I've ever had. Even with some graphite mixed in.

[stevied]

I stopped scraping this season since I’m living in a condo and didn’t want the mess. Instead I iron on as little wax as possible, then remove it with a paper towel or fibertex under the iron at a high temp. The wax melts and the extra is absorbed by the towel. No scraping and no mess. I learned about the technique on that other ski forum.

[burrito]

I stopped scraping this season since I’m living in a condo and didn’t want the mess. Instead I iron on as little wax as possible, then remove it with a paper towel or fibertex under the iron at a high temp. The wax melts and the extra is absorbed by the towel. No scraping and no mess. I learned about the technique on that other ski forum.

This is interesting. I've tried a couple of times to use less - just enough to incorporate with the base but not enough to need to scrape - but I felt like I couldn't get it to spread thin enough to work. I'll give the paper towel strategy a shot next time.

[HotSchmoo]

This is interesting. I've tried a couple of times to use less - just enough to incorporate with the base but not enough to need to scrape - but I felt like I couldn't get it to spread thin enough to work. I'll give the paper towel strategy a shot next time.

I dunno about paper towel method, but this method with Fibertex works really well.
Actually, i do a quick rub on with a cold wax block and then do the quick "hot crayon" application and then fibertex it off immediately. Maybe a smidge of scraping and brushing afterwards.

[Lostintime]

That blows, I haven’t given their stuff a shot yet. Also a metal scraper is probably ruining your base bevel

Basic geometry does not support that you are changing the base edge bevel.
Like others have said make sure your scraper is sharp. Just recently purchased a brand new scraper that was duller than a butter knife.

[glademaster]

They somehow managed to come up with a name for their product that is even more irksome than One Ball Jay. Impressive work; won't be buying their stuff.

[RShea]

A few tips that may work (have not used that, but cold waxes over the years are similar.)

First if you have a new plastic scraper, try it and if it works, then the old one needs a good sharpening. Then instead of a heavy drip and having to iron and scrape a lot of wax off, try the crayon method (use the iron to touch the wax and then rub up the ski, cover or just a heavy and hard rub of the wax bar directly on the ski cold and then hit the bar on the iron a few times so you have hot wax on the iron to fill in. Other thing you can do is hot wax normally, then heat the wax up one more time just before scraping and wait until it becomes just white milky and not fully hardened again.

Scraping angle- try different degrees to see if holding it a but higher or lower than the normal 45 degree. Metal scraper to get the higher areas off first couple of passes...

[stuckathuntermtn]

I stopped scraping this season since I’m living in a condo and didn’t want the mess. Instead I iron on as little wax as possible, then remove it with a paper towel or fibertex under the iron at a high temp. The wax melts and the extra is absorbed by the towel. No scraping and no mess. I learned about the technique on that other ski forum.

Rub on and cork.

[uglymoney]

Never even heard of it. The Swix CH wax I use is hard as a rock, the warmer temps a little better but you still basically have to brush them off. Scraper can only do so much. Buy a scraper sharpener.

[chicken feathers]

^ good tips

With the ecowax I scrape, brush with a nylon roto brush, hit it with a hand held brass brush, wipe it down and usually repeat 1x. Sharp scraper is a must, the brass brush pulls out a lot of wax that the nylon misses. I like the idea of the product, but for now the trade off is it doesn't scrape nice like traditional waxes I've used & gunks up my tools. I think it skis nice enough as long as your scrape & brush it out enough.

I bought a bar last season, once that's gone I don't know that I'd buy it again unless they make it easier to work with.

[jmills]

I didn’t realize how dull my scrapers were until I bought a new one that had a edge.
Running the scrapers through a guide with a Panzar underneath seemed like it was working, then I bought the Swix sharpener and realized it sucked.

https://www.utahskigear.com/products...aper-sharpener

[burrito]

^ good tips

With the ecowax I scrape, brush with a nylon roto brush, hit it with a hand held brass brush, wipe it down and usually repeat 1x. Sharp scraper is a must, the brass brush pulls out a lot of wax that the nylon misses. I like the idea of the product, but for now the trade off is it doesn't scrape nice like traditional waxes I've used & gunks up my tools. I think it skis nice enough. I'd buy it again...but I don't wax nearly as much as I used to so I'm ok with the extra attention needed in scraping.

I feel pretty much the same. When you scrape it, instead of being completely dry and flaky like traditional waxes it comes off a bit sticky. Not quite surf wax sticky, but you definitely have to clean off your scraper from time to time. I don't wax all that often (usually once a year, maybe twice, per pair of skis), so at the end of the day it's not that big of a deal - more annoying than it is a dealbreaker. Case in point, I've been skiing all year on a pair that I waxed in the fall and have never once thought that they needed another coat.

I'd be curious to know if any shops have started using it. I could see it really being a hassle if you had to use this stuff a couple times a day, every day.

[stuckathuntermtn]

That's not worth $180 to me. A vice that actually holds your skis or their bindings well, and something to work as a block under the shovel (and tail if needed) sets you up for good wax removal.

[possum]

I thought it was just me or my scraping style.

I will say I used EcoWax for summer storage last year, and it seems like it really did a good job. But yeah couldn’t get a clean scrape, so I just left some wax on there.

[jmills]

That's not worth $180 to me. A vice that actually holds your skis or their bindings well, and something to work as a block under the shovel (and tail if needed) sets you up for good wax removal.

I agree with you on that.

I got it for less than half in a trade. Still overpriced but it makes a difference. I use a lasso clamp through the brake and my skis don’t move.

https://www.slidewright.com/tools4bo...asso-clamp.php

[mr_pretzel]

Basic geometry does not support that you are changing the base edge bevel.
Like others have said make sure your scraper is sharp. Just recently purchased a brand new scraper that was duller than a butter knife.

Base bevel is convex. Using a metal scraper means you are removing base material making the ski flatter and loosing base bevel.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Base bevel is convex. Using a metal scraper means you are removing base material making the ski flatter and loosing base bevel.

Unless it’s a sharp metal scraper with a freshly turned burr, you’re not removing base material scraping off wax. I use an old dull metal scraper to remove cold hard wax all the time. It would take a serious effort and a little stupidity to power right through the wax and start cutting base material


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[yeahman]

I was using Eco Wax earlier this season, but didn't get great results from a glide standpoint. Switched to Hertzel Hot Sauce and I think it works much better. Also, I stopped doing the hot wax and just started using the crayon method, then buff it out with a ScotchBrite pad. It only lasts two or three days but it's really easy to remove whatever is left with lighter fluid, then a quick cloth with rubbing alcohol to clean off the fluid. Ready for another quick rub-on/buff-off. I feel like it glides pretty darn well considering how much easier it is than a hot wax and scrape. Anyway, I'm a noob at ski tuning so take this with a grain of salt.