Scraping and brushing
Sharp scrapers and good brushes make ski preparation a better experience.
When it comes to the ability to glide for the ski bases, it’s the structure that stands for the gliding abilities, not the glider. The glider works as an impregnation and a coating for the structure. Ensure that the ski is clean otherwise it will decrease the gliding ability and increase the dirt uptake. Therefore, it’s important to scrape and brush well.
Scraping
Your ski preparation starts with scraping. The goal is to get off as much wax as possible with the scraper before brushing. If the base not scraped thoroughly, the brush collects more wax and will be difficult to work with. The issue with this is that the steel brush can heat up the wax, just enough to melt the wax a little and the wax will not get properly off the skis. Scrape your skis thoroughly especially if you are using going to use rotor brushes after the scraping.
Make sure your scrapers are sharp. With sharp scrapers you get more wax off your skis, even when using less pressure. This means better control of the scraper and avoid nicking the skis base or damage of the structure. When your scrapper is dull, you can sharpen it by using a manual or electric sharpener.
Brushing
Step 2 is brushing. There are many brushes available: steel or bronze, horsehair, and nylon. After the skis have been scraped, use the steel or horsehair brush to remove the excess glider and follow with a nylon brush to polish the base. The skis are now ready.
There are 2 types of brushes: hand brushes and rotor brushes. The hand brushes are manual. The rotor brushes are electric drill attachments. The direction of motion is from the tip to tail and the brushes rotate down the skis.
At Skiplukkern, we only use rotor brushes and we recommend everyone to do the same. Rotor brushes operate at higher speed and the job is done much faster. It’s also easier to get off more glider which results in a faster ski.
Brushes wear out over time, be sure to replace when they are worn out. Steel brushes are often a bit too sharp. It is recommended to run them over some sandpaper before first time use, which can also help prevent damage of the base structure.
Tips for scraping and brushing
- For rotor brushes: use a drill with 1800-2200 RPM
- Always keep the brush rotating, to avoid overheating and ruining equipment.
- The bristles on the brushes lean in with time so always use the brushes in the same direction.
- Let the brushes do its job by adding enough pressure to the brush.
