How to Make Ski Wax
Ski wax is a product that is applied to the bottom of snow skis or snowboards to make them faster and/or easier to control. An enthusiastic ski fan can easily use several pounds of ski wax in a single season, contributing significantly to the expense of the hobby. Making your own ski wax can be an economical alternative. By following the guidelines below, you can produce about 5 pounds of general purpose, all temperature ski wax for less than the cost of 1 pound of brand name product.
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Things You'll Need
- 4 pie tins
- 5 pounds inexpensive, unscented wax candles
- 1 personal size bar Ivory soap
- Butter knife
- Small bowl
- 1 1/2 tablespoons spruce resin (see Tips)
- Large pan
- Wooden spoon
- 1 tube Crest toothpaste, original formula, approximately 4 ounces
- Barbecue gloves or long oven mitts
- Stick blender or hand mixer
- Kitchen timer
- Large, fine mesh strainer
- Ladle
Instructions
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1
Begin the night before by ensuring that the pie tins are clean and dry. Place the empty tins in the freezer overnight. Remove labels and stickers from your candles, as well as wicks and wick holders, if possible. If not, they can be removed during the melting process.
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2
When you're ready to make your wax, grate the bar of soap by scraping it with the serrated edge of a butter knife. Place shredded soap in a small bowl.
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3
Place the spruce resin in a microwave-safe bowl and warm for 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave. Spread a thin layer of warmed resin across one side of each of the candles.
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4
Set one candle in the large pan, resin side up, over medium heat. When the candle has melted, add another.
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5
Continue adding candles until all of them are melted. Skim any debris or foam from the top with a wooden spoon. Make sure you remove any wicks, shreds of paper or wick holders.
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6
Reduce heat to low. Set your blender on high and begin blending the wax mixture. While the blender is running, begin adding soap flakes a little at a time, blending well after each addition until all the soap has been fully integrated into the wax.
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7
Add toothpaste to the wax mixture, removing as much from the tube as possible. Set the kitchen timer and blend thoroughly, on high, for at least 2 minutes.
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8
Skim off any foam that floats to the top of the wax mixture with a wooden spoon and discard.
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9
Remove the pie tins from the freezer.
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10
Put on barbecue gloves or long oven mitts and remove the wax mixture from the heat.
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11
Hold a fine mesh strainer over the pie tin. Ladle the hot wax mixture into the strainer to remove any flotsam and jetsam that may have been formed during processing. Clean wax will flow through the mesh and into the tin. Distribute the wax evenly among the tins.
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12
Place the pie tins full of wax into the freezer and allow them to cool for 24 hours. Remove pie tin from freezer and invert to pop wax from the mold.
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Tips & Warnings
Spruce resin can be collected as it seeps from broken branches or from any openings in the bark. Only use resin that is pliable and free of surrounding debris. Beeswax or soy wax can be used in place of paraffin, but 2 pounds of melted paraflint will need to be added for every 5 pounds of wax.
Use caution when working around hot wax and keep a first aid kit with burn ointment nearby, just in case.
Resources
Comments
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so do I need to buy Parafin and all the other things that you wrote on the "Things You'll Need" list... does parafine need to be mixed into tha wax urgently at the end or what? I don`t understand?
