And ski trips know that necessary condition proper operation of sports equipment is its preparation before use. Regular lubrication of the skis makes it easier to glide on the snowy surface and protects them from rapid wear. Everyone needs lubrication, regardless of the material of manufacture: both plastic and wooden.

Types of lubricants

The most common ski lubricant is paraffins. They are available in standard size bars, but vary in price range. In the assortment of foreign manufacturers there is liquid wax with tubes. It is worth considering that in the central zone and in the south of Russia in winter time The air temperature can fluctuate significantly throughout the year, and this is one of the factors affecting the glide. Therefore, in the arsenal it is desirable to have several types of paraffins intended for use in different temperature ranges. Since paraffins are slip lubricants, they are used to treat the nose and heel of the skis. For the block (central part), holding ointments are used.

Lubrication of skis with paraffin is especially widely used in amateur sports for short training sessions and trips over short distances up to 15 km. In a professional environment, the requirements are completely different. Here skiers use more expensive means (accelerators). They can be presented in various variations, in the form of aerosols, powders, emulsions, etc.

Equipment and accessories for lubrication

In order to properly process it yourself with paraffin, additional accompanying products are needed:

• A special iron for application and distribution, you can use a regular old iron, but with care, and set the minimum heating mode.
• Plastic scraper for removing the old paraffin layer.
• Brush with coarse bristles, mostly nylon. With its help, the sliding surface of the skis is cleaned more thoroughly.
• Used to clean pads
• To lubricate the skis to ensure maximum glide, their surface is polished with a non-woven material. It can be old things made of nylon, wool or felt.

Ski preparation process

Lubricant plastic skis carried out according to the following scheme: first, the remains of the old lubricant layer are removed with a scraper. Then, the entire surface in the nose and heel is carefully cleaned with a brush and sandpaper in the block. Only after that, the sliding surface of the skis is treated with paraffin, and the block with a holding ointment. For maximum results, paraffin can be applied in several layers. This method is used to prepare professional racing skis. In amateur sports, a single lubrication of skis with sliding ointments (paraffins) is a sufficient condition. In conclusion, the sliding surface of the skis is to be polished.

To cool and fix the lubricant, the skis are taken out into the street for about 30 minutes. After this time, they will be ready for use.

Instruction

To lubricate plastic skis, there are numerous ointments that increase gliding on snow and prevent ski slippage during shocks.

By consistency, ointments are divided into solid (for cold weather) and liquid (for warm weather). Amateurs use solid ointments, and usually choose liquid ones.

Plastic skis are usually lubricated with retention ointments in the boot attachment area, because this type of ski has good glide. Plastic skis are rarely lubricated with slip ointments.

The toe and the ski itself are rubbed with slip ointments, and the middle zone of the skis is rubbed with holding ointment. This is for those who prefer classic move. For skating, skis are rubbed with sliding ointments as a whole. During the day, the temperature on the track can change, so it is advisable to take ointments for temperature ranges adjacent to each other. When skis slip, they increase their lubrication zone, shifting it slightly. The ointment is enough for a period of 5 to 10 km, which requires the skis to be smeared again.

Related videos

Useful advice

The thickness of the grease depends on the weather. The warmer the weather, the thicker the layer of ointment should be.

Related article

Sources:

• how to oil your skis

As known, skis need to smear. Any ski wax is better than nothing. Especially if skis wooden. Although new plastic also needs to be smeared with special ski waxes. Why is it in plural? Yes, because skis it is necessary to smear with two types of ointments or paraffins.

Instruction

Glide ointment is applied to the heel and toe skis, improves gliding, increases speed, respectively, increases the pleasure. It is selected depending on the temperature and humidity of the air. It can be fluorine-containing and without fluorine. A fluorine-containing ointment, paraffin, is used in wet weather.

The holding ointment prevents spontaneous kickback, slipping back of the skis, keeps the ski in place during the push of the foot. It is also selected depending on temperature and humidity. Apply to the middle skis, per block, part skis(50 cm) up from the heel of the boot inserted into the binding.

For applying paraffin, ointment on skis you will need a special iron (you can take a regular, old one, without holes on the sole, put it on the lowest heat and keep a damp rag on hand for quick cooling), a plastic scraper (you can buy it, or you can make it yourself by looking at its design in the store ), nylon brush (quite hard), soft cloth (felt or wool).

Primary processing of new skis should be carried out with soft plus paraffins without fluorine, melting point 65-70o C.

Warm up gently sliding surface skis(e.g. sock) with a warm iron.
Touch the base wax with the iron and drip the wax onto the heated sliding surface skis.

Using an iron, melt the paraffin into the sliding surface. Make sure that there is a layer of paraffin between the surface and the iron. Let the paraffin dry for 10-15 minutes.

Remove paraffin from skis scraper. Use a brush to remove wax residue from the sliding surface skis and polish with a soft cloth.

Repeat the same manipulations with the rest of the sliding surfaces of the skis. On base wax, apply weather wax in the same way, i.e. one that is suitable for a given temperature and humidity.

Sources:

• how to smear skiing

Ski touring can seem like an unpleasant enough activity if you have to drag on skis heavy clods snow. This means that you have chosen incorrectly. ointment. It is also not very cool if the skis do not obey you and strive to go both forward and backward. This is also a sign of improper selection of ointment.

Instruction

The names speak for themselves, but you can go into more detail. The grip wax keeps the skis from kickback, i.e. skis do not spontaneously roll back from under your feet. The holding ointment is applied to the ski block, this is about 50 cm up from the heel of the boot installed in the ski mount.

If you are not a very experienced skier, you can extend this part by another 10-15 cm upwards. Never lubricate ointment yu holding the bottom of the ski. Otherwise, you risk not moving forward.

But if you don't professional sportsman, you should not bother with the choice of ointment. For your skis, paraffin wax is fine. Paraffins are fluorinated and paraffins without fluorine. Fluorinated are used at high air humidity (more than 50%).

In frosty, wet weather, paraffins without fluorine are suitable. Domestic paraffin lubricants for skis Luch, MVIS, VISTI, FESTA are quite suitable for amateurs. They are inexpensive and have an unlimited shelf life. One set will last you for years.

If, having come to the forest and got on the ski track, it turns out that you made a mistake with the choice of ointment, it is better to re-grease the skis. It will take a few minutes, but it will not spoil the walk. Just take two tubes of ointment for a slightly higher temperature and a slightly lower temperature and a cork rub.

In addition, experienced skiers offer beginners skis of the same ointment yu, for example VISTI, only apply the same ointment, but for warmer weather. In any case, whatever ointment Whatever you choose, oiled skis are better than no oil at all.

Skis began to glide poorly, and you stopped enjoying ski trips. The reason, as a rule, lies in untimely or poor-quality ski maintenance. Therefore, it is important to be able not only to store skis, but also to process them.

Instruction

Ski treatment paraffin It is carried out to protect the sliding surface from oxidation, as well as to drain the water that forms during the contact of skis with snow. To remove wax, use a wax remover (a special mixture of the family of aliphatic solvents) or scraping. Here it is necessary to remember that the wash removes the ground (base) wax, and therefore this method is only good if you decide to perform the wax application procedure from scratch.

If you do not pursue this goal, then use scrapers. Remember that while saving the primer, you can later use different kinds paraffin depending on weather conditions.

Purchase a special ski attachment machine from the store or make it yourself (this is necessary so that the ski has support along its entire length). Scrapers made of organic glass or plastic will also have to be used. They are usually 3 to 5 mm thick. Large scraper thickness allows for more severe processing. By the way, a scraper can also be made.

To avoid the formation of a concave or convex surface, evenly pressing the scraper, draw it several times from the toe of the ski to its back. To avoid severe damage to the surface, use the scraper evenly, without breaking.

Periodically clean the scraper from paraffin adhering to it. To give the tool the appropriate sharpness, if necessary, finish it with sandpaper.

Carefully finish the groove and edges of the skis. To do this, use scrapers of the appropriate shape. Remove wax residue with a stiff nylon brush. Making uniform short movements, walk it along the ski.

To clean the sliding surface from dirt, grease or radical change of paraffins, use the hot method. To do this, using a special iron (you can also use a regular household iron), apply paraffin to the ski surface, without waiting for the paraffin to completely harden, remove it with a scraper. Please note that with the right approach, during your actions, a kind of roller is formed in front of the scraper, consisting of paraffin dirt and ointment residues.

Sources:

• Ski preparation and maintenance

What could be better than skiing in the winter forest! Clean air, light frost, marvelous nature. But sometimes this idyll can be destroyed by unprepared skis. Therefore, in order for skiing to bring you real pleasure, take care of their lubrication in advance.

Instruction

The choice and purchase of lubrication accessories depends on how often you intend to ride. If your plans include only hikes on Sundays, then the necessary funds and time for ski preparation are noticeably reduced. Well, if you are going to seriously go skiing, then you will have to invest, and time.

There are three types of lubricants: ground, sliding and holding. Priming ointment is pre-applied to the skis so that other types of lubricants are securely held on the surface of the skis. Gliding ointment improves the glide of skis on snow, and with the help of a holding ointment, they adhere to the snow during repulsion. The choice of ointment depends on the weather and air temperature. The warmer it is outside, the more holding ointment you will need.

Before starting the lubrication procedure, it is advisable to remove the remnants of the old with a special plastic scraper. Try to apply the ointment not in one layer, but in several, carefully rubbing each. Apply liquid ointments in a thin strip on both sides of the groove and level with a scraper.

Ski lubrication options depend on how you intend to travel. For classic way to move on the ends of the skis, apply a sliding ointment or paraffin. Then slowly level the paraffin with an iron heated to 100-150 degrees. Let the skis cool for about 15 minutes and remove excess grease with a plastic scraper. You need to move the scraper in the direction of the ski - from the toe to the end.

Apply a primer to the middle of the ski and smooth it again with an iron. Cool the skis and rub the ointment with a cork. Next, re-lubricate the skis with a second layer and remove the excess with a scraper. Since such an ointment gets very dirty, wrap the skis in polyethylene before the walk. After skiing, it is better to remove the ointment immediately with gasoline, a scraper or a dry rag.

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Before updating wooden skis, they must be thoroughly impregnated with resin. This will make your purchase more resistant to wear, protect the material from drying out and cracking. In the future, grease should be applied regularly - with each preparation. sports equipment for the new season. Of particular importance is the pitching of the sliding surface in the spring, when the melting snow begins to stick to the skis and interferes with normal movement.

You will need

• - ski resin (birch tar);
• - sandpaper;
• - brush with brass stuffing;
• - wash for ointment;
• - synthetic rags;
• - gas burner (soldering iron, gas stove, fire);
• - brush;
• - primer and ointment for holding (or silverfish);
• - spacer;
• - protective gloves.

Instruction

Prepare the wooden ski base for resin treatment. Go over it with fine-grained sandpaper, and then with a brush with brass padding. Can also be washed skis with a special wash for the ointment, clean with a rag from and let them dry properly (some amateur skiers omit the procedure).

Pour special ski resin on skis and with a brush smear it over the entire surface and the groove with a thin layer. You can use this remedy with birch tar. Rub it skis paraffin is not worth it - usually after that they slide too much, especially uphill.

Wipe the inventory with a synthetic rag and repeat the tarring procedure 2-3 more times. Special attention focus on the lighter areas, as well as the front and back areas. Properly pitched skis must be completely dry to the touch.

Before preparing new skis for winter season after lubricating with resin, it is also recommended to apply a special primer to the sliding surface, and then - an ointment for holding. Choose a product in a sporting goods store according to current weather conditions and act according to the instructions. In warm weather, to prevent "sticking" of snow, you can cover skis the so-called silver (one part of aluminum powder and two parts of paraffin).

note

Ski tar and other products can harm the skin of your hands, and their fumes can harm your respiratory system. Before you tar your skis, be sure to put on protective gloves on your hands. If you are in a closed area, make sure you have access fresh air.

Useful advice

Leave the equipment ready for playing sports alone for two or three days, installing a spacer bar between the pair.

Sources:

• Use of wooden skis
• how to polish skis

One of the procedures for preparing plastic skis for a run is applying a special ointment to the sliding surface. If everything is done correctly, then you can achieve the optimal course of sports equipment, depending on the specific weather conditions. The friction of the plastic on the snow surface will be under control. There are various ointments slip- for cold and warm weather, and the characteristics of each product must be carefully studied. After that, you can start processing skis.

You will need

• - scraper or steel scraper;
• - plastic scraper;
• - brush and brush;
• - rags or synthetic cork;
• - sandpaper;
• - degreaser for skis;
• - ground for skis;
• - special iron or electric iron without steam function;
• - slip ointment;
• - personal protective equipment.

Instruction

Prepare the sliding surface of sports equipment for applying the ointment. Experienced skiers first cycle a sliding surface made of plastic with a special cycle (you can also use a steel plate), and then go over it with sandpaper. For convenience, you can fix the skin on a plastic scraper.

Clean the skis by wiping them with a degreaser (available at sporting goods). If they have already been treated with ointments, remove the old product with a scraper. Next, the sliding surface must be heated so that the new ointment absorbed better.

Warm up the skis with a special iron or an old electric one with a solid sole (that is, without a steam function). Be careful not to damage the sliding surface - do not heat the device too much (the temperature should not exceed 120 degrees!). Heat treatment should be carried out for at least five minutes.

Modern houses have a lot of wood. Of course, there used to be more. But even now there are a lot of wooden parts in the house (knife handles, window-sills, cutting boards, door handles, door jambs, handicrafts, and so on). Like any other element, wood can age and deteriorate. Therefore, the question How to treat wood with oil to make it last longer? - this is a topical issue not only in antiquity (when wood was the main building material), but also now.

How to treat wood with oil? Well, you probably know that there are building supermarkets. And in construction supermarkets there are entire departments with varnishes, stains and other wood impregnations. But on our site, we prefer methods, so this article is mainly about what you can do to process wood yourself.

So let's get started. And let's start from the very easy way wood processing - impregnation with simple vegetable oil.

Impregnation of wood with vegetable oil is one of the oldest ways to process it. The main purpose of wood impregnation with oil is to increase the moisture protection of wooden products. So, wood itself is hydrophilic (loves water) and swells when water enters. Then it dries. Then it swells. And after a few cycles (depending on the amount of water, air humidity, etc.), the wood cracks. Which does not improve either its mechanical or its aesthetic properties.

Whereas impregnating wood with oil

• a) closes the smallest pores of wood, polymerizing on the surface;
• b) makes large pores and the entire surface hydrophobic (water-repellent).

Well, besides this, the impregnation of wood with oil increases its aesthetics, showing the structure of the tree. What looks prettier than when the tree structure is not visible.

How oil works: vegetable oils, remaining in the air, under the influence of oxygen, light and heat, thicken, and in a thin layer they “dry out” (polymerize), turning into a semi-solid mass. This characteristic property is inherent in those vegetable oils, which include polyunsaturated fatty acid, in particular linoleic and linolenic. The more of them, the greater the drying ability of the oil. Oils differ in the highest content of glycerides of linolenic and linoleic acids:

• linen
• hemp.

Sunflower oil works worse because it has fewer polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Let's see how this is applied in practice.

How can linseed oil be used in wood processing.

For example, you have a wooden knife handle that you want to process. The easiest way is to pick up the oil and rub the handle well. Wait for absorption. Rub again. And so on - until you get bored. In principle, this is enough for the household level. But if you want more (for example, increased resistance to water), then you can do the following.

The knife handle (or other product) should be placed in linseed oil for several days. To do this, the knife can be placed in a jar with a screw-on lid with a thin slot for the blade, which, after placing the knife in it, must be hermetically sealed.

When the wood of the cutting is soaked through, it must be wiped with a smooth, dry rag. After that, let it dry completely for a few weeks. When the oil evaporates, the surface is oxidized and polymerized, which after some time becomes strong and elastic.

As you noticed, the period is several weeks for the oil to dry when processing wood.

Why? Everything is very simple.

Vegetable oil in its natural form, even with a high content of linolenic acid, oxidizes extremely slowly. To reduce the drying time, the oil is subjected to heat treatment with the addition of metal compounds (desiccants) to its composition. When heated in oil, substances that slow down hardening decompose, and metal salts provide faster oxidation.

Thus we get drying oils- compositions that, within 6-36 hours (depending on the composition, preparation technology and additives used) after being applied to the surface, turn into a hard, elastic film. As you understand, the use of drying oil significantly speeds up the process. Drying oil can be bought at any store.

But, as we said at the beginning, we are trying to find ways to process wood ourselves. So let's go further.

The first way to accelerate the polymerization of oil. You can buy both linseed oil and desiccant at the art store. Well, to provide heat treatment with the help of friction - rub the oil well into a wooden product for, say, half an hour.

It's easy and simple 🙂 Although it's cheaper - it must be considered ...

Second way to speed up the drying and polymerization of the oil is to dilute the oil by half with turpentine. Turpentine is a mixture of essential oils, which are obtained by extraction from the resins of coniferous trees (i.e., from resin).

In the case of dilution with turpentine, the drying time is reduced to 1-2 weeks. Also keep in mind that turpentine is a toxic substance (see Wikipedia on this) and should not be allowed to come into contact with the skin, let alone breathe or drink it.

If you want not only to speed up the drying of the treated product, but to change its color, then you can dilute the oil by half with tar. Tar is a product of dry distillation of wood (wood is burned without air access). That is, this is the same turpentine, only in a coarser and much less toxic form.

Linseed oil can also be mixed with wax. Wax dissolves in linseed oil (if you do this by heating, then use a water bath and keep a fire extinguisher handy), and when treating wood with this composition, you not only oil, but also wax the surface. This enhances the water-repellent properties of wood many times over.

Naturally, the wood processing methods do not end there. But we will finish for now, leaving other ways for next time.

Happy woodworking!

Today we will share with you general information on ointments, lubricants and ski preparation. What a beginner should know in terms of how to prepare skis, what is needed for this, how often it needs to be done. Regardless of what kind of skis they are, in most cases they need to be lubricated.

Do budget skis need to be lubricated?

Budget skis, that is, at a price of up to 5,000 rubles, you do not need to lubricate. The fact is that skis are made from two types of materials: extruded polyethylene and sintered. The slipper, which is made using Extruded Base technology, almost does not absorb. Such a ski glides more on its texture. Sintered Base is a more expensive and more complex technology. Such a surface has pores that can absorb paraffin. Thus, paraffin works: in the process of work, it comes out of these very pores. There is no point in lubricating cheap skis - the lubricant on them will not last long.

Are classic and skating skis lubricated the same way?

And it lubricates differently. Both types of skis have a base that is lubricated in the same way under equal weather conditions, but classic skis also have a last on which a holding ointment is applied.

Is it possible to do ski preparation at home or do I have to go to the service?

You can cook skis at home. But for this it is necessary to purchase equipment that will allow you to work with skis. From a minimum, an iron is needed - in order to apply paraffin using the hot method.

An ordinary household iron will not work here, it is absolutely impossible to work with such an iron, it is for completely different purposes.

Profile - special device, which is mounted on the table and allows you to fix the ski with the sliding surface up. In this position, the skis need to be prepared. At least two brushes: steel with a fine pile and nylon, soft. Steel is needed in order to clean the ski before applying paraffin and clean the paraffin after application - to open the pores. After that, a soft nylon brush is used to polish the sliding surface, making it even more slippery. You also need a plastic scraper for the initial removal of paraffin after it has been applied and cooled. Paraffin must enter the pores, and it must be removed from the surface of the skis. What we have now listed is necessary for the preparation of skating skis.

For the preparation of classic skis a cork is also needed to rub the holding ointment on the block and wash. It is very difficult to remove an old and dirty holding ointment with anything other than a wash. The old holding ointment must be removed before applying a new one. A wash is a special solution, quite caustic, which is able to corrode holding ointment, resins and complex contaminants. This is the bare minimum for a home.

Why is it better to prepare skis in a service?

There is a certain sense in buying all this equipment if a large family and everyone skis. If a person is seriously interested in skiing, then it makes sense to buy in order to “wax” yourself and your friends. I would still always turn to the service, there the equipment is more professional than an ordinary skier can afford to buy. Service irons, as a rule, differ from home irons in a thicker sole. Applying powders or even cold lubricants with a home iron is sometimes very difficult. The thing is that the sole loses temperature and it takes more time to melt the lubricant. As a result, many begin to literally rub the lubricant. The ski overheats and the plastic surface melts much easier than the unheated surface. The valuable factory structure suffers greatly from this. This is especially true for warm skis with large and sharp structures.

Lubricant classification

First of all, you need to divide the lubricants according to the temperature of the snow. Four main ranges. Warm lubricants - plus and zero, zero and a small minus. Frosty - by minus 5-15 and by minus 15-30. The colder the snow, the harder the grease will be and the melting point will be higher. In frost, the snow is rough and warm lubricants quickly work out. Frosty snow gets stuck in soft paraffin, which worsens the glide a lot. Warm (soft) lubricants have better water repellency than solid lubricants.

Further, it is worth dividing any lubricants according to the fluorine content. Fluorine significantly increases the water repellency of any lubricant. Lubricants without fluorine are the most budgetary, but it does not mean that they are bad at all. In conditions of low humidity, they are able to give very good glide. The average content of fluorine already gives some advantages at high humidity. Often they are used as an independent lubricant. But riders have more like ground for more fluoric compounds and accelerators. They are much more expensive than fluorine-free lubricants. High fluoride and ultra are used at very high humidity of snow and air. They are expensive and a beginner skier can even be discouraged by their price.

How much will it cost to maintain skis manually and how much will it cost in the service

Four paraffins for the whole winter or even for two seasons will cost 600 rubles per briquette. An amateur iron will cost 4 thousand, a profile - 5 thousand, a scraper - 200 rubles, a scraper for a groove - 200 rubles, brushes will cost 3 thousand. Total for 15 thousand "pass". If a person prepares his skis for only one pair during the season, then it does not always make sense to purchase this equipment. In the service, skis for a beginner will be prepared in 10 minutes. In total it will cost 300 rubles. At the same time, they will give recommendations, assess the condition of the skis, and tell a lot of interesting things. Lubrication applies approximately 20-25 km of travel

Should I remove the grease or let it sit until the next time?

For athletes, before each training session, before each race, the skis are completely cleaned and new lubricants are applied immediately before going out on the snow. And a beginner should apply lubricant in case of weather changes or if the lubricant has developed. Skating before applying the lubricant, in any case, be cleaned with a wire brush. As for the classics, you will need a wash for the ointment.

For good manufacturers

In service, I mainly use Swix, Start, Vauhti, Maplus, Toko, Ski-go, Holmenkol lubricants. It can be said with dignity - these are the best of the best. These lubricants are used both in world-class racing and in mass sports.