Waxing less than Lyrical. Tips on "Klister"

Today I have sore lungs from base cleaner and "klister": toxic solvents and UHU like XC ski wax respectively.

"klister" is the necessary evil of spring weather or unexpected mid winter thaw backs. Most people apply it when "red" fails out on the track and thus it is usually both on an unstable base AND thickly applied. Some even recommend having klister in the groove as a reserve. However, top wax experts show the way of the pros which applies for the long events on mixed conditions where running on glue gives the widest range temperature and forer which can be tackled. The awful stuff is best applied as a film if you like.

With the "biggie" 50k in xc "freestyle" ie skating, and the two-point-fours not being keen on outdoorage today, I put on the recommended green spray base to just about all the skis I could lay my hands on. I cleaned off everthing first, all from the rubbishy klister with grass on some old fell skis from a jumble sale, grass-heather-an'all, up to my own new trail tourers. The latter had layers of prudently laminated wax abruptly whipped off with aforementioned lethal solvent with lemony token environment degreaser.

So on with two layers of "green" spray base: a pretty 'tacky" affair once dried and even after 'corking', but recommended as the simple fix for a hard wearing underlayer for the dreaded klister.

All skis corked, klister in oven 50'C.

Despite the tips on youtube on being very thin, using your spatula and then only fingers to end, the stuff came out the tube a bit fast and although more maleable at 50 plus, it was still too much. I ended up going "south" of the bloody heel even.

Ski no.2 got a better treatment of the thin, film like layer.

As it turns out, the conditions were the hardest I have ever been out on; sheet ice in the tracks. The klister lasted about 4 km, and was more or less off at the end of the small tour of 7-k. Also I fell on my rump steaks a couple of times.

Klister is not a perfect solution: it is like UHU glue but tackier and is just shitty to work with and take off.


Taking off:

1) rub over with copious base cleaner just lightly

2) Lay a layer of fibre cleaner cloth along the entire old wax or clister grip wax zone.

3) Iron set to 2/3rds quickly work all the way along it and start again at the beginining until you see good uptake on the cloth. Lift off the cloth.

4) Roll up the cloth and so you can now use the edges of the cloth to take off some more.

5) Use a spatula to take off more and check for good removal. Also take gunge out the groove with the edge of the spatula,

6) Now use whatever tissue paper, rags etc you like to get most of the rest off with base cleaner and elbow grease!

7) back to the over priced fibre cloth now, use it to finish off the base

8) Remember to take off any gunge from the groove and the sides of the skis.


Putting On

BASE

Green base ( eg V75 spray) spray is easy to put on: spay on one side of the groove, smooth it out towards the edges. It should just be a film like layer, not white,

Repeat on the other side

Take excess out the groove.

Dry off over a radiator for 5 mins then cool off : ie take the solvent away with mild heat and then seal the wax down. If there is tons of wax you can scrape, but otherwise just rub with the cork

Repeat for another layer. Put out in the cold or leave overnight if you have planned this out.


Klistering

Klister is basically a glue. It can be mised with some wax with ironing, but that sounds way nasty!

The klister can be ironed on but it is just as well to pre heat it to 50'C instead if you have no exact temperature controllable ski iron. At 50'c it is liquid enough to make a film with the spatula.

Apply in a herring bone pattern away from the groove. Do this sparingly, it will be a film and not a thick layer.

Then quickly take the spatula on the short edge and draw from the front top of the zone to the middle, and then from the back to the middle. If you have applied too much then work it all backwards and clean it off layer from the back end. Just right and you will be able to even out the layer to a nice film.

Take the round "thumb" of the spatula along the groove and either the excess onto the surfaces again or take it off with another spatula or cloth as you along ie take off small clumps

With the pre-spray and the hot klister, it is best to leave it all over night- I went out within a couple of hours and it just wore right off: admittedly in stoopid hard tracks.


On a footnote here, okay the clister wore off but I had base and some patches of klister, while all the time having very good glide.