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View Full Version : Base cleaner for the common man



slackercruster
03-07-2005, 10:07 PM
Recently ran out of base cleaner, and was going to order a gallon from local ski shop, but they said they are not ordering until next season. So I switched to my old standby Gojo Orange Pumice Hand Cleaner. It works great, although it leaves a gritty pumice hand to the bases, so this needs to be washed off with a damp rag. Usually it takes two or three Gojo wipe downs to remove 98% of the wax. Just depends on how much Gojo you use and how much scrubbing your do. Gojo is excellent for removing the dirt that gets embedded in the wax from ice and slush. After you wash off the Gojo, wipe dry with clean a paper or cloth towel. Let bases dry few minutes and you are ready to hot wax. Really Gojo works better than some ski specific base cleaners a lot of the time, especially with the scrubbing pumice, so it is not bad stuff - and almost free when it is compared in price to ski specific base cleaners. Another favorite is Honda Brake and Contact Cleaner - BUT it is the harshest stuff I've seen and stripes the bases down almost immediately and leaves sintered bases very open. I will only use it if I am resurfacing bases cause it is so harsh - but it cleans them like magic. What have you found useful for cleaning bases before wax?

Dan T

zenderfall
03-08-2005, 04:20 AM
Just about any ORANGE/CITRUS based cleaner will do the trick. I've tried a few chemicals, including the pro stuff, but found its nothing mor than overpriced re-labeled regular citrus cleaner.

ZEP from Home Depot, 409 Orange, all work the same. And none as harsh as brake cleaner, or as hazardous to your health.

zenderfall
03-08-2005, 04:24 AM
Which also brings to another subject. If you need an edge filer, scraping tools, or even WAX for the base, head to Wal-mart, Target, or Kmart's tools section instead of the ski shop. All of the tools there are the exact same thing sold in ski shops for about 1/8 of the price. A $3.00 file will be $18.95 at a ski shop. 3-for a dollar metal scrapers with nice handles are $12.99 at a ski shop. and so forth.

And don't forget the iron: $6.00 at Wal-mart for a Sunbeam iron, vs. $29.99 for the "Dakine" version.