Toko Ski
Waxing and Maintaining Your Wooden Toboggan or Sled
By choosing a quality built wooden sled or toboggan, you will have minimal maintenance and years of fun. Constructed with solid birch, held together with stainless steel screws and coated with a marine grade finish, Mountain Boy sleds and toboggans are built to last. Cheaper toboggans are made with thinner material and often held together with staples. During use, the staples can lose their grip and the toboggan will begin to fall apart.
Wax the bottom of your wooden sled or toboggan for best performance (though you’ll find that it flies down the hill right out of the box). Waxing not only coats the bottom to increase speed, it creates a thin wax layer that sheds the film of water formed as snow melts beneath a speeding sled. Wax sticks best to a surface that is clean, warm, and dry, so bring the sled indoors and let it warm to room temperature prior to waxing.
Specialty ski or toboggan glide waxes are the best. These are available at most ski shops or sporting goods retailers. While you are there, pick up a plastic wax scraper and waxing cork.
Ski-go Easy Glide is an easy to use liquid glide wax. A solid crayon glide wax, such as Toko Toboggan Wax works well and is longer lasting. If you’re a cross country skier, you may already have glide wax. Just remember that it must be glide wax, not grip wax (which is used to help your skis grab onto the snow when you kick for uphill climbs). No ski wax? In a pinch try using paraffin wax used in many candles and for canning.
Waxing Steps:
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Wipe dirt off the bottom of the toboggan or sled. If there’s old, dirty wax on the bottom, remove what you can with a plastic putty knife or a plastic, cross country ski scraper.
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Dry and warm it with a hair dryer. Then, stroke the wax on evenly to the bottom side of the toboggan or sled using a cross country ski waxing cork. Hold a hair dryer on low heat close to the surface as you apply the wax. Warming the sled causes the pores of the wood to expand, allowing for the wax to melt and penetrate better.
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Allow the base to dry for at least 10 minutes after applying the wax.
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Remove any excess wax with the scraper tool, holding it at a 45 degree angle as it moves across the board.
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Check for any dry spots where the wax is too thin or has been totally scraped away by the scraper tool. Reapply a coat, if necessary, and scrape away the excess wax. When there are no rough spots, the toboggan is fully waxed.
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Wait for an hour or more to be certain everything is dry and fully absorbed before putting your sled or toboggan to the test on the slopes.
Storing and Maintenance
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After use, bring your wooden toboggan or sled inside to dry and wipe off any moisture.
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Use furniture oil to protect the top surfaces of the wooden toboggan or sled.
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Stow sleds in a dry place away from direct sunlight. Putting a toboggan lying flat on its running surface will help keep it from warping.
About the Author
CottageSpot is your Canadian source for a broad range of products and information for your cottage or waterfront home including wooden sleds, sleighs and toboggans, water trampolines, towable tubes, outdoor furniture, dock accessories and more. Learn more about our beautiful line of wooden sleds, sleighs and toboggans at http://www.cottagespot.com/
How to Apply Glide Wax to XC Skis
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Toko Oval Horsehair Brush 2012 $48.00 The Toko Oval Horsehair Brush is ideal for high end wax applications. Typically used by racers with complex base structures the Horsehair bristles brush even the finest structures to glossy perfection. It is highly recommended that brushes being used with High Fluorocarbon and pure Fluorocarbon waxes are reserved for those applications only. . Shape: Oval, Bristle Type: Horsehair, Model Year: 2012… |
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DMT A4E 4-Inch Diamond Whetstone For Use With Aligner – Extra-Fine $12.96 Professional quality Diamond Files like the Toko DMT Extra Fine Diamond File are proven to be top notch when it comes to removing hardened burs and polishing edges. For the best results use the DMT Extra Diamond File after completing initial edge work with your Chrome Files and progressing down the DMT Diamond File System. For precision tunes you can’t live with out the Toko DMT Extra Fine Diamond… |
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Toko Ergo Speed Edge Tool – Ergonomic Side Edge Sharpener $16.99 … |
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Swix Ski Edger Pro-Side Edge Tool with Adjustable Bevel $28.99 Professional Side-edge sharpener with 80 mm file. Adjustment from 90 to 85 degrees. Fits all kind of files, stones or diamond stones up to 5 mm thick. . Model Year: 2011, Product ID: 90211… |
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Toko DMT Extra Fine Diamond File – 100mm 2012 $45.00 Professional quality Diamond Files like the Toko DMT Extra Fine Diamond File are proven to be top notch when it comes to removing hardened burs and polishing edges. For the best results use the DMT Extra Diamond File after completing initial edge work with your Chrome Files and progressing down the DMT Diamond File System. For precision tunes you can’t live with out the Toko DMT Extra Fine Diamond… |
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Toko Plexi Blade Wax Scraper The Toko Plexi Blade Wax Scraper is a high-quality acrylic blade for cleaning your bases and scraping wax. Toko gave it a sharp edge that easily removes wax without damaging your bases like metal scrapers can if you’re not careful. When the Plexi Blade Wax Scraper gets dull, you can sharpen it by setting sand paper on a flat surface and rubbing the cutting edge while holding the scraper vertically… |
