Tuning Guide

Side Edge Tuning
Mount ski in the vice with the base vertical & facing away from you. Secure the tip & the tail in the lateral vices. Put masking tape down the sidewall of the skis to keep the filings & stone dust out of the bindings. It is essential to first stone down any side edge damage with a alu-oxide stone as the impacts with rocks etc case hardens the edge so that a file can’t touch it. The alu-oxide stone is best used with a side edge angle guide but with... Read more...
Base Edge Tuning
Secure brake locks & mount the ski horizontally in the vice with the base upwards. Adjust the heights of the lateral vices to support the tip & tail. If required, stone down any base edge damage with the alu-oxide stone as the impacts with rocks etc case hardens the edge so that a file can’t touch it. Carefully work through each grade of file - you're only removing a small amount of material so check the edge after each pass of the file. Always work on the far side edge &... Read more...
Hanging Burr Removal
A correctly tuned side edge will raise a hanging burr on the newly sharpened junction of the base & side angles. You often can’t see this burr but you can feel it if you pull your fingers across your base edge towards your side edge. This burr often mistakenly makes the ski edge feel sharp to the uninitiated. The edge may feel sharp to a thumb rubbed across it & it may remove a sliver of fingernail drawn across it, however, if you slide a piece of fiberleen or tissue... Read more...
Detuning
With shorter modern carving skis there’s no longer any need to detune the tips & tails of the ski. Detuned carving skis won’t hold the described turning arc as the ski will stay in a flat profile instead of bending which results in the ski not carving & rotary turning force must then be applied causing a skidded turn. With proper bevel, footbeds & knee alignment your skis will perform better if sharp the entire running length. If you do find your skis a bit too ‘hooky’, rather than detuning... Read more...
Sidewall Planing
Many skis require the trimming back (or planing) of their sidewalls. It is often required on new skis as the factory sidewall profile is flush with the side edge meaning that the file/diamond stones will snag on the sidewall & not cut the metal. It can also be required on skis that have had quite a bit of tuning & their side edges have become flush with the sidewall causing the same problem.   For the new DIY tuner sidewall planing is the one really scary process as it's the... Read more...
Back Filing
    Now that the sidewall has been cut back there can be a noticeable ‘top edge’ on the side angle just below the start of the sidewall of the ski. If you want optimum drag reducing performance this top edge can be blended in to the side wall by using a seven degree side edge file guide & a file. A couple of passes with the file is all that’s needed to blend in the top of the edge – remember you’re not setting the whole edge to seven... Read more...
Base Tuning
The most common question I’m asked re base tuning concerns what iron to use, so we’ll get this out of the way first. Many tuners use a flat base travel iron (without the holes!) without any problems. However, they are not very controllable with their thermostats having very wide ranging tolerances & their thin bases get hot spots, either of which could lead to oveheating or having to keep waiting for the iron to come back up to temperature. A specifically designed wax iron has a far narrower tolerance thermostat... Read more...
Specialist Waxes
The base tuning method applies for using standard hydrocarbon wax. However, specialist fluorocarbon waxes & overlays, usually for racing, can be ‘crayoned’ on over the hydrocarbon ‘base coat’ & then ironed in/scraped in the conventional way. Some fluoro waxes & overlays are designed to be ‘corked’ in. After rubbing the wax over the base making slightly over lapping passes from the tip to tail, begin blending the wax into the base by rubbing it with the cork block using moderate pressure from tip to tail. The heat generated by the... Read more...
Zardoz Base Boost
Zardoz Base Boost is a teflon coating that’s wiped on to the ski base & works very well, especially in wet snow. It used either to supplement the wax for additional durability &/or speed, or if there’s no time to hot wax. It’s also excellent at preventing edge rust. Combine this with the fact that it doesn’t harm the bases, it’s cheap & either the wipes or the ‘pocket puck’ easily fit in a jacket pocket for easy on slope use means every skier/tuner should have some. Read more...
Base Grinding & Structuring
Base grinding is the one machine based operation that is outside of the scope of a DIY tuner & should be done by a competent shop technician.   The reasons for having a base grind are:  If the bases are overly concave or convex  If the base edge angle is over bevelled  If you want to reduce the base edge angle  If the base edge is badly damaged  If the structure on the base has worn too smooth  If the base structure pattern/depth doesn't match the snow conditions (racers only) It's... Read more...
Base Repairs
Always undertake any base repairs prior to base tuning. If the damage will affect the smooth action of the side edge guide sliding down the base then the repair will need to be made prior to edge tuning.   Skis to be repaired should be dry & not cold, say at room temperature.   Clean the affected area with base cleaner to ensure proper adhesion of the repair.   Score/rough up the inside of the hole for good adhesion. A Stanley knife or razor blade is good for this.  ... Read more...
Edge Tuning – General
With new skis I recommend not touching the edges at all & skiing them using the factory angles. See the base tuning section regarding the base work that is required for new skis. Only if you wish the skis to perform differently should you consider changing the factory angles. If you are happy with the factory base edge angle then all Read more...