Wax Questions

[Allez_Jambon]

I rarely use wax unless I'm trying to work in a new ledge so I never have it or how to use it properly.

1. Is there a preferred wax? I'm hoping there's one that allows you to glide through but has some firm, yet soft hold to it if that makes sense. Kind of like a butter bench and back noseblunts or front blunts. I grew up with upstate NY and Vermont summers so I'm used to this humid feel with weathered terrain. I live in LA now and some the ledges here are so slick. I will not touch the ledge at Chevy Chase or those little white leges at Keck USC, but I love the way the new Carhartt box at South Pasadena feels.

2. How the fuck do you skate an icy ledge? I feel way more comfortable to go at any speed and push through the grind. With icy ledges, I feel like it's a stall that requires perfect balance. Do you get on the ledge earlier as opposed to like, lunging forward that almost feels like gapping out? No clue. I slip out and eat shit in such a chaotic way that I can't even really prepare to fall properly. Hmm, now I think of it, I can bail backside flip tricks way better than frontside ones and it feels like there's something similar going on.

3. Unsure how to really frame this as a question but here ya go. My friends and I went to Gardner School for the benches. I'm skating the thing doing basics like 5050s and crooked grinds. One of the friends waxes it up before even skating it and moves the damn table to where he prefers. I'm trying to figure out switch crook and well, basically he often does noseslides, slappies, and boardslides. I am shit at slappies and boardslides so like, maybe it makes sense to use a lot of wax for these tricks. Anyway, uhh, is it OD to then sandpaper that shit down to where I had it in the first place? Damn. If this happens, I usually just have to skate some other shit or pray we go somewhere else.

Thanks for reading and I'm a nerd.

[DNTRODDEN]

I have no idea about wax etiquette, but I know it is a real thing. Wax is a thing for me, I use it, I make it. Have spent the last 6 months with a chemist, in the lab and in my basement with a small crockpot, lol. I think I finally have it where I want it and gave out some samples the other day at my local.

I very rarely wax the object; I just wax my board. Not sure if that is cool or not, but it feels less invasive to the other skaters.
I ride low trucks, and if I am pushing my 54mm wheels I will wax at the start of a session to lessen the wheel bite effects, again not sure if this is "Slap" approved, but it just what works for me.

Not sure if that helped or not

DNT

[gringo_viejo]

I rarely use wax unless I'm trying to work in a new ledge so I never have it or how to use it properly.

1. Is there a preferred wax? I'm hoping there's one that allows you to glide through but has some firm, yet soft hold to it if that makes sense. Kind of like a butter bench and back noseblunts or front blunts. I grew up with upstate NY and Vermont summers so I'm used to this humid feel with weathered terrain. I live in LA now and some the ledges here are so slick. I will not touch the ledge at Chevy Chase or those little white leges at Keck USC, but I love the way the new Carhartt box at South Pasadena feels.

2. How the fuck do you skate an icy ledge? I feel way more comfortable to go at any speed and push through the grind. With icy ledges, I feel like it's a stall that requires perfect balance. Do you get on the ledge earlier as opposed to like, lunging forward that almost feels like gapping out? No clue. I slip out and eat shit in such a chaotic way that I can't even really prepare to fall properly. Hmm, now I think of it, I can bail backside flip tricks way better than frontside ones and it feels like there's something similar going on.

3. Unsure how to really frame this as a question but here ya go. My friends and I went to Gardner School for the benches. I'm skating the thing doing basics like 5050s and crooked grinds. One of the friends waxes it up before even skating it and moves the damn table to where he prefers. I'm trying to figure out switch crook and well, basically he often does noseslides, slappies, and boardslides. I am shit at slappies and boardslides so like, maybe it makes sense to use a lot of wax for these tricks. Anyway, uhh, is it OD to then sandpaper that shit down to where I had it in the first place? Damn. If this happens, I usually just have to skate some other shit or pray we go somewhere else.

Thanks for reading and I'm a nerd.

NURRRRRRRRRRRRD! 
…haha no but seriously, ain’t nobody here but us supernerds. (In the same spirit, any of my grom-level responses I just assume you already know.)

1. I feel like good ol’ Gulf Wax from the grocery store baking section is the go-to. Anything harder to grind than that and I suspect you’re in rub-brick-and sealer territory.

2. Shrug emoji. But luckily there are way more crusty ledges in this world than icy ones.

3. If I’m skating something and somebody else decides to just drag it to another location, fuck them, they’re about to catch these hands whoops forgot I was old and busted there for a sec…er, that’s an aggressive move. So, it would be equally aggressive to drag it back and sand off the excess wax…but not wrong.
Wax etiquette on the sesh is a whole thing. But usually it’s as simple as “yo man, care if I wax this a little more?” (Or, “hey dude, I was skating that, could you not wax the shit out of it?”
Coming back on a different day and sanding it down is of course perfectly fine.
The only time I wouldn’t do this is if I knew somebody kinda “made” that spot with lots of rub bricking and got it perfect for himself.

Jeez you could write a whole book just about curb/wax “philosophy.”

Wax is a thing for me, I use it, I make it. Have spent the last 6 months with a chemist, in the lab and in my basement with a small crockpot, lol. I think I finally have it where I want it and gave out some samples the other day at my local.

Dang, formulating your own wax is another level. That’s sick.

[tzhangdox]

For 2, I used to feel the same way but have gotten a lot more comfortable using wax the past two years or so, not that I'm icing to the degree some guys out there are or anything tho.

Basically it comes down to focusing on sitting on the grind and balancing, rather than leaning back and pushing it, since the wax now does that for you.

Its nice in the sense that the speed you grind or slide at is effectively the same as the speed you roll up, that makes things kinda more predictable and also helps you maintain speed when you roll away as opposed to having to go really really fast and then losing all your speed to the grind or slide.

[Allez_Jambon]

Thanks buds. Gnars.

I am usually an Antiwaxxer am afraid I'm being gangstalked by those who want to see me slip out. Plus the 5G in my bloodstream and all that. Ya kno.

Okay. So Gulf Wax. Maybe depends on the surface material itself? I just know that stupid crumbly stuff is bad and so inconsistent.

And icy ledges, fuck. I think I have to like pop UP instead of OUT. So fucking strange. My hunchback form doesn't play well into this. Whenever I try SSBSTS or ssbs smith I feel like I'm upside-down approaching the damn ledge. Gotta correct that shit.

And maybe some people priortize their pursuits over others. idk. It sucks when their issue is that it's not going far enough if it's less waxed whereas I'm going to die if it's ice. Also, if I slam on that, it's going to leave a mess on my clothes and shoes. That's annoying as shit too.

[DNTRODDEN]

Gulfwax will do in a pinch, IMHO, but does not really cut it. Too brittle, morning sesh is almost a no go this time of years with it.

I have added 4 other ingredients to my custom blend, and it seems to work well, still spreads without breaking up below 30 degrees. It has held up without incident sitting in my truck during the warm days

[rikki]

I get strange enjoyment from 50-50'ing super icy ledges for the sole fact of the weirdly awesome feeling of ending up grinding faster than what my initial speed approaching the ledge was.

[Cthulhu!]

I go with Gulf Wax. I'll buy some when I pass through the supermarket baking aisle. Which is often. Was doing some baking earlier today.

Anyway, the best way I can explain it is that you really have to "sit" on the grind/slide. More of a focus on actually holding the grind/slide instead of working to force yourself through it. I agree that too much can be an unpleasant thing. I've skated with some other dudes that like their curbs and ledges dumb slick and I don't like that at all. 

Wax etiquette is real. The other old guys I skate with from time to time, are all very careful to add a small amount to the ledge. Everyone will wax their own board if they want a little more give. Unspoken rules if we're in a group. If it's a solo session then it's fair game. If you're the one that cleaned up a street spot then you are the one to dictate how much wax it does or does not get.

I'll tell you guys a story! Not having shop in the area for ages, we have a loose and informal scene around here. Same group of dudes with a few new faces popping in and out. But we know each other. A new guy moves down here, and takes it upon himself to rub brick the ledges in our local park. Then he slathered the shit out of them with sealer and wax. Repeatedly!

Who the hell was doing this? The regulars would show up in the afternoon mad as fuck. Our ledges...
But I knew it was the new guy, and I would pretend I didn't. I had met him already. AY YO homie who did THIS? Oh I don't have the faintest idea. They started showing up with scrapers to clean up the ledges. A day or two would pass by, and the new guy would slather them again early in the morning. This guy couldn't take a hint. But he wasn't doing it maliciously, he is just a total airhead. It got to the point where a few of the locals actually wanted to find this guy. They were going to put hands on him. The new guy stopped going to the park before anything bad happened. Positive resolutions for all parties.

[Plan9Customs]

I go with Gulf Wax. I'll buy some when I pass through the supermarket baking aisle. Which is often. Was doing some baking earlier today.

Anyway, the best way I can explain it is that you really have to "sit" on the grind/slide. More of a focus on actually holding the grind/slide instead of working to force yourself through it. I agree that too much can be an unpleasant thing. I've skated with some other dudes that like their curbs and ledges dumb slick and I don't like that at all. 

Wax etiquette is real. The other old guys I skate with from time to time, are all very careful to add a small amount to the ledge. Everyone will wax their own board if they want a little more give. Unspoken rules if we're in a group. If it's a solo session then it's fair game. If you're the one that cleaned up a street spot then you are the one to dictate how much wax it does or does not get.

I'll tell you guys a story! Not having shop in the area for ages, we have a loose and informal scene around here. Same group of dudes with a few new faces popping in and out. But we know each other. A new guy moves down here, and takes it upon himself to rub brick the ledges in our local park. Then he slathered the shit out of them with sealer and wax. Repeatedly!

Who the hell was doing this? The regulars would show up in the afternoon mad as fuck. Our ledges...
But I knew it was the new guy, and I would pretend I didn't. I had met him already. AY YO homie who did THIS? Oh I don't have the faintest idea. They started showing up with scrapers to clean up the ledges. A day or two would pass by, and the new guy would slather them again early in the morning. This guy couldn't take a hint. But he wasn't doing it maliciously, he is just a total airhead. It got to the point where a few of the locals actually wanted to find this guy. They were going to put hands on him. The new guy stopped going to the park before anything bad happened. Positive resolutions for all parties.

There’s a guy like that that at a curb I frequent. He’s so fucking bad that the curb is literally white from paraffin(this is a red curb) and I’ve dropped hints a few times but he still persists with overzealous waxing. I have a scraper stashed there and if he happens to show up and try waxing again I’m going to follow him and remove it right behind him. Maybe he’ll get it after that. I’m not an antiwaxer by any means but have some fucking consideration for others. If that fails, I’ll wax the shit out of the ground 2’ out from the curb and have him deal with a slip n slide.

[spooky electric]

A dude moved to town a few years ago, and it was nice to have someone new to skate with. He was nice and could skate pretty solidly. I had numerous conversations with him where I'd be like, "holy fuck, someone is waxing the coping, it's hectic!" and he'd be like "yeah, it's crazy..."

Then I pulled up one day and saw him waxing the coping, and I was like, "oh man, I didn't realise that was you...sorry, but also, please don't wax the coping of the quarter pipes. Go for it on the ledges and rails, but you really don't need to wax the coping..." and then he just never came back...

[rikki]

The pool at my local park is finally skateable after the snow has melted.

It's a fun mellow-ish pool that has part pool coping and part metal. As per usual, the metal copings can be kinda rusty after the winter. But not so much as to give anyone a reason to wax them. It usually doesn't take many sessions for the copings to be normal.

Well, just yesterday a group of older transition dudes who occasionally frequent the pool and who can actually skate a bit showed up for a sesh. At one point I notice one of them waxing the metal copings. I thought to myself, well, that's usually a huge no-no, but ok, it's spring, the sun's finally out, everyone's happy, the metal is rusty and ok, I don't wanna be that guy so maybe I won't say anything. I was skating ledges while they had their sesh at the pool, and I didn't feel like partaking in their sesh and kind forgot about it quickly.

Well, they ended their sesh, packed up and left. I dropped in, locked into a bs 50-50 on the metal coping part and instantly almost died as the coping was absolutely fucking more slippery than the iciest ice. I mean I'm talking out of control icyness here.

Two points: the coping was totally ok before the waxing, and what's more, this was a heinous breach of pool etiquette.

If you can't lock in to your grinds with enough speed and control to make them grind, look in the mirror before busting out the wax.

Some people.

[spooky electric]

The coping I was referencing gets rusty after it rains a lot too, but yeah, it takes like 10 slashes and a couple of 50-50s and it's back to normal.

Waxing coping is berserk.

The dude that was waxing the coping tried to justify it by saying he just liked to go fast. But that's just means you need to skate faster prior to the grind. It's not hard to do a fast 50-50 on metal coping if you're a capable skater, which this guy was. Completely unneccesary.

[layzieyez]

I used to buy candles from the Salvation Army that I lived nearby decades ago.

Old Catholic devotional candles were easy to do a double boiler to melt down and then I would just dump it all into a rinsed and dried milk carton. Depending on the time of the year or how soon I wanted my wax I would leave it out to cool or flash cool it in the fridge or freezer.

Because it was just in a milk carton, I would rip it apart to free it after it solidified. The block then went into a ziplock bag and into my car for future use.

I’m that dude that would leave a bag/block of wax at the spot because I forgot.

[propaganda]

Think im ready to make my first curb. What I need to know. I got a Jesus candle but im not opposed to buying some normal wax. What does rub brick do? What is laquier? Could ask google but i think its better answered here

[spooky electric]

rub brick smooths the the rough surface, i use a wet look concrete sealer, makes it slick and protected for longevity, wax makes it slippery/stops you grinding the sealer off.

[swongolianbbq]

I rarely use wax unless I'm trying to work in a new ledge so I never have it or how to use it properly.

1. Is there a preferred wax? I'm hoping there's one that allows you to glide through but has some firm, yet soft hold to it if that makes sense. Kind of like a butter bench and back noseblunts or front blunts. I grew up with upstate NY and Vermont summers so I'm used to this humid feel with weathered terrain. I live in LA now and some the ledges here are so slick. I will not touch the ledge at Chevy Chase or those little white leges at Keck USC, but I love the way the new Carhartt box at South Pasadena feels.

2. How the fuck do you skate an icy ledge? I feel way more comfortable to go at any speed and push through the grind. With icy ledges, I feel like it's a stall that requires perfect balance. Do you get on the ledge earlier as opposed to like, lunging forward that almost feels like gapping out? No clue. I slip out and eat shit in such a chaotic way that I can't even really prepare to fall properly. Hmm, now I think of it, I can bail backside flip tricks way better than frontside ones and it feels like there's something similar going on.

3. Unsure how to really frame this as a question but here ya go. My friends and I went to Gardner School for the benches. I'm skating the thing doing basics like 5050s and crooked grinds. One of the friends waxes it up before even skating it and moves the damn table to where he prefers. I'm trying to figure out switch crook and well, basically he often does noseslides, slappies, and boardslides. I am shit at slappies and boardslides so like, maybe it makes sense to use a lot of wax for these tricks. Anyway, uhh, is it OD to then sandpaper that shit down to where I had it in the first place? Damn. If this happens, I usually just have to skate some other shit or pray we go somewhere else.

Thanks for reading and I'm a nerd.

I bring a steel kitchen scrubby or one of those scratchy green pads with me but I rarely have to use it. Works to get all the extra wax off on coping, plastic, metal skatepark ledges

Just those boxes of Gulf wax for canning from the grocery store is what I use

To be polite I just wax my nose or tail vs waxing the ledge at parks, always works out perfect, just enough boost

As far as street ledges though, I'll wax the ledge if I need to

A wire brush might be good for concrete street ledges but I hate those fuckin wires that inevitably fall out and you don't need that shit at the spot. Maybe an angle grinder with those like, flaps of sandpaper. Usually if the ledge is porous or chunky enough it doesn't matter so this is probably unnecessary. Definitely easier to scrape wax off a smooth curb or ledge

A hard plastic scraper would work good for plastic/fiberglass benches and skatepark ledges/granite ledges too

I've definitely used the metal scrubby on mini ramp coping that for some reason gets waxed

And once to get rust off a skatepark ledge

[Linked]

I use thrift store candles, they work ok and are cheap. Interested in that gulf wax though. I try to just wax my board instead of the spot unless its bad. Our local park is pretty much just me that uses it, so I feel ok to wax the stuff there.

Lol at the waxed transition coping stories, it happened at our park too at some point and nobody was happy or admitted to it.

[Pbn_jake]

If it needs it, wax it.

Skating a new park and the people who made the park painted the rail and that shit was sticking despite how fast I was going, waxed that shit.

Used to skate a metal prefab mini that would get a lot of rain, not a lot of skating and would have to wax the coping on that shit every so often. I don’t skate bowls enough to give any insight on whether or not wax is harmful to it but enough people get bent out of shape about waxing it so maybe don’t.

Usually will wax my board/trucks before I wax the obstacle.

I came up on a few boxes of gulf wax on clearance, buying a small 10 dollar piece of wax from a skateshop seems crazy to me.

Have found that most street ledges need the wax often enough, am also garbage at skating ledges so who knows

[SwitchBenihana]

This is one of the most tired arguments in skating. If there are locals there watch what they do or ask them. Usually they will have no preference. I haven't been to too many places where there were super strict protocols.

As for wax itself the main difference between Gulf/grocery store wax and skate wax seems to be the oil content and how it can handle direct sun. Candle wax is often too soft to stick to ledges and comes off super quick especially on coping. Gulf is fairly middle ground and I've found that both Spitfire and Toy Machine wax that is always on sale and good for a bump for free shipping seems to not come off the object and get on my grip.

[DNTRODDEN]

This is one of the most tired arguments in skating. If there are locals there watch what they do or ask them. Usually they will have no preference. I haven't been to too many places where there were super strict protocols.

As for wax itself the main difference between Gulf/grocery store wax and skate wax seems to be the oil content and how it can handle direct sun. Candle wax is often too soft to stick to ledges and comes off super quick especially on coping. Gulf is fairly middle ground and I've found that both Spitfire and Toy Machine wax that is always on sale and good for a bump for free shipping seems to not come off the object and get on my grip.

I make my own I use a few other ingredients besides just paraffin. I have been working with a chemist friend to dial it in so that it spreads when chilly but does get too soft when warm. I give it away at the parks for honest feedback

I really like it others seem to like it as well


After all that. I wax my board/trucks unless the curb really needs a coat.  Never wax metal, just my thing maybe.

Making the wax has been a ton of fun

[pica]

Ledgebutta ist the answer.

[pop idiot]

2. How the fuck do you skate an icy ledge? I feel way more comfortable to go at any speed and push through the grind. With icy ledges, I feel like it's a stall that requires perfect balance. Do you get on the ledge earlier as opposed to like, lunging forward that almost feels like gapping out? No clue. I slip out and eat shit in such a chaotic way that I can't even really prepare to fall properly.

Go faster and do tricks you're comfy with and know you can get into correctly every try. Going faster seems counterproductive, but I need to maintain momentum to not slip out cuz my balance is meh. When I see a kid (or middle-aged dude with rails) put a shit ton of wax on the spot, I just accept that I'll be doing certain tricks and not others... lotsa noseslides cuz they're easy/comfortable for me. It sucks when you're trying a trick and someone just starts waxing, but whatev. I've been the dude to scrape it off behind you or bitch/talk shit or just sit down and sulk, but noseslides, man! Way more fun participating.

[Mbrimson88]

The pool at my local park is finally skateable after the snow has melted.

It's a fun mellow-ish pool that has part pool coping and part metal. As per usual, the metal copings can be kinda rusty after the winter. But not so much as to give anyone a reason to wax them. It usually doesn't take many sessions for the copings to be normal.

Well, just yesterday a group of older transition dudes who occasionally frequent the pool and who can actually skate a bit showed up for a sesh. At one point I notice one of them waxing the metal copings. I thought to myself, well, that's usually a huge no-no, but ok, it's spring, the sun's finally out, everyone's happy, the metal is rusty and ok, I don't wanna be that guy so maybe I won't say anything. I was skating ledges while they had their sesh at the pool, and I didn't feel like partaking in their sesh and kind forgot about it quickly.

Well, they ended their sesh, packed up and left. I dropped in, locked into a bs 50-50 on the metal coping part and instantly almost died as the coping was absolutely fucking more slippery than the iciest ice. I mean I'm talking out of control icyness here.

Two points: the coping was totally ok before the waxing, and what's more, this was a heinous breach of pool etiquette.

If you can't lock in to your grinds with enough speed and control to make them grind, look in the mirror before busting out the wax.

Some people.

There has been an ongoing stalemate / stand off between a few different people at local parks I go to.

Some prefer to wax the entirety of the skatepark and others prefer a more minimal approach - not going to name names or get into it too much, but I barely touch coping or edges there as I find they are way too slippery for my own skating and just not at all fun, but seeing some of those guys who do prefer wax able to cruise round the whole park, endless grinds or slides, it often makes me wonder a bit more.

I was always the guy to just put a little wax on my truck or more so on my own board, rather than cake any edge of transition, which had worked fine for me for a long, long time, so anyone putting a whole lot of wax on transition coping or edges usually makes me want to leave any given park and go elsewhere.

Street type obstacles, eg ledges or rails, sure add enough wax to have them work, but don't over wax everything in the whole place.

It is kind of funny cause I think there are some groups of skaters that come and the first thing they do is completely clean off the coping of the whole bowl before they skate there, then others turn up and the first thing they do is run round the whole park including the bowl with wax.  Could go either way on any given day or session really.

That's my story anyway.


* Sounds like you had a similar experience to what I often do at some places too, which is all I needed to say (maybe).

[Jehoshaphat Augustus]

I broke my pipe and I lost my sack
sliding out on that wack shellac
salba sauce
salba sauce
I know you bought those vans at Ross
salba sauce
salba sauce
can't show the coping whos the boss
your backside grinds don't even count
cuz you sprayed on such a large amount