Sometimes, it’s not the primary skateboard parts that help us better execute tricks. At some point, it could be the small changes or additions we apply to our skating areas.
What are these additions? One of them is skateboard wax. What is skateboard wax? Is it something to make the decks glossy? Does it improve our overall skating experience?
There is a lot to learn about skate waxes. And upon knowing more about these items, you’ll learn to appreciate how they work.
Table of Contents
Skateboard Wax: Defined
There is always a slim chance of a rough turnaround while riding over a ledge. Why? Friction between the riding spot and any part of your board can cause it to slow down.
Skateboard wax is a substance applied over a surface for grinding. These surfaces could be rails or solid ledges, where you see most skateboarders slide their decks. The effect? Buttery smooth grinds.
Is skateboard wax a unique substance? Yes. While other waxes could also be of service, they may not yield good results. Thus, we must thank skateboard companies for making these products and not making us use candle wax for skateboarding.
What Makes Up Skateboard Wax?
Skate wax vs candle – what’s the difference? If you use candles and crayons frequently, you have already encountered what constitutes skateboard wax. But no, these objects are not the raw materials needed to produce skate wax, only a portion of them.
Crayons contain paraffin wax, one of the primary contents of skating wax. Additionally, the latter also has beeswax, a substance also present in candles.
Considering the sources of paraffin wax, we might think it’s fuel-grade, given that it comes from oil shale, petroleum, or coal. On the other hand, beeswax is more organic, originating from our bee friends.
What is Skate Wax Used for?
Why do you need skateboard wax? Essentially, skateboard wax makes almost any reasonable surface skateable. There’s no need to argue about how to use it because it’s easy to apply. Here are a few locations to rub wax on.
- Metal edges
- Ledges
- Street curbs
- Handrails
- Skateboard parts
How to Use Skateboard Wax?
Using skateboard wax is like applying sunscreen before you leave the house for a skate ride. However, its role is not to protect our skin but to make skating surfaces smooth with reasonable slippage.
Before applying skateboard wax, ensure that the sliding or grinding surface is dust-free. Next, distribute the wax everywhere the skateboard and its parts touch.
Suppose you’re about to slide with your deck. Should you wax the areas where the skate wheels and trucks might touch? Yes.
After doing so, try sliding on your decided sliding spot and check if its feel improves. You may apply more wax where the skateboard makes contact with the most.
How to Make Skate Wax?
Perhaps, with the skate wax ingredients looking available almost anywhere, making homemade skateboard wax from your end is no less than possible. Here is a skate wax recipe you may want to try.
- Collect old crayons and candles.
- Prepare your oven. Preheat it to 150° for 5-10 minutes.
- Snap your old candles and crayons into pieces. Remove pieces of paper or non-wax objects attached.
- Prepare some vegetable or cooking oil.
- Grab an oven-safe bowl where you can combine your ingredients. Place the broken candles and crayons in the bowl. Then, add a teaspoon of the vegetable or cooking oil you prepared.
- Put the bowl of candles and crayons inside the oven. Melt the mixture for 10 minutes.
- After melting, place the bowl into the refrigerator to form the final texture of the wax.
The materials used above are more skateboard wax alternatives. So, if you want to use raw paraffin and beeswax, here are the steps for making DIY skate wax.
- Prepare the paraffin, beeswax, metal pot, and your skateboard wax molds.
- Put paraffin and beeswax into the pot (the former should equal 3/2 of the latter in amount).
- Place the pot over a low fire on the burner.
- Stir the mixture until the waxes incorporate.
- Pour the combined paraffin and beeswax into the mold or final container of the skate wax.
- The final step is the same as the previous method.
Read the detailed guide to making skateboarding wax here!
How to Get Rid of Skateboard Wax?
If we know how to apply skate wax, we should also learn how to remove it. One instance in which removing wax is necessary is when you overused it, which renders the skating spot risky.
With that in mind, here are the steps to removing skateboard wax.
- Prepare a wax-removing tool like a scraper, card, or razor for the first wax-removal phase.
- Secure a scouring pad or a stiff bristle brush for the last stage.
- Using your scraper or another similar object, scrape the skate wax off the skating surface.
- Repeat this step using the brush or scouring pad.
Friendly tip: Some heat from a torch can ease wax removal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does skateboard wax damage the surface?
We can think of wax as a smooth, silky substance spread over a skating surface evenly. Can such an application damage concrete ledges and other sliding spots? No.
What damages skating or grinding surfaces is the trucks and other solid skateboard parts make contact with them. With pressure from our feet, the exteriors of the ledge or rail wear off.
What is the Skate Wax price?
Is skate wax worth its price? For $8 to $15, it’s not difficult to invest in skate wax.
Suppose you’re using Gulf wax skateboarding here and there for $10. Is it worth it? Yes. But just because it’s reasonably cheap doesn’t mean you have to spread it anywhere and be wasteful.
Remember, we often use public structures when grinding or sliding. Let’s keep these spots safe and less slippery by patting skate wax off after use.
Can you use surf wax to skateboard?
What is surf wax? It’s a compound used on surfboards for a firm grip, and we know that’s the exact opposite of the function of skateboard wax.
We can’t use surf wax to skateboard because it doesn’t make the sliding surface smooth. Plus, using its proportions of beeswax and paraffin wax skateboarding could only worsen things.
Where do you put the wax on a skateboard?
Are you planning to put skate wax on your skateboard? While this application sounds unorthodox, many skaters also do it. Here’s how.
- Apply wax on the wearing areas at the bottom of the board, including the deck and baseplate.
- Improve tail and nose slides by adding the compound on the tail and nose.
- If you need to skate using the hangers, wax them as well.
Conclusion
Skateboard rides are always fun if you have the appropriate pieces of equipment, parts, and companions. Of course, we can’t undermine the help of a few accessories or additions that make our skating more exciting, like skate waxes.
So, what is skateboard wax? It’s a compound applied to skating surfaces to make grinding and sliding exceptional. You can create it at home using simple materials or buy it from a store.
Aside from the application process, remember how to use and remove it, and you will become a responsible skateboarder.
Hi, I am Charles Harris. I opened this site to write as much as I can about my biggest passion – skateboarding!
I started as a clumsy yet passionate rookie 10 years ago to now a still passionate yet much better skateboarder! But I have to tell you, the whole journey has always been fun and rewarding, indeed not without hardship.