Black spring gunk

[Baka Dasai]

This subject comes up every spring, but how the hell do you remove this stuff from the base of your board?

Wax remover/citrus cleaner works, but it seems like a fairly harsh thing to do to your board on a regular basis.

As for waxing and hot scraping, I tried that once on an old board with disastrous results - I ironed an awful mixture of black goo and wax into the board that no scraping could totally remove.

[Jagger]

Baka, soap any kind works but the liquid hand soaps are easiest just slather up your base with striaght liquid soap and let it soak a while then remove with a scrub brush and water.

Mike

[Shred Gruumer]

Any type of mineral based product will work, Napatha works too...but remember it cleans everything, so your base will be dry..

when it gets warm like now and you get that black gunk and pine tar! I use it then use F4 flourinated paste to get some wax on it or your hot waxing every night!

Thats just what I do... It gets pretty messy here with all the steel mills and coal mines!

Right Said Shred:(

[corey_dyck]

Now that we know how to remove it:
What is that black stuff? Where the heck does it come from?

[Todd Stewart]

i'm pretty sure its the grease falling off the chair lift

[boostertwo]

The springtime black mystery goo on the base of your board is a combination of airborne pollutants, car and diesel exhaust, 'blowback' from snowmaking air compressors, grease from lifts and groomers, organic compounds from trees, dust, and wax from skis and boards.

Plus smaller amounts of other stuff.

As the snow melts, all of the residues that were suspended in melted overlying layers collect on the snow surface. That's why you see it most often in the spring.

[Pre School Rider]

When you're finally willing to admit that "It's Over" for the season :confused: :( ,and are starting to get the board[s] put away,be sure to have these things on hand at the tuning bench. 1] lotsa wax,buy bars in bulk,slap on a nice thick layer once the boards are ready to stow. 2] Goo-Gone,which is great stuff to clean topsheets,boots and bindings with. 3]Scotchbrite pads,for clean the bases;Softer cleaning rags for bindings,boots,topsheets,etc. 4] Citrus Base Cleaner,which does nicely with getting thru that late season gooness that gunks your bases. 5]Wax Scrapers and a solid-bottomed,temp. controlable iron.Repeated 'hot scrapes' once you've run some base cleaner over your board does good things in expelling the Goo that got down into the base's pores,which is why you want lots of wax. After all that cleaning,and hot scraping is done,do a wax-drip along the board's edges/sidewalls,but don't 'press' on that wax,just let it coat the metal.That'll keep rust at bay for the off-season. Don't store your boards flat (or stack anything on them!) unless you can support the camber evenly(paint-stirring sticks do nicely)or anchor them in a way that distorts the flex (wall mounts that RED sells,by example). Square tailed boards can stand against a wall,but other boards would be better off in a rack made to hold them near the tip/tails. I've got a mere 18 boards to store this season,with another dozen or so already parked,so this is one of those rituals I know all-too-well. May your quiver be tidier.. ;D