... i was able to get and maintain 105deg F for the entire pressing. heat guns & hair dryers w/ ducting will be a pain, wont heat evenly, and be noisy as hell Agree that using hot air is just wrong. I also think that 105F is practically useless. Read question #1 in the Ski Builders article: htt...

I've built several pairs using black reprocessed UHMW for sidewalls. Most of these skis exhibit minor delams between the sidewalls and the base glass layers in the area aft of the bindings. These cracks don't seem to effect their performance, especially in the deep powder which is what they were bui...

yep, we're going to use heating blankets. we came across a german company that produces carbon heating blankets that are usually used for underfloor heating, ... Are they like these carbon under flooring heaters? http://www.warmup.com/us-carbonheater.phtml These show a low maximum temp of 82F watt ...

I make MDF templates using glued-on paper patterns too. After sawing close to the trim line with the jig saw, I shape to the final line using a mini belt sander. The sand paper cuts across the edge of the template perpendicular to the face. The paper is sanded off perfectly and equally as the MDF. A...

This is why I only use paper cups, the cheap 9 oz. size from Long's Drugs. I measure 104 grams of QCM epoxy into several cups prior to a lay-up. The typical resin pump dispenses 26 grams of curing agent per pump stroke. This way I simply dispense curing agent into these mini-batches on demand, thus ...

Volkl is also using a clear sidewall material on some of their Freeskiing models. Looking through it reveals a perforated metal looking structure. Interesting indeed.

-S

@SHIF What temperature do you use while pressing at 35 psi? Thanks, Buuk I do a slow ramp up to 190 degrees F over a one hour period. Then I let them soak at that temp for an hour, then I drop it down to 170 for a few more hours. Then I turn off the heater and let them cool back down to ambient (ov...

... then I remove the base from the template and glued the edges... then the base is wrapped! ...Alexis This thread is way off topic, so I'll add my two cents. We all make asymmetrical skis our first few builds. The sintered base material is funny stuff and it takes special care to achieve success....

Good job on the drawing. The force on the cat track exactly equals the force on the upper frame beam. The area of the cat track is irrelavant as long as it is at least the size of the bladder "foot print". If the bladder is putting 10,000 lbs force into the press frame, the laminate is als...

Yes, my ratio estimate is in fact for figuring the psi used in the actual ski laminations. A bit off topic I suppose.

Yes, every tiny bit of "contact area" is subjected to the same psi as the air inside the bladder.

Cheers,

-S

The force applied to the ski press frame is simply the air pressure times the actual area of the “contact patch” of the bladder, not the air pressure times the total area of the ski press (unless you have a grossly over sized bladder hanging out all around). If you use cat tracks or a similar force ...

Shif, are you running just one blanket off that system. I have a "single ski" press. To make a pair of skis takes two sessions. My heater is 6" wide and 78" long. My aluminum sheet is 7" wide. The heater is 1200 watts. It can "rail" the output and not pop the 8 am...

can someone enlighten a lamen on how this all work. Do I need a $450 controler? Thermostat? I need a thermocouple or it will go up to 550 F right? What can I use simply and cheaply. I tried to get a quote but I am slightly stoopid and am having trouble wrapping my brain around how all this works. I...

I find that acetone doesn't work to clean-up uncured epoxy. I use MEK. (methyl ethyl keytone) Be sure to review and understand the MSDS on this and any other solvent you work with: http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/m4628.htm Always use proper gloves and eye wear and have plenty of fresh air in...

Volkl has a factory tour on their international web site, in image #14 they state: "All components are baked together in the ski press at 100 °C and 9 bars of pressure for 36 minutes." http://www.voelkl.com/index.cfm/EN/122# Thats 135 psi. I think all their molds are "closed cavity&qu...