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Stupid things you did when ski building

Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2017 12:33 pm
by pmg
Hi there,

just thought of a nice memory which is so incredibly stupid it always makes me smile. Feel free to share equally stupid things you did :)

I prepared sidewalls and tipspacers for layup - first the alcohol wipe, took a cloth, put quite some alcohol on it and wiped the sidewalls - put the cloth next to the sidewalls.

Can you already guess whats next? Oh yes, I did it! I started flaming, went with the torch from one side to the other, and suddenly there was a big flame in my workshop - I set that damn cloth on fire! Looked completely stunned at it for a second bofire I could react - threw it on the ground and messed my shoes up a bit when stepping on the cloth again and again to stop that fire, damn alcohol really burns damn well :)

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 10:13 pm
by Akiwi
Haha, I can imagine that panic.

I had the top come off my bottle of super glue last year, spilling it all over my hand. I tried to ignore it, until I realized that all my fingers got stuck together. Had to one handed Google "removing superglue".
The answer is Acetone or warm water. I tried the Acetone first. It didn't work. Warm water was better.

Re: Stupid things you did when ski building

Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 7:07 pm
by sammer
pmg wrote: I prepared sidewalls and tipspacers for layup - first the alcohol wipe, took a cloth, put quite some alcohol on it and wiped the sidewalls - put the cloth next to the sidewalls.

Can you already guess whats next? Oh yes, I did it! I started flaming, went with the torch from one side to the other, and suddenly there was a big flame in my workshop - I set that damn cloth on fire! Looked completely stunned at it for a second bofire I could react - threw it on the ground and messed my shoes up a bit when stepping on the cloth again and again to stop that fire, damn alcohol really burns damn well :)

YUP... I've done that exact same thing. Looking around for some water to put it out, but then just stepping on it repeatedly.

My best one was... made my cores 20mm wider, on either side, than my ski, as the vacuum bag started pulling down it pulled the cantilevered section of the core down and broke the core on both sides at the tip.
I saw it happen but took a while to pull the layup apart and stick some tip spacer pieces under the core. By that time the epoxy was setting and I ended up with a noticeable bump in my ski tip.
I still ski those skis though as they are probably the best ride I have ever made.

sam

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 3:23 am
by mammuth
Set up core shape crib. Started shaping. Thought "hmm tail looks thin ... will be ok". So tail 0.5mm too thin, crib setup failure. Grmpf....

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 11:04 am
by PowderCad
Everything went well while laying up. Put everything in the press. Pressurized the bladder and next was turning on the heat blanket. There was a short in the heat blanket where the thermocouple poked through. Once we plugged it in there was a huge arc and the thermo couple wire welded itself to the press. That was a bit unexpected. needless to say we needed a new thermo couple.

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 6:15 pm
by MontuckyMadman
Left a clamp on the bckside of the press and pressed a spoon style rise into the sidewall of the ski. Very dramatic. Almost like a step. Pressed it again to get about 90%of it out.

Laid up some fullcarbon skis and forgot half the composite on the other side of town. Had to run home mid layup.

Multiple times i made or the machine errored and cnc embeded itself halfway into the bed surface.

Cut cores with wrong program. Basically trash.

Put the dragknife in crooked and wasted 3 pairs of base until i figured out what was happening.

Im sure i can think of some more.

Wasted topsheets by not fully color corecting for cmyk or checking the pantone.

Ooo...pressed a clear top on one ski upside down..ripped it off and pressed it back on.

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 6:34 am
by Akiwi
I pressed a topsheet on upside down. when the skis were dry, I peeled off the thicker topsheet leaving the thin protective plastic on the skis. :-|
It peeled off pretty easily too.

Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2017 11:10 am
by skidesmond
I've had epoxy nearly start a fire. It started to kick in the cup.

I was busy with the layup and starting hearing a crackling noise and smelled something bad. I thought it might have been my electric space heater over heating or something. Then I noticed a wisp of smoke coming from the melting cup of epoxy. I quickly grab it and tossed outside in the snow.

Then there's tripping over shit... and constantly looking for the tool I just had...

Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2017 4:35 am
by OAC
skidesmond wrote: Then there's tripping over shit... and constantly looking for the tool I just had...
High recognition factor!! :D

Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2017 8:21 am
by mammuth
OAC wrote:
skidesmond wrote: Then there's tripping over shit... and constantly looking for the tool I just had...
High recognition factor!! :D
pfff, im not alone :)

Posted: Fri May 12, 2017 2:43 am
by falls
I still ski a ski with a near full thickness semi circle out of the tip where the router bearing slipped off the edge when shaping the bevel. I filled the hole with a ptex candle that fell out long ago. Still stuck fast together. Epoxy is amazing stuff.

Also wrote on bottom of core L and R in big uneven ugly letters for a ski with a clear base.

Posted: Fri May 12, 2017 4:47 am
by mammuth
falls wrote:Also wrote on bottom of core L and R in big uneven ugly letters for a ski with a clear base.
LOL, thats a good one :D

Posted: Fri May 12, 2017 10:32 pm
by gav wa
Had a few PU sidewall stuff ups. Trying to get fancy with multiple colours swirled together but hadn't stirred each colour hard enough. One had voids right in the middle so i didnt find it till too late, the other 2 i routerd out and re-used. Both builds had problem after problem to the point I would have to consider just binning the core if it happened again.
Scrapped a nice big black race base because of a simple little cnc figure error. The base ended up a little sign for my shed.
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Posted: Sat May 13, 2017 5:20 pm
by falls
Both builds had problem after problem to the point I would have to consider just binning the core if it happened again.
Some builds just seem doomed from the beginning with one problem after the other all the way.

Posted: Sun May 21, 2017 10:57 am
by 24Dave
I was having a hard time trying to find the time to laminate a board for personal use. Finally got a short window of time from work and being a Dad. Wet out the base and edges real well, wet out the core, placed them together all perfectly aligned in a long vacuum bag ready to go. Then I realized I didn't put composite fabric on the base side.

Frantically peeled everything apart, resin sticky everywhere, got the base fabric in there wet it out with resin from the layup table because the resin in the cup was warming up and starting to gel. I'm still riding the board, but had the ptex end up shifted back on the core by 3/8". It looks ok though because black Ptex at the nose just turns to smooth exposed black all carbon layer.