Wood Sidewall Treatment Methods??

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iggyskier
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Wood Sidewall Treatment Methods??

Post by iggyskier »

Hey

so hoping to be pressing some skis pretty soon, although it seems the stars have aligned to prevent me from doing so...

anyway, I am using bamboo sidewalls on my skis and am wondering what different methods people have used to seal them off from the elements and how they are turned out, bot durability wise and in preventing water from entering the ski.

Figured I would use some sort of polyurethane, so I am wondering if there are any specific types or application methods people have used with sucess. I don't mind having to put on multiple coats and so on as long as it creates a sidewall that will be pretty durable. Thanks guys
rockaukum
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Post by rockaukum »

Hello,
I used Poplar wood for my core and also used UHMWPE for the sidewall. however the core shifted in pressing. I have poplar wood exposed on both skis and have not treated the wood yet. Having looked at the skis they show no sign of any problems. I have skied on them 8 - 10 days both powder and wet conditions. I do belive that a treatment is in order but it should not hold you up from pressing. I will eventually use some kind of stain / sealer, maybe one used for butcher blocks? Good luck.
rockaukum
iggyskier
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Post by iggyskier »

it isn't holding me up from pressing at all. Still need to finish the PID, shaping the cores, and a few other things. Just figured I would ask now.

From what I've read thus far, an oil based marine spar varnish sounds like the best protestion. Just seeing if anyone here has tried any specific products that worked out well.
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bigKam
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Post by bigKam »

hi iggy,

like we spoke sometime back, i don't use any sealant on my skis and they seem to hold up fine. i skied the bangers for over one year and i'm somewhat hard on my gear, but no major issues with the sidewalls not being treated. it's nice to hear rockaukum hasn't experienced any major issues either. but i would agree that a layer or two of sealer won't hurt.
thetradwoodboat
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Post by thetradwoodboat »

i'm in agreement with big kam, nothing works as well as anything, but a coat of epoxy or two will do more than a traditional varnish. it builds up thick, sticks to wood and is hard as nails. i'm always trying to train myself to widen my stance just a bit, that helps those sidewalls the most it seems .
SCHÜSS
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Post by SCHÜSS »

I think for my next ski i will definatly use wood sidewalls. We had some core shift in our latest ski and in some places the core shifted that much that the sidewall was completly gone when you route it. I think you can get an amazing look out of wood sidewalls and that way you done have to cut a sidecut!!:D only one for the base.

Does any one know any methods where a varnish or protecvtive coat sinks into the wood a bit?

If you were to use epoxy then wouldnt it come off after the first tune?

schuss
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collin
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Post by collin »

SCHÜSS wrote:Does any one know any methods where a varnish or protecvtive coat sinks into the wood a bit?

If you were to use epoxy then wouldnt it come off after the first tune?

schuss
Some marine epoxy makers make a very thin penetrating epoxy, used for treating wood that's slightly damaged/rotted that you don't want to bother replacing. You can also thin (most?) epoxies with denatured alcohol and get better penetration, I think...
------------------Take nothing I say as expert advice------------------
tipsup
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wood sidewall treatment

Post by tipsup »

I have no experience with wooden sidewalls, just abs/tpu, but was pondering this question of yours, any sealant, imo, should be applied after lay up and pressing so as not to prevent bonding between topsheet, core and sidewall.
Just looking around on the net, there are a myriad of options to seal your wood, including greener alternatives (such as simple beeswax) to traditional sealants. For instance, this product looks promising, tho I don't have any experience with them.
http://www.biopin.com/index.html
Also, thinking about wooden sidewalls, Teak wood springs to mind due to the inherent water repellency of the wood due to natural oils present, as well as other wood species, maybe redwood or other rot resistant species?
Mongo
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Post by Mongo »

Linseed oil is about the best thing I have ever used to treat wood. There are a couple of Komatik style sleds hauling around portable hot water drills in Antarctica that I built and sealed with linseed oil that are standing up to the elements down there. It is cheap, not chemical like so much other stuff out there, and really brings out a nice luster in the wood. I also use it on my white ash sidewalls and it works very well. --Geoff
plywood
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Post by plywood »

collin wrote:Some marine epoxy makers make a very thin penetrating epoxy, used for treating wood that's slightly damaged/rotted that you don't want to bother replacing. You can also thin (most?) epoxies with denatured alcohol and get better penetration, I think...
that`s right! my neighbour who builds rc-airplanes also told me this. he gave me some methanol to thin the epoxy.

you just have to mix the epoxy as usual and then add some methanol. the result is a very thin liquid, fluid like water. because of this the wood soaks it up far better than the thick epoxy. you also can create very thin layers with this mixture.

you just have to keep a few things in mind: methanol evaporates. so you have to work quickly because the mixture only is liquid if there is methanol in it. and if you applied the epoxy, the methanol has to go away. you don`t want any methanol in the cured epoxy, so you have to make sure that it can evaporate.
plywood freeride industries - go ply, ride wood!
hafte
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Post by hafte »

Epoxy has worked well for me on skis so far. I also make kayak paddles and use epoxy as a seal coat and spare urethane as a UV inhibitor. The epoxy does penetrate the wood well and any wear spots that appear have epoxy deep in the wood grain, so the wood is very well protected. Open grained woods like ash take up epoxy into the grain better than closed cell woods or high resin woods (maple and some pines) and would be more of a surface treatment. Over time it will need to be touched up some depending on how long the skis last over all.

What I find on paddles is that the epoxy coating doesn’t fail... at first. The wood fibers below the penetration layer of the epoxy that are filled and stabilized compress due to impact and separate from the wood layers below them. Then the epoxy is perforated and the water seeps in and the whole structure starts to fail as moisture migrates along/through the wood fibers under the epoxy. This is probably not as big an issue as others have noted due to the cold conditions skis are used in until the snow melts in the car and during storage.

As far as application goes I use a rubber glove and a finger for small areas like a ski side walls and my paddles.

My $.02

Hafte
dbtahoe
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Post by dbtahoe »

That thinned out epoxy is call CPES

I have used it as a first coat for finishing wooden boats with West Systems epoxy. There is a local wood boat restoration company here at Tahoe that swears by it. It's great at eliminating gasing (the little air bubbles).

http://www.smithandcompany.org
Anisha579
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Re: Wood Sidewall Treatment Methods??

Post by Anisha579 »

Thanks for posting such a useful link.
kit
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Re: Wood Sidewall Treatment Methods??

Post by kit »

I've used only hard maple sidewalls so far. Once I trim to the edge out of the flash, set the sidewall bevel, and expose raw wood, I impregnate the sidewalls with epoxy (I use Silvertip) thinned with lacquer thinner (manufacturer's spec). When that's good and dry, I lightly sand with 220 to give it some tooth and top coat with the rest of the ski. For me, that's either rag-applied marine spar or sprayed automotive top coat. Both seem to work great - I've never had trouble with water penetration and the maple is tough as nails.
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