Upside down layup

[PTTR]

Havent cut a singel cut yet but I have been thinking and reading for some time and will start everything up as soon as my daughters room is finished.
I have a question for you, maybe it's been up before but I havent seen it.

what about turning the whole layup upside down. In my head that would make layup easier. - the risk of having the base shifting out of place would be alot smaller. the bladder would press down on the flat part of the ski, holding everything in place, before tucking down the tip and tail.??
and it is easier to remove dents and marks from bladder or cattrack on the base.
I can see a problem of making adjustible molds but would there be others?

(As said, I havn't done anything yet. just can't stop thinking and designing in my head..)
- Petter

[sammer]

I don't think your base would come out flat.
The bottom mold is what gives the camber while keeping everything flat.

sam

[skidesmond]

I've thought about that too, but I don't think there's any advantage to it. Shifting can occur either way. I secure my base to my cassette with spray adhesive, just the center of the base. As for core shifting, there's plenty of documented ways to prevent it.

[Brazen]

I think that's a good idea PTTR.

[OnDeck]

I'm not sure that's a great idea. I like the epoxy to melt and ozze down with gravity, to settle in the edges and on the base hwich where i worry most about delams. Going upside down seems like it woudl make that owrse, and not rerally give you any advantage.

Now, glueing your edges upside down?....genius.

[grace ski]

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/ ... &scoring=a

flipping things is a matter of frame of reference. Here is our adjustable mold design

[PTTR]

I'm not sure that's a great idea. I like the epoxy to melt and ozze down with gravity, to settle in the edges and on the base hwich where i worry most about delams. Going upside down seems like it woudl make that owrse, and not rerally give you any advantage.

Now, glueing your edges upside down?....genius.

Hmm. you might be right about having the epoxy filling out around the edges. But on my first and only pair i got some epoxy ontop of the top venner. I think the pressure will do the job, anyway there is only one way to find out.

My plan is to turn the whole press upside down. Bladder and cattrack on the bottom, the base mold on the top. starting with laying up the top and put the base on as the last thing. The idea is that it would be easier to load (in my press as I layup in the press, the whole package will lay flat instead of hanging on the tip and tail molds), more precise to put the vds on the routed core than over the edges (?) easier to cut holes for locator pins in the GF after its in place on the core, get a flatter cattrack during layup etc.


I will try it for the next pair. If it doesn't work it will be easy to turn the whole thing back again.