Gluing edges to base

FlamingYeti · Post by **FlamingYeti** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 8:28 pm

Hey all,
We just pressed our first pair of skis 2 and 3 weekends ago and we have already begun on our next. One of the major problems we had on our first pair was keeping the edges glued onto the base. We used superglue, but for some reason, all kinds of superglue hate me. So, we moved onto hot glue. Thus far, it has worked pretty damn well in terms of keeping the edges attached to the base. Of course, right after we did this, I looked around on here and according to some of the "veterans" on this site, you aren't supposed to use hot glue for this job. Can someone explain why we shouldn't? I would think it has something to do with the larger indent the hot glue leaves in the base after pressing, but I feel like that can easily be fixed.
Thanks,
Chris

vinman · Post by **vinman** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 9:01 pm

hot glue in structural places = delam.

twizzstyle · Post by **twizzstyle** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 9:05 pm

Hot glue will peel right off the base. Superglue should make it pretty hard to pull the edge off the base, unless your ptex is filthy.

rockaukum · Post by **rockaukum** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 10:38 pm

super glue. Leave the edges clamped for the duration of the cure. colder weather = longer cure time....
ra

deepskis · Post by **deepskis** » Tue Jan 22, 2013 10:47 pm

Loctite super glue is the way to go!

Do not clean the base with any kind of solvent.

FlamingYeti · Post by **FlamingYeti** » Wed Jan 23, 2013 9:34 am

Alright, thanks guys. All of this stuff makes sense. We'll keep experimenting with different superglues and see where that leads us.

gerryrig · Post by **gerryrig** » Wed Jan 23, 2013 12:52 pm

I use CA flexable glue and glue the entire edge to the base. This has worked very well for me. You should be able to but it in wood working supply stores or maybe a hobby supply store.

vinman · Post by **vinman** » Wed Jan 23, 2013 1:27 pm

Only glue every 3-4 teeth. I glue every 2-3 teeth in the top and tail. CA glues are not structural. You want the epoxy infiltrate in and around the teeth to create your bond not the CA glue. Also be sure you don't have any CA glue on your edge bonding surfaces as it will prevent your epoxy from bonding at that spot, potentially causing a delam.

SHIF · Post by **SHIF** » Wed Jan 23, 2013 3:06 pm

FlamingYeti wrote:Alright, thanks guys. All of this stuff makes sense. We'll keep experimenting with different superglues and see where that leads us.

Chris, don't forget to clean the edges really well with denatured alcohol and a clean rag prior to attaching them to the P-tex. Any finger grease on the metal will effect the bond.

Loctite super glue is the best. Buy this and the alcohol at Home Depot.

-S

Head Monkey · Post by **Head Monkey** » Wed Jan 23, 2013 7:15 pm

I was talking with some nice guys about just this topic last weekend. After chatting with them, and seeing your post yesterday, I decided it would be a good topic for a video. Hopefully this makes it really clear!

falls · Post by **falls** » Wed Jan 23, 2013 8:07 pm

the other side to it is your edge bending. if your bending doesn't match your base shape very well then the superglue is often inadequate to hold the edge to the base material as it is under tension and wanting to spring away.

vinman · Post by **vinman** » Wed Jan 23, 2013 9:43 pm

Nice mike, but I would actually suggest gluing the edges on with the running surface up so you can see your fit. This would be especially for beginner builders and with hand bent edges. With CNCd edges and bases teeth up would be fine I guess especially if you prefit and clamp them as you show.

The way I do it, I go with the running surface up, glue both sides at the same time and then work from the tip to the tail gluing, fitting and clamping as I go being able to see what my finished fit will look like.

I get the edges to fit as closely as I can bending the to the shape of be template first then I do a second finish bend to the base to ensure a nice fit. Once I'm happy with the fit of the edges I glue the tip in place running surface up, lift the base, place a small dot of CA glue on every 4-5 teeth and clamp. As I run out of clamps, I leapfrog the clamps from the tip area down and keep going.

This give me clean edge fit with minimal gaping. Any minor gaps get filled with epoxy during pressing.

Head Monkey · Post by **Head Monkey** » Wed Jan 23, 2013 10:16 pm

Yea, there are lots of ways to do it. The primary goal is to show the amount of glue to use, which would be the same.

Personally I’ve always done it “teeth up” (or “running surface down” if you like). I bend my edges by hand, and I work from the center outward and do 1/4 of the perimeter at a time, ensuring the edge matches the base without needing to force it against the base. With a little practice you can get a very good feel for the amount of space (or lack thereof) between the edge and the base from the tooth-side. I tried it a few times with the teeth down, but man, I could just never get used to that

vinman · Post by **vinman** » Thu Jan 24, 2013 5:29 am

Right on mike, thanks for the info, your stuff is always very helpful and well thought out.

Huck Pitueee · Post by **Huck Pitueee** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 11:29 am

Nice vid. Is there a down side to using accelerator aside from how toxic it is?

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Gluing edges to base

Gluing edges to base