Ski Builders Forum

I had an idea this afternoon... I thought that using an electric blanket or electric hot pad might work at least admirably. I bet you could get it up to at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Electric blankets cost about $50 at Target. I was going to look into it later this week to see how hot they get.

I don't think it will get you up to temp required for the QCM epoxies(049,408), but just getting it up to 80 or so degrees should speed things up for room temp epoxies. On cold nights, it definetely takes a lot longer for epoxy to cure.

-kelvin

I just set up my press with the electric blanket ($50 at Macy's) and it is pressing right now. It is working really well so far, the epoxy started hardening in just over an hour, and the ski feels warm to the touch. I am now using ECV-0050 resing and ECA-315 hardener from QCM. A side note as well, the QCM epoxy is infinitely better to work with compared to the polyester resin I used for my first pair of skis.

forgot to add that I think I will put a thermometer in it tomorrow when I press my next ski to get an idea of how warm it is getting.

Just wondering what you got for a temp out of the heat blanket and if you insulated to reduce heat losses?

I haven't gotten a chance to press another ski yet, but for reference, the when the ski comes out of the press, it is hot to the touch. Not hot enough to burn, but definitely hot. I would wager that it is at least 100 degrees F which is about 35 degrees C.

heres my idea for a heated press---concrete molds with piping runing through them and water oil etc...heating up the whole mold---hopefully i will get the money to give it a try