Section8 2013-2014

Dtrain · Post by **Dtrain** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 1:29 pm

Thanks for the info. Yes,it is a standard modulus t7

skidesmond · Post by **skidesmond** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 2:33 pm

Dtrain wrote:I just made a splitboard with 3.7ounce 45/45 carbon, and 4 ounce uni carbon. I used close to my usual core thickness, and the thing came out stiff as hell. I rode it today, way to stiff. unmanageable torsional stiffness. carved groomers like a laser, but in the waist deep backcountry it was hard turning and nose dove on anything that was not super steep. my carbon experiment is bound to be retired on the wall.

I am looking very forward to trying some flax also.

9 ounce unicarbon would be way to stiff(just my opinion)

Question........I plan to build this carbon splitboard again. thinning my core will make a world of difference in the tip to tail flex, but how much of an effect will it have on the torsional flex(softening it)?

Sorry for the thread hijack!

No worries. I agree the 9oz will be too much. Going with Vins suggestion.

vinman · Post by **vinman** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 4:04 pm

SD did you see the 3" 6k 5.8oz unicarbon in the link I posted? Might also be a good choice.

I prefer full width myself.

skidesmond · Post by **skidesmond** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 4:14 pm

Vinman wrote:SD did you see the 3" 6k 5.8oz unicarbon in the link I posted? Might also be a good choice.

I prefer full width myself.

Yes I did. I wondered if that would be adequate. My ski tips are under 130mm (about 5 inches) so that leaves 1
inch on either side at the widest point. The mid section is 82mm and the 3inches would almost cover that. With the core being 3-12-3 and having a heavy dose of ipe in the tip and tail sections, I think I'll be safe. I need to price it out.

(edit) Just checked the pricing. The site say $2.84 per foot but when I went to order it, it prices it by $2.84 a yard. That's a big price difference!

vinman · Post by **vinman** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 4:30 pm

3" would be pretty close I think. I'd worry about having a depression in the bases where it doesn't fully cover... But if it was only in the very tip or tail it might not be a huge deal. You could always pad the tip and tail zones with some of the cut off, especially if it was only a could inches in length that you don't get full width coverage.

Or just don't rabbett. It would probably press out fine. I think this is what Twizz does.

skidesmond · Post by **skidesmond** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 4:46 pm

I don't think it will be that big of an issue. The CF is so thin. I'll rabbet the core because the first layer will be flax and then CF next to the wood core. The layup order will be:

base
edges
flax
cf
wood core
cf
flax
veneer

Dtrain · Post by **Dtrain** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 6:27 pm

I know a carbon rep in the UK. He sells 50kg or more an order but has some short ends also.

He has a role in stock of 200grm(6 ounce/yard) 12k t700 standard modulus carbon in a 12meter length at 23.6inches(600mm) wide for $90.75 USD/roll .

Pm me if you would like his info. I've bought from him before. Shipping is not so bad, and considering that price, it's a great deal!

skidesmond · Post by **skidesmond** » Sun Dec 29, 2013 11:20 am

The CF arrived the other day finally. Must have gotten caught up in the Christmas UPS delivery problem. Anyway, the flax/CF skis are in the press. Using a reconstituted Oak veneer from certainly wood for the top sheet.

I think I mentioned before the flax seems to soak up the epoxy much faster than FG. I estimate about 32-36 ounces of epoxy used.

skidesmond · Post by **skidesmond** » Mon Dec 30, 2013 1:21 pm

skidesmond wrote:
Vinman wrote:SD did you see the 3" 6k 5.8oz unicarbon in the link I posted? Might also be a good choice.

I prefer full width myself.
Yes I did. I wondered if that would be adequate. My ski tips are under 130mm (about 5 inches) so that leaves 1
inch on either side at the widest point. The mid section is 82mm and the 3inches would almost cover that. With the core being 3-12-3 and having a heavy dose of ipe in the tip and tail sections, I think I'll be safe. I need to price it out.

(edit) Just checked the pricing. The site say $2.84 per foot but when I went to order it, it prices it by $2.84 a yard. That's a big price difference!

(edit) Another correction on the pricing... fyi, during the checkout process the forms says your are buying the material by the yard, but for the 3 in wide CF it really is sold by the foot. I thought I was ordering 24yards of 3inch CF but in reality they shipped 24 feet of CF, just enough to build 1 pair of skis. So instead of adding $32 to the cost of the ski I added $93... ouch.

skidesmond · Post by **skidesmond** » Fri Jan 03, 2014 2:27 pm

Skis have been pressed and I'm working on them tonight cutting the flashing etc. They came out on the firm side. The 5.8oz Uni CF was plenty strong. The core is 3-12-3 and it would have been better I think at 2.5-11-2.5. Torsion-ally they are solid. I can't twist the front of the ski by hand. Should carve laser like... On the heavy side as expected.

Also working on new graphics, nothing too fancy to take away from natures graphics.

pics to follow.

skidesmond · Post by **skidesmond** » Sat Jan 11, 2014 6:54 am

Worked like mad to get the skis mounted yesterday and to get the bases "good enough" to ski last night because rain is moving in for today (saturday) . They'll need a base grind and tune. After a couple of runs my overall impressions are right on! They are firm as expected and carve laser like. They actually carve better at higher speed, good feel and good feedback/rebound. I'll need more time on them to see if they are damp but first impressions are very good.

I went back to my original core design on this build. It's basically gluing ash stringers and very wide sidewalls. No shaping the core. It's all done when the flashing is cut off. I think this helps in the torsionally strength of the ski because I have more ipe inside the core at the tips and tails to provide more strength. It will add weight because of the ipe (or your hardwood of choice). But I'll take torsional strength over weight. It also makes for faster core making.

I noticed the flax doesn't appear to compress like FG does. You can definitely see it when you look at the sidewall. I don't think it means anything but it's something I noticed.

Ideally I think if I make another pair (and I will

) I'd opt for a lighter CF and probably thin the core to 2.5-11.5-2.5. I think a 2.5-11.5-2.5 ash/ipe core will be my go-to dimensions from now on.

Forecast for today is 1-2inches rain with temp 50F+. That should kill any snow in the yard and devastate our local hill. The local hill is closed today. If only it were snow!!

Here's the tech specs:
Biax-Flax from BComp 300g/m2 (10.6oz.)
Uni CF - 5.8oz
core - ash 3-12-3
sidewall - ipe
base- p-tex 4001 durasurf
edges
epoxy - Resin Research
Topsheet - Reconstituted ash from Certainlywood
Bindings - Head demo bindings from Levelninesports
ski 172cm, 125-82-108 radius 16.8

Some pics of the ski on a rainy day:

vinman · Post by **vinman** » Sat Jan 11, 2014 10:42 am

Nice Steve, they look great!!

Is that that Grafix film for the text? If so a tip on that is to use a base coat of varnish first, let it dry then apply the film. Be sure you rub the adhesive out well before and after applying the film to the ski. If there are larger air bubbles pop them with a pin and smooth them down. You'll get less ghosting form the film this way. Also trim off as much film as you can around your text this also decreases ghost shadows from the film.

skidesmond · Post by **skidesmond** » Sat Jan 11, 2014 12:20 pm

Thanks Vin. I used Label paper from Staples. I used it before but didn't quite recall how I applied it. I thought it turned more translucent and honestly I rushed it, my bad. But I do like the look (w/o the ghosting) and I think I'm going to make a stencil and paint the lettering on. If I get time perhaps I'll try marquetry or try gold leafing. I did a little research on gold leafing and they have other material besides gold that looks pretty cool.

OAC · Post by **OAC** » Sat Jan 11, 2014 11:20 pm

Very good job Steve!

skidesmond · Post by **skidesmond** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 9:34 am

Update - I took these skis to Breckenridge Co. this past week. I skied on them 4 days. Conditions were powder and packed powder . Sorry no waist deep powder. The skis did not disappoint though. They carved great in all terrain. Moguls were interesting (aren't they always?). The camber/stiffness gave more re-bound than you'd want but it really depended on the size and distance between the moguls. Small moguls fields were fun. Bigger moguls on the double blacks were more challenging.... because they're bigger moguls on double blacks

Not a surprise, a softer ski would have been better in the big moguls.

I did get into a little bit of un-tracked powder a couple times, maybe 10-12in deep and the ski tips disappeared. Not a surprised here either as the skis are made for mostly piste skiing.

So if you're thinking of using flax, it's a viable ski building material.

I met Riley, a friend of Dave's of Grace skis. He was skiing on a pair of Grace skis he and Dave made together. Rode the chair and chatted about ski-building.

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Section8 2013-2014