Ski Builders Forum

What do you guys use to clean everything just before layup?

Air.
Edges might get an isopropyl wipe after bending. Usually a while (weeks) before layup.


sam

The trick is to not let things get dirty in the first place. I blast everything with compressed air just prior to layup.

When I was first starting I would wipe everything with acetone, but have since heard from a few people that this can actually make things worse, for a few reasons (contaminants in the acetone, ruining any flame treating, etc).

One time I had some VERY dirty, very old, tip spacer... I scrubbed it down with soapy water, rinsed it very well with fresh water, and dried it VERY well with propane before layup.

damp cloth, and flame treat plastics. I wipe away any rust or CA residue withe soft wire brush. I also make sure to clean off any CA glue off the edge bonding surface. A buddy in the snowboard biz told me this can cause delams.

No solvents at all for me

Compressed air, water and lots of clean rags. Once I waxed my work table to keep epoxy from sticking to it, then realized that was a bad idea since I used that same table to cut and layout all my materials. Luckily I caught my mistake before a ski build. Keep any mold release materials (wax, etc) and used rags separate from everything else.

Keeping things clean is a must at all times. I sometimes think that I spend more time doing cleanup than I do building.

I clean the base and tip spacer mat. et.al. with soft bristle brush attachment on my shopvac.
Works pretty well.

I still use acetone, you guys are way more advanced than me!

I wear gloves when handling everything, lots of air. And yea, anyone who touches mold release or a mold surface is OUT... re-glove.

keep hands clean, no eating food then touching anything...gloves when handling board materials at any time, oils on your fingerprints can delam an edge or a sidewall.