Ski Builders Forum

Hey all. name's Bibble.
I've been looking at this site for awhile, and finally decided to register.

I know i can buy edges and fiberglass from the forum store, but i need to know where i can get the rest of the stuff, like epoxy, sidewall stuff, and base material, (Ptex, black or clear), binding inserts, etc...

All that gewd stuff.

Thanks.
-'Bibble.

Most people but base, topsheet, and sidewall material from durasurf. http://www.durasurf.com/ Here is a good place to start. http://www.skibuilders.com/links.shtml

snowboardmaterials.com is where i got my fiberglass, edges, and vibration dampening(they also sell inserts)

I got my West System Epoxy from the local marine supply shop.

raka.com is where i got fiberglass and epoxy. It shipped really quick and was cheaper than west systems.

We've been waiting well over a month for our order from durasurf, but they assure me that it is going to be shipped this week. So hopefully next week, we will have topsheet, base, sidewall, and tipspacer in stock.

-kelvin

kewl.
I gotta make the press first, thanks for the help!

cool beans.. my credit card just doesn't have quite enough charged on it yet..

one more question.
The how to describes using painters plastic on the mold as a method to keep epoxy off the press.
Does this stuff bond to the epoxy at all? If not, what specific kind of painter's plastic should i use? I work at a hardware store, and it would be way cool if i could use this stuff, as i get huge rolls way way cheap.

No stick to the plastic. I used the thin painters plastic that comes in rolls. I just cut off a piece to cover and tape it down.
rockaukum

sweet.

i'll probably spend some time getting the press frame together this next week, and mebbe stop by the local fire station and see what they've got for firehose.

I had some really good luck with getting epoxy from EPMT&W. I called the company and talked to an engineer, telling him what I was doing. We discussed the properties of the epoxy system I needed, and he agreed to send me samples of 2 qt's epoxy plus the matching hardener. After testing the product, I was impressed, but will get back to him after a couple of more layups and see if we can improve the system some. Their epoxy is a bit more expensive (~$80.00 / gallon) and he actually steered me towards Jeffco, the company that supplies most of the big american companies (ie. K2) saying that their product was cheaper, as PTM&W is used for aerospace applications that are a little more demanding. But, the price difference really comes into play when you are a commercial 10,000+ skis a year producer, and paying an extra couple bucks / gallon for a superior product is worth it to me.
I did the same with vectorply, and they agreed to send samples for 3 pairs of kis, but then said that they need to produce it first, and I still haven't seen the sample. That's where the shop here came in super handy.

two more questions.

#1) a)has anyone used Bondo brand fiberglass epoxy resin?
b)if so, how does it hold up?

#2)Palm routers. are they good enough or should i just go for the regular kind? (i also have a dremel tool, and they sell a router base attachment. Would this work?)

I'd stay away from Bondo, never used it, but it's just my predjudice against the image of a GMC Gremlin with a bunck of bondo hanging from it.
I love my hand held router.