Just finished these. Too bad it's Summer. Had a little problem with epoxy not going everywhere it was supposed to, but I hope it will be ok.
http://gallery.me.com/sleepycp/100019
Second Pair of Skis
Moderators: Head Monkey, kelvin, bigKam, skidesmond, chrismp
The black stripes on top are 1" plain weave 5.6 oz carbon fiber tape. There is also a piece of that running full length down the center under the core.
Yes, the press is sorta scary. Originally I could do two skis at once, but the power in my garage will not handle enough heater to cover the whole bottom of the mold, so now it is one at a time. I press at 30 psi in the hoses, which seems to be plenty. Lots of epoxy came out. Nevertheless, I am retiring that press and will build a better one, from steel, that is stronger and easier to load.
Yes, the press is sorta scary. Originally I could do two skis at once, but the power in my garage will not handle enough heater to cover the whole bottom of the mold, so now it is one at a time. I press at 30 psi in the hoses, which seems to be plenty. Lots of epoxy came out. Nevertheless, I am retiring that press and will build a better one, from steel, that is stronger and easier to load.
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The skis look pretty good. Let us know how they handle when the snow flies. Be nice to see a couple more pics of the base/sidewalls.
To be honest I started to make a ski press like yours. After reading many of the postings about the forces involved when pressing I decided not to go that route. I'm still building my press (day job gets in the way, graduation parties, my daughters' dance recital and competitions, etc) But when it's done I will post pics ASAP.
Next weekend I'm going to my friends house to pick up some steel to fabricate a cage to house the forms and wood beams for the press.
To be honest I started to make a ski press like yours. After reading many of the postings about the forces involved when pressing I decided not to go that route. I'm still building my press (day job gets in the way, graduation parties, my daughters' dance recital and competitions, etc) But when it's done I will post pics ASAP.
Next weekend I'm going to my friends house to pick up some steel to fabricate a cage to house the forms and wood beams for the press.