Ski Builders Forum

sweet ski!)
chrismp I think a paint will impregnate a fabric - the clap will be in stains or gray-haired color.
desmond try to connect separately a fabric and topsheet - and then put in a press as ready topsheet.

Ah yes! I think a cherry the best material from a tree which approaches for sidewall - doesn't burn and doesn't decay).
Only the heavy

Are they the Pittsburgh Penguins? :-)

Very good! How much do they weigh?

i meant painting the core prior to layup so it's completely dry when you apply the epoxy. you could even give it light coat of white pigmented epoxy if you think acrylic paint is too risky.
i've done test pieces with both and both worked well the graphics really popped with this method.

Richuk wrote:Love the Penguins - both sets look great!

What were you looking for with the sidewalls? I'm not sure I quite understand

I was looking for a series of striations of alternating colors, cherry, maple, cherry maple, etc. You can see it a little bit in the 4th pic, but it looked better in my head. If the ski had a bigger side cut and the strips of maple and cherry were thinner it would have come out more pronounced.

OAC - So you're a hockey fan? I'll weigh them once I get the poly on. Waiting for LPU to arrive in the mail.

Nice work Steve, as always You're a great craftsman.

(SssshH SD, no one will know

I was getting tired of waiting for the LPU to arrive, so I bought System Three Mirror Epoxy to top off both the penguin and wood skis. The first coat took 3 oz (2oz resin, 1oz hardener). Came out super glossy but the wood ski had serious orange peel. Penguins, not too bad. Also they picked up a lot of air born dust even after a complete cleaning of the shop. Sanded them thoroughly to remove the peel look.

2 days later the LPU arrived! Anyway I put a second coat of epoxy on this morning. Used about 3oz of epoxy.

This epoxy takes a very long time to dry. Give the first coat at least 24 hours before sanding.

Tough to get a decent pic because the camera flash and the gloss made it difficult to get much detail:




My "some day company" This decal was made using rice paper. I wanted to put it on the skis but the paper is not clear enough on a dark background. Looks great on my work table!



I'm going to give water slide paper a try next. Also might give clear vinyl a try if I can find something to run through my printer or poke around Staples and see what they may have, as well as screen printing.

Great work SD!

I'm doing "research" on screen printing right now in my work shop. I think it could be a cool thing. I'll be back with the results.

If you topcoat with epoxy you can layup a thicker plastic foil (e.g. PE does not stick, consitency like a freezer bag) and then squeeze out all air and excess resin. When the epoxy cured you can take the foil way and you will get a super glossy finish without dust problems etc.

I hope it is understandable what I try to describe... Try it on a test piece! ;-)

Cheers, Christoph

Jibber wrote:If you topcoat with epoxy you can layup a thicker plastic foil (e.g. PE does not stick, consitency like a freezer bag) and then squeeze out all air and excess resin. When the epoxy cured you can take the foil way and you will get a super glossy finish without dust problems etc.

I hope it is understandable what I try to describe... Try it on a test piece! ;-)

Cheers, Christoph

I understand. I've done that before on veneer and also w/ a fabric top sheet. Don't know why I didn't this time with veneer. Even with doing that I always add another 2-3 coats of poly after pressing.

I tried the Mirror Coat to see how well it will work. Takes too long to dry. It's been 12 hrs and it's still a bit tacky. However it looks much better than the first coat.

This kind of epoxy is not for compression. It's for forming thick finishes on bar tops and things like that.

UV?

Brazen wrote:UV?

No. Its says it may yellow over time. Strange, they have pics of outdoor bars tops and tables with mirror coat, but then they recommend it be used indoor to prevent yellowing.

We'll see what it looks like after I buff the skis out. Maybe hit it w/ LPU (or exterior poly) for UV protection now that I have it.

Spent 1.5 hr buffing both sets of skis. Started with 220 grit, then 400, 600, 0000 steel wool and then a polishing compound. The Penguins are near flawless. The all wood skis came out ok but I think I'll spend some more time on them. Not sure I'll use the Mirror coat again. I think it will hold up just fine. Problem is keeping it from dripping over the sidewall onto the edges. It's made to level out and it's rather thick so cleaning the sidewall and edges is a job.

Brazen - Is LPU that much work?

Mostly not SD, but it's still a pain I start with 400 in the dust drop spots, then go from that to 1k to polish. I figure a fountain will be best in the long run and there's a powder coat uv cure clearcoat I want to try.