Ski Builders Forum

Is there a way to make the formica removable from the vacuum mold in order to adjust? I've tried double stick tape, but it's pretty messy. I just don't want to keep the formica on permanently. Any thoughts? Thanks!

We have a solution for a removable formica mold cassette. We use a vaccume press and a veriable geometry profile table. we were having problems with the formica not conforming to the press. Our solution was to take a couple boards perhaps one inch by half inch and sandwitch the formica. this creates an attachment point for ropes for the corners of the formica. The boards go across the ends. We kept the formica eight feet long and bent both ends around like tobogans. We do our lay up on the same formica layed down flatt. It is much easier to work flat and then transfer to the mold. We use a rolling pin to get the bumps out of the tip and tail that emerge as the tip and tail are bent up. Start by making an X on the formica to allign the skis so they will be able to be ligned up in the press when you are ready to transfer. We use mold release under the central area but not where the sticky tape will be.
Hope this was clear enough

o2bjedi wrote:Is there a way to make the formica removable from the vacuum mold in order to adjust? I've tried double stick tape, but it's pretty messy. I just don't want to keep the formica on permanently. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Take piece of scrap wood, and run it through the table saw so there is a little lip along one edge, just enough to hold the formica. Make 2 of these.

Screw one down to the mold at the very end of the tip block. Then wedge the end of the formica underneath. Bend the formica back towards the tail of the mold, you may have to add little 1" wooden clips made the same way described above to keep everything bent tight. Once you get to the tail, add the second section of wood to lock it all in.

I did this with a piece of Aluminum on my mold that wasn't quite bent to match.



Alternatively, if your formica overhangs the mold sides by about 1.5", epoxy wooded tabs to the bottom surface every 6" or so. Then slip this over the mold, and screw your tabs into the sides where required. I used this with a piece of 1/2" ply that had a sheet of formica glued to it, so you might have to be very careful not to tear the formica where the blocks are glued on.

What if you envelope bagged it?