Ski Builders Forum

I just made my first set of skis.

I followd an article on taping the p-tex base during pressing to stop the epoxy from curing to the base...

I did that, and it worked.... but the damn plastic tape was a pain in mine, and 3 other fellow ski patrollers ass for over an hour to remove the plastic packaging tape from the p-tex base...

What do you use during pressing, to prevent the excess epoxy from curing to the base?

reference any previous posts you want

twizz uses contact paper.
If your mold is flat the normal amount will grind off in two passes with and autofeed grinder and an 80 grit belt.

Mold wax

Blue painters tape. I used packaging tape before, difficult to remove. Painter tape comes off easy. Never thought of mold release wax. Some one posted some really good tips about mold wax (carnauba wax) and hair spray as a release agent.

My first pair I used packing tape and it was baked onto the base from the heat, took hours to peel it all off.

Contact paper works great. It does take some effort to get it off, but it doesn't melt on the way packing tape does.

But here's a funny anecdote - the last skis I made a few weeks ago, I forgot about the contact paper on the first ski and went straight to the base grinder. I remembered about it after a few passes, but all the contact paper was already gone? I almost might just go that route in the future - contact paper on the base for pressing, grind it off on the grinder (you can only do this if you have your own grinder, I don't think a shop would appreciate it!)

Although honestly, if I'm grinding anyways, I probably don't need the contact paper at all. Like Montucky said, a few passes and the epoxy is gone.

I use parchment paper to protect the cassette from epoxy.

I talked to a teacher at the National School of Aeronautics (in Canada) and he said that some sparandrap is perfect to keep epoxy from sticking to the mold.

maximegb5 wrote:I talked to a teacher at the National School of Aeronautics (in Canada) and he said that some sparandrap is perfect to keep epoxy from sticking to the mold.

(I'm an aeronautical engineer, whoo!)

What is sparandrap? Google search only came up with bandaids??

twizzstyle wrote:

maximegb5 wrote:I talked to a teacher at the National School of Aeronautics (in Canada) and he said that some sparandrap is perfect to keep epoxy from sticking to the mold.

What is sparandrap? Google search only came up with bandaids??

ha, me to LOL!

It is the name we use for food wrapping film. If you forget to bring or to buy other mold releasing agents it can do the job just fine. On the other hand, for their relatively flat molds they use a blue plastic paper:


for their more complex shapes they use a mold wax like OAC's.

P-tex sticking to the base? personally, i owuldn;t put mold release anywhere near the base...you never know when a little glob will stick to the metal edge. I'd jsut press it, and grind off whatever comes out.

maximegb5 wrote:I talked to a teacher at the National School of Aeronautics (in Canada) and he said that some sparandrap is perfect to keep epoxy from sticking to the mold.

You mean saran wrap (plastic wrap)?