Ski Builders Forum

I've seen several companies run a metal cap in the tip and tail of the ski, it basically lies flush with the base(ptex); and is a great way to make the ski more durable rather than running the steel edge all the way around. Anybody know it they are using aluminum or steel? If so where can I buy some blank material to do this?

-Sam

its AL and yeah you can buy AL sheet damn near anywhere. you can cut it, a waterjet or machine company can cut it any one can cut it.
you need an significant amount of pressure if you want to bend it at all when you press it to make it stick.
Bonding metal in a compression laminate is not easy and you have to clean it and do it right.
prolly not a place to start, just sayin.

Magnets don't stick to it so it is (likely) aluminium.
What montucky said.
The biggest trouble is bonding the aluminium and bending it. You can get various tempers of aluminium - the trouble is the softer ones that bend more easily aren't as tough, and that's what you're looking for in a tip cap I guess.

I'm guessing they mostly use aluminum for weight savings and it's corrosive resistance. Besides being significantly harder to bend, there's really no reason you couldn't use steel.

PM gear use an aluminium cap last time I looked - they may give you some info
Volkl gotamas I have owned had them, Atomic bentchetlers I think are the same also.
If you are building gently rockered skis there might not be that much of a radius you need to force the aluminium into, and you only need to use probably 1mm thick which bends OK. I would definitely have a full layer of VDS between the aluminium and the fibreglass and seriously research what treatment aluminium needs to bond with epoxy + run some adhesion tests.

Talk to Brazen. He has done some incredibly slick and clean metal tips on some of his skiboards with his name cut into them.

I read some 100+ page report and test on bonding aluminum. It is not as easy as slopping some resin on it and sticking it on. Aluminum has an oxidized layer on the top 3-4 microns and that is what your resin is sticking to. It has to be treated with acid-anodized. Cromic or hydrochloric-seems like a nasty and somewhat dangerous thing to do. Not to mention where are you going to wash that stuff off at and dispose of properly.
Titanal is this aluminum you are looking for and is anodized and ready for bonding-bummer it is only available from one place in Austria. I would like to get my hands on some for my snowboards-but the thinner .012"
Just as a note for some design issues i have been having is bending the base and edge cassette at the very tip-this is where and why i would use the infill piece for.

BLOODTYPEZX10R wrote:I read some 100+ page report and test on bonding aluminum. It is not as easy as slopping some resin on it and sticking it on. Aluminum has an oxidized layer on the top 3-4 microns and that is what your resin is sticking to. It has to be treated with acid-anodized. Cromic or hydrochloric-seems like a nasty and somewhat dangerous thing to do. Not to mention where are you going to wash that stuff off at and dispose of properly.

This statement is not entirely true.
If you sand aluminum with 80-100grit just before layup + wipe with an alcohol rag it will bond.
Test it for yourself. VDS will help with the flex issues.
I also remember reading somewhere about sanding with wet epoxy during layup but can't find it.
Talk to the people using aluminum for cassettes. Even with mold release wax they can still struggle to get all the epoxy off.

But as always... test first and... YMMV.

sam