Ski Builders Forum

Hey guys,
I've been searching through the forums and not finding what i'm looking for. I just called MEI for my heating pads and for a blanket that's 15"wide x 80" long they quoted me $500. It seemed like more than I was expecting through my readings over the last year on this website and was wondering if maybe you guys are using smaller pads? my press is 16" wide x 80" long, and I'm using aluminum cassettes to press my skis. Am I going overboard on the size? I just read a post where somebody was only using a 6" wide blanket, but I'm assuming that must have been for one ski at a time. I've read some forums about people buying two pads for the bottom and spreading them out, and letting the cassette carry the heat between the two pads, but i feel like no matter what i'd be doing some funky things to my camber/rocker when the ends heat first. I'd really like to get a top and bottom blanket going so that I know things will come out as close to my mold as possible. If you guys have any comments or suggestions, any kind of input, i'd really appreciate it!!

I paid $250 for my 7x80" blanket from MEI last year, so that sounds spot on to me. It's expensive, but what isn't in this hobby!

I only heat from one side (depends on the ski, sometimes I do top, sometimes I do bottom, depending on what I want for camber). I also only press one ski at a time. I've got long term plans of building a larger press that I can do two skis at a time, and at that point I'll be buying two full-width heat blankets so I can do top and bottom. I can already hear the cash register going "cha-ching!"

twizzstyle wrote: I only heat from one side (depends on the ski, sometimes I do top, sometimes I do bottom, depending on what I want for camber). (

Twizz if I understand correctly. Can amount of camber controlled with only heat blankets? In other words make flat bottom mold and difference in temperature between top and bottom blankets will create camber/rocker. Is this correct assumption?

That sounds about right. I called them up too and got a quote for (2) 15" x80". I even asked if I could get a group buy together could they get the price down and he said no not really. There are a few other companies out there that I have to call to see what they can make them for.

MadRussian wrote: Twizz if I understand correctly. Can amount of camber controlled with only heat blankets? In other words make flat bottom mold and difference in temperature between top and bottom blankets will create camber/rocker. Is this correct assumption?

Yes. Heat from the bottom in a flat mold, and you will get more camber. Heat from the top, and you'll get reverse camber (or lose camber with a cambered mold).

If you have top and bottom heat blankets, setting the bottom one hotter will increase camber, and vice versa. The greater the delta between the two temperatures, the more effective it will be.

This all has to do with the thermal expansion/contraction of the composite. It cures at some shape (the mold shape) at some elevated temperature. Then as it cools it contracts. The amount it contracts is proportional to the delta in temperature from ambient. If it was cured warm, it contracts a little bit to room temperature. If it was cured hot, it contracts a lot back to room temperature. If the bottom contracts more than the top, it pulls the bottom in increasing camber. Make sense?

(thread hijack, sorry!)

I hear the "ca-ching" sound even during sleep...

My Hi-heat blanket was somewhere around $350 if I remember correctly.. I
m out of town so I can't get to the quote now but try getting a quote from them.
I'm not really sure what it goes towards with hi-heat but there is a one time engineering fee that's $50 that I always assumed was for making the mold. You could ask them if they have a similar size already so you don't have to pay that.. not sure if it would work but worth a try.. I got a 14" x 72" if I remember right

I found it on the forums:

$371

Silicone Wire Wound
14 Inch By 72 Inch
220 Volt / 3300 Watt
K Type Thermocouple
Split Heater (7.5 Amps)
2 – 30 Inch Silicone Leads
$296.50
+
$75.00 (One-Time Engineering Charge)

The pricing is a few years old..

yikes, okay i guess i must have priced it out early in my learning stages when i was under the influence that one heating blanket would give me the results i was looking for. i'm hoping to take some of the guess work out of the heating results of camber/rocker by heating both sides evenly. luckily i searched around and found troublemaker making heating blankets at a great price! hey i really appreciate all of your responses, you're a great community.

What do yall think about a black heat mat?

Ive got black silicone on the way to me as we speak.

gozaimaas wrote:Ive got black silicone on the way to me as we speak.

Where you getting it from?

Out here in Australia man.
$30/kg, I bought 3kg for my mats.

PS is 22 oz triax glass way too heavy to use in the mats?

Yea 22oz is too heavy. It will work but it takes alot of silicone, 3Kg might do one mat. I use 7.5oz plain weave fiberglass but I'm thinking about changing to 10oz. DO NOT USE CHOP STRAND!! I use about 1.5 Kg of silicone per mat with good coverage.

gozaimaas wrote: $30/kg, I bought 3kg for my mats.

What I get is around $20 Kg.