Ski Builders Forum

Anyone buying pre-preg glass?...if so where. Any differences in lay-up? Advantages, Dis-advantages, etc?

Hi, I saw no answers on your post, so I thought I should chime in.

I'm not buying at the moment, but most composites supply houses will have some type of pre-preg available.
From experience I can say that it is nice to work with (cleaner than wet), but from a materials vantage point it can be a benefit in some pressing/lamination applications and not others.

In making skis I think you will find die-hard supporters and others that prefer wet-layup and don't have much to say about prepreg.

I do know that you can actually make your own--just takes a bit of research into epoxy formulation(which is not a secret science, by the way) and an understanding of basic machanical/machine principles.

The only disadvantage I can say from experience is you are limited to the amount of epoxy that is measured into the glass. If you purchase it in small quantities, you have little to no control over this.

Often, in lamination, changing the amount and distribution of resin for any given ski has meant the difference from a good ski to a throw away.

For prepeg I'd want all my systems, tools and materials and especially design dialed in. No slop, otherwise the extra cost may be a waste.

I haven't worked with composites much but the one type of prepreg I've worked with needed heat for the epoxy to cure. You would have to research what temperatures the epoxy they put on the fibers cures. I guess if you have a heated press you would be able to work with a wider variety of epoxies.