Ski Builders Forum

Hello,

as the cheap vacuum foil I've been using for now has made it to the end of its live, I'm wondering what to use instead.

When searching around I found this thick yellow rubber: http://shop1.r-g.de/art/390350

Looks quite nice to me, and as far as I remember OAC used it but then switched to silicone foil.

Do you have any suggestions about what to use best? Made enough tests with the vac table now to invest some money in a proper foil.

If you're planning on using heat, silicone is your best option.

Hmm, the silicone costs 260€ ;) Damn that's expensive!

The site says the rubber can be used up to 80°C. With our current setup we will struggle to get above 65°C anyway, so our amount of heat shouldn't be a problem. But if it ages quickly when used with this heat it doesn't make sense of course.

@chrismp: Do you have a different supplier im Austria? I'm living only 15 minutes away from the border.

Isosport in Eisenstadt?

mfg

D.

@dbabicwa: Isosport doesn't make silicone sheets.

@pmg: I bought the silicone for my sublimation press at http://www.modulor.de/en/Plastics-Rubbe ... -oxid.html

chrismp, du bisch n schatz :)

Thats a price i can well live with.

@chrismp:

Do you have the 0.5mm or 1mm foil? And is there a pic of your press in action somewhere? Thanks!

pmg wrote:@chrismp:

Do you have the 0.5mm or 1mm foil? And is there a pic of your press in action somewhere? Thanks!

My experience:
Don't go under 1mm. I use 1.5mm.
And use silicone not rubber. Rubber will dry out when using heat and as said before it can't take as much heat as silicone.
And try to find something to protect the silicone from getting direct contact with the epoxy. Eventually it will stuck to it and beak. Mine did. I'm on my second silicone sheet now.
I use parchment paper as protection. Good enough.

I use 1mm foil...I'm currently rebuilding my press to fit a larger heat blanket and changing the base plate to something more heat resistant. I've been using melamine covered particle board, but the melamine cracked under the high temperatures. Now trying to go with fermacell board and sealing it with heater paint which is supposed to work at up to 180°C.

I'll post pics once it's finished.

I use paper bakelit as base, same stuff as electonic circuit board are made of, but thicker. Working temp 120°C, and no epoxy sticking to it. Very good

Well, that doesn't quite cut it for sublimation

chrismp wrote:Well, that doesn't quite cut it for sublimation

I don't know ...I haven't seen your pictures yet... ;-)

It's not the press design itself. The press pretty much looks like yours but with thermal insulation and sealed connections for a heat blanket and a thermocouple routed through the base. It's the 120°C max temp that would be way too low.

Ok, can't you just have a steel plate?

I could, but that would be a huge heatsink and it would take ages to heat up the press. Plus, a steel sheet this size costs a small fortune. An 18mm thick board of Fermacell for 40 EUR + 40 EUR for 2.5kg of heat resistant varnish is much cheaper.