Painting Skis - info post

[Will]

Apparently the old Painting skis thread is gone, so I’ll make a new one.

I recently painted a pair of 180 Explosives I got from mntlion. Mostly I followed the advice found
here and here (sorta stole this guy's artisitic vision as well).
It seemed to work.

Mounting
I’ve heard that the mounting point used by Volkl on the CMH Explosives is a boot toe mark. But at least on the pair I got the sidewall mark was definitely a boot-center mark.

Ski = 69"
34.5" = Chord Center
41" = mounting mark on the sidewall.
When I centered my 30.5 Garmont Super Gs over the sidewall mark that put my pins on CC.



This is the Explosive sidewall mark versus the boot toe mark on my 190 SnowRangers, the tails of the skis are flush.


Painting
I used Krylon Fusion, White and Green
Krylon Crystal Clear
Some turpentine
220 grit sandpaper
600 grit sandpaper
masking tape
an el-cheapo disk sander attachment for a power drill w/ makeshift sanding disks

I sanded by hand and using the drill attachment; 220 for the original topsheet, 600 between coats. I only used the drill attachment when I was first working on the original topsheet. I worried that it would be too uneven and fast to use on the paint. Oddly enough, hand sanding seemed to rough up the topsheet more, perhaps I could push more when hand sanding. To the touch though, hand and power sanding felt equal effective.

In this picture both skis have been completely sanded and are ready for coat #1. The one on the left has had a damp cloth run over it though.



This is an early test ski. Lessons learned? Sand a lot. Don’t use primer, Fusion holds better.



This is after the first coat of with Fusion, the old topsheet is faintly visible. 2 coats of Fusion total. Edges, tip protectors, and fair amount of base have been taped.



Sanded by hand using 600 between each coat of paint. After 2cnd coat of white dried and was sanded, I marked out a pattern in tape.
On the left I should have painted over the tape as well. I think that because I didn’t there was some minor bleeding and blotching at the boundary between the green and white.
Also, a friend claimed that I could have gotten near perfect lines if I had used blue painter's tape instead of regular masking tape.



After the coat of green dried I removed the tape marking the pattern. At this point I realized that the change in pattern was not at the same point on both skis. I guess I mistook one screw hole for another at some point. I think it looks cool though.

…personally, I blame the booze.



Many very light coats of clearcoat later(no sanding between green coat and clearcoat) and we have the finished product:

[Z]

very cool man, i like the way those look

[CantDog]

Nice shirt your buddy is wearing there....


Skis look good, trying to figure out what I'll do with mine.

And blue painters tape does work wonders, or you can pick up special automotive making tape at most parts stores, and that works great as well.

[The Reverend Floater]

Nice, Will.


But....what is that shirt your buddy is wearing?

[Will]

Originally posted by The Reverend Floater

But....what is that shirt your buddy is wearing?

It's a guy 'emerging from the wilderness with a machete'.

He finished his 46ers (ADK) a few weeks back, so some friends got this shirt made for him. It started as a joke, but I think he likes it.

[danadog]

So how is your piant job holding up on the hill?
thanks

[gonzo]

I would be curious to know as well. I just painted a pair of skis and my board. I sanded 'em by hand, used overpriced blue painters tape on the edges, and painted them with a rubberized non-slip deck paint i bought at a marine supply store. cool texture. i'll post some pics soon.

[gonzo]

i would think regular paint and clearcoat might crack and spiderweb in the cold when the ski flexes...

[danadog]

Gonzo,
have you had your painted sticks out yet? I like your idea of the rubberized paint.
is it kind of like Rino coat?
Thanks

I would be curious to know as well. I just painted a pair of skis and my board. I sanded 'em by hand, used overpriced blue painters tape on the edges, and painted them with a rubberized non-slip deck paint i bought at a marine supply store. cool texture. i'll post some pics soon.

[13]

The black Krylon Fusion I painted onto my skis is holding up very well to flexing.

However when I'm on the lift and the edges of my tails rub the skis, the paint gets scraped off, naturally.

[Will]

Sorry to disappoint folks, but I haven't taken the skis out yet. I do live on the east coast, and I have other skis better suited to packed powder and (re)frozen granular. Last weekend was the first dump that really demanded the explosives, and I spent it entertaining visitors to the big city .

I've got a trip out west planned for March, so even if these things sit in the closet till then I'll have some feedback for those of you planning summer painting projects.

[gonzo]

here are some pics of mine. like i said, i sanded mine like Will, then painted with 1.5 coats of "Skid-No-More" made by Evercoat. the skis have one tube of black coloring agent, the board has two (added one to the whole can for the skis and another to what was left when i painted the board). the paint is described as a "rubberized non-skid coating" for steps, proches, walkways, tools, docks, boat decks...also a "non-abrasive, skid resistant, textured, tintable latex coating for metal wood, fiberglass and concrete."

who knows how it will hold up. i am sure the board will be fine for a while, but the whole bumping the skis together on the lift, etc. will be the true test. it will not chip, but is soft enough that edges could groove it out. i just hope it doesn't peel. the flash makes it look lighter than it really is. the skis are a dark blue/grey and the board is pretty much black.

i think it looks pretty bad ass.

[Dromond]

Looking good fellows. Can't wait to see the durability reports.

[gonzo]

board held up great after day 1! woo hoo!

[72Twenty]

I'm going to paint my old Line Dragons tonight. I am going to paint them black and use white and red for the logo. I am going to make a stencil in posterboard for a Line logo that I am going to hand draw. I'll take some pics and post them when I am done. I am going to more or less follow Will's steps and procedures...

[splat]

Old Hart Javelins on acid!

[72Twenty]

Well, painted my Line Dragons:

Step 1, Sanding:



Step 2, Ready for first coat:



Step 3, Black gloss applied, letting dry:



Step 4, preparing logo:



Step 5, painting loge (including sidewalls):



FINISHED PRODUCT: (I still need to clearcoat...)



I wanted that kinda sloppy industrial look:

[SponsoredByDuctTape]

Good work all. 72Twenty, I dig the look of those - they look almost factory.

For you guys that have done this, and skied on those skis, how much weight does it add? Is the difference noticeable? I've painted poles before, and they ended up weighing more than the factory paint job, and it kind of bugged me.

[72Twenty]

Good work all. 72Twenty, I dig the look of those - they look almost factory.

For you guys that have done this, and skied on those skis, how much weight does it add? Is the difference noticeable? I've painted poles before, and they ended up weighing more than the factory paint job, and it kind of bugged me.

Well, I'm going to ski on them tomorrow, but I don't really notice any additional weight holding the skis, but then again... these are Lines, so they weight less than a business card to begin with. I am curious to see how the flexing of the ski effects the paint, if at all; or if the little layer of paint effects the flex in any way. Once again, on these skis it won't really matter, but on a more performance based ski it might make a slight but noticable difference. I'll report my findings on Monday.

[72Twenty]

After skiing on them a few days (4 ski days, post paint job) the black is holding up beautifully, but the white has chipped some, due to ski chatter and knocking together while goofing off in the park. Also, some chipping on the sidewalls, due to the fact that I did paint all the way down the sidewalls. BUT, you don't even notice them unless you get up close to them. I've had alot of the parkrat kids half my age come up and try and figure out what model they are...

Parkrat: "Are those some kind of Chronic model?"

Me: "No."

PR: "Are they a prototype?"

Me: "No, they are Ostness Dragons."

PR: "Who the hell is Ostness?!?"

Me: "Ever see Flying Circus or Clay Pigeons?"

PR: "Huh?

Me: "Tanner Hall wasn't a main star. In fact, he was in it for maybe 2 seconds."

PR: "Oh. Those are long skis."

[marshalolson]

PR: "Oh. Those are long skis."

i would follow that up with

" yeah, to go along with my looooong...."






sorry. had to.

[72Twenty]

i would follow that up with

" yeah, to go along with my looooong...."

Poles?








678910

[trainnvain]

All I have to say is automotive paint seems to have good durability and elasticity. It is worth the extra money. I used the same grit as Will.
And yes, don't skimp on the sanding time (or the amount of clearcoats).

[slim]

Gonzo-

How'd you keep the binding mount holes clean and clear on the snowboard during the sanding and painting process?

[72Twenty]

Gonzo-

How'd you keep the binding mount holes clean and clear on the snowboard during the sanding and painting process?

What I would suggest in that situation is get some screws and screw them in before you paint. Then remove and you should be good. Or you could cut a small circle out of tape and cover the holes... my .02