Nobody cares as much about how your skis are mounted as you. If you want your holes tapped and G-Flex in the holes you better do it yourself.

Bonafide has a sheet of Titanal right under the topsheet . . . Kartel 108 not so much.

It should be flush with the topsheet. FWIW, the very common Bahco Pozi #3 with the hexagonal shaft is too thick to fit all the way into the hole in the STH2 toe, so you can't screw the front two...

Pullouts in your bed are a definite bummer.

It is there so people who've never mounted one before start screwing, hear the plastic crack, and run to a shop thinking they've ruined the binding. That will be $60 please. Leave it in place and...

Not sure that's true, drill with a 3.5mm first and see if any metal comes up; if it does use a 4.1 . . .

Don't trash them taking the old screws out (use heat if necessary) and use good epoxy putting the new screws in. Missing that New Gear Every Year?

Shops put the actual boot in a jig. If you are using a printed template and chopping off both ends at a given length, I would measure the BSL "just to make sure" . . .

Warden 13 and STH2 have exactly the same heel plates (indeed the entire heel is the same) - just keep screwing until they crack and go flat . . .

I go through G-Flex too fast for it to harden up, but you can usually soften up resin by heating it with a heat gun gently for a bit (I do this once in a while with my cheap Super Glue epoxy - just...

Exactly. When Phantom first came out I tried it on a pair of skis I took to Austria for 2 weeks, and that sold me.

So do I, a lot. Even over Phantomed skis.

I think it works well for maritime (higher moisture content) snowpacks and is great if you don't wax your skis often and have the money. We are also running two cure stations full time. I would have...

True, but fiberglass composite laminates are at their weakest when stressed, and ramming in a screw does that. Tighter fit does not necessarily mean greater pullout strength.

Right, once the thick part of the tap is through the top laminate layers you can stop.

Sure I do.

Ski manufacturers will often print "4.1, glue, tap" on the topsheet of metal laminate skis (and if they don't, or you drill with a 3.5 and pull up metal shards, you should still tap). ...

Actually, I prefer having the handle separate (larger diameter): https://www.slidewright.com/alpine-ski-binding-screw-tap--t-handle-wrench.php

Local hardware store is a remote possibility.

Try here: https://www.slidewright.com/snoli-12-ab-alpine-binding-screw-tap-threadcutter.php

or here:...

Any ski with a Titanal plate normally takes a 4.1mm bit.

If all you have is a 3.5, I would suggest tapping the holes after drilling with a 12AB tap (I would do this even if I used a 4.1). Screws...

Hard to find a veteran tech who hasn't had this experience. We no longer offer to swap brakes on Pivots, either buy the whole brake assembly or DYI.

Nothing like I expected, given the shape and Eric's involvement. I think they remind me most of the OG Bodacious with better float, they are miles from either the Pescado or Sakana. Forma wants to...

Mounted these last night, skiing today.

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You're starting to get the hang of how TGR works. Fig Newtons, right?

I've been doing it for decades and have yet to find the occasion when I have insufficient time to tap my own skis. Just remember to stop as soon as you feel slight resistance or you will dimple the...

Another in the the "always tap" camp (titanal or no), though I never did when I was a tech. Most techs I know also don't use 2-part epoxy or tighten screws by hand, either. Time is money.

I'm...

Salomon's graphic shows the titanal just below the topsheet -...

No need to go that deep, he's removed some titanal which reduced the pullout strength. Just remove the topsheet material.

I would ram some fine steel wool in the hole and use a syringe to fill with epoxy.

West System G-Flex

The Warden 13 and STH2 share a template (same pattern except for two front toepiece holes, the Warden 11 has its own template.

I think Q is old enough, let him start mounting on some old skis or 2x4's now before he drills new ones. The new grandson at our place is still a little wet behind the ears, but he's a keen observer...

I am guessing they use exactly the same poplar that Atomic (or sometimes Elan) uses . . .

Take off the toepiece first . . .

Got it. Probably best to refer to this as "factory recommended" or whatever it actually says on the ski for the sake of accuracy. Didn't mean to disparage Neptune, I've heard very good things about...

I think so, though with a lot of rocker at both ends and little to no camber, it becomes increasingly difficult to locate the contact points accurately.

Not sure what shop this is, but you realize that chord center is on your ski (straight pull from tip to tail divided by 2) and boot center is on your boot, right? (Almost always marked on your boot...

Funny how no one at Atomic ever mentions step down bits . . .

Like tuco says, less tail makes a big difference when uphill kick turning. The grip is concentrated under your heel to about maybe a foot in back of your boot, extra length doesn't stick better...

Skis tour better mounted further back so there's less tail - whether they ski decently is another matter.

If you do this, the hole and threads will be appropriate regardless of whether your drill bit is 3.6mm or 4.1mm (and you should anyway with Titanal in the binding mount area). Countersink or shave...

I would do it. Actually, I did do it.

That could work fine, too. I was more worried about getting the fore-aft spacing right than getting the toe alignment right (there's usually some after-the-fact adjustability there even if all the...

I've done a few. There is a three-hole Dynafit plastic template, but I didn't use it - I did as you suggest, mounted the toes then pushed the heelpieces up to the boot heels with a 4mm spacer in...

Try printing another template, maybe using a different printer - could be due to uneven printer feed or crap on the rubber rollers. I just printed out a new one to check, and the hole spacing on the...

Epoxy in either holes OR on screws not both, IMO in holes is neater (you can hold your cardboard with epoxy right next to the hole and use something sharp to drip it in - teriyaki skewers are great)....

^^^This is a good idea, I use an icepick. It's very easy to get "centerpunch drift" on a slick topsheet. I also like to print the templates on clear mylar rather than paper and make the mark right...

Pretty easy to pull the toes off, hit the holes with a countersink or razor blade, and screw them back in . . .

What lesson was that?

You can also take some calipers and set them to roughly 3/4 the width of the ski, then hold them on either edge and scribe an arc (ie. scratch the topsheet slightly) with the other side of the...

One a few inches ahead of the toe, one a few inches behind the heel. Draw a line between them with a straightedge.