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  1. #1
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    Stripped binding hole - best epoxy filler (steelwool, colloidal silica, fiberglass)

    I've done some searching and the concensus seems to be that, for a mildly stripped binding hole, the best solution is to fill the hole with epoxy and some sort of filler, then screw the bindings into the wet hole, allow to harden, then tighten.

    My question is, what is the best filler to combine with epoxy? There are recommendations for steelwool bits, but I also have access to fiberglass cloth that I could cut into bits and to West Systems colliodal silica epoxy filler, a fluffy powder designed to be mixed with epoxy to increase viscosity and improve bonding strength. I would be using West Systems slow cure epoxy.

    Given the choice which would you go with, or am I good with any of the above?

    The skis are wood core with no metal, if that makes any difference.

  2. #2
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    Personally, I wouldn't trust that method, I'd go for the bass heli coils. As long as you do it right, they'll be stronger than the initial mount, but if you fuck it up, you have absolutely no recourse at all, so be careful.
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  3. #3
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    I have the same problem. I think I am going to use long cure epoxy with a wood plug and then re-drill it.
    Took me like 10 minutes to figure out how to change this shit

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by leroy jenkins View Post
    Personally, I wouldn't trust that method, I'd go for the bass heli coils. As long as you do it right, they'll be stronger than the initial mount, but if you fuck it up, you have absolutely no recourse at all, so be careful.

    I figured I'd give this a try and helicoil if it doesn't work. I can always helicoil but the hole is very mildly stripped (screw goes all the way in but does not bite at the bottom) and I thought I'd try something less drastic first.

  5. #5
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    Nov 2004
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    billy mays mighty putty.



    it's funny but I'm not kidding. that shit actually works really well for bonding to ski materials.

    they sell it at home depot under the name AquaMend...if you have a metal layer you might try FastSteel instead.

  6. #6
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    I've had good luck with all my repairs using epoxy (cheap 24-hr marine epoxy from Home Depot) and bits of fiberglass house insulation (ripped up & stuffed into binding hole with toothpick). Install the binding while the epoxy is wet, then let the epoxy cure in warm temperature environment (indoors, if you're doing ski repairs in the winter time).

    I've done this on several binding screw spinners, and haven't had any problems with the screw pulling out. I have had a few base bulges from too much epoxy + fiberglass stuffed into the hole; I think the epoxy expands slightly when it cures.

    I have tried repairing a screw spinner by gluing & pounding in a wood plug insert, then attempting to re-drill the hole after the wood cured. No luck; the wood plug pulls out when reinstalling the screw.

    Somewhere I saw some plastic inserts that are like a heli-coil, but you just hammer them into the ski. I don't know how well these work, but for a minor spinner (not a grossly oversized hole), that might be OK. I'd still use epoxy.

  7. #7
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    Don't put screw into wet epoxy, and don't use powder filler.
    You want the screw to be pulling against something other than epoxy, so:
    Put a little slow cure/steel wool in the hole, insert hardwood dowel
    after dipping in wool/epoxy mix, let dry and drill pilot. Make sure dowel is small enough to let some blend in the vertical gap.
    Life of a repo man is always intense.

  8. #8
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    [QUOTE=El Chupacabra;2483107]
    I have tried repairing a screw spinner by gluing & pounding in a wood plug insert, then attempting to re-drill the hole after the wood cured. No luck; the wood plug pulls out when reinstalling the screw. QUOTE]

    That really didn't work ??? I thought that would have been one of the better fixes. I mounted a pair of turntables the other day and one of the rear screws just didn't take and spun out. I was either going to try the wood plug route or just re-mount a cm front or back.
    Took me like 10 minutes to figure out how to change this shit

  9. #9
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    Dec 2004
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    Quote Originally Posted by El Chupacabra View Post
    Somewhere I saw some plastic inserts that are like a heli-coil, but you just hammer them into the ski. I don't know how well these work, but for a minor spinner (not a grossly oversized hole), that might be OK. I'd still use epoxy.
    I've used them, with great results, although only on the kind of minor spinners you referenced.
    Still requires drilling a big hole though -- scary!
    I got them from here:
    http://www.slidewright.com/proddetail.php?prod=SVBTII
    ... although seems like they're carrying only a brass version now.
    (I've since acquired a real helicoil kit, although fortunately I haven't had the need to use it yet!)

  10. #10
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    Mar 2008
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    I chop up the woven fibres of fibreglass cloth into 1/2 inch lengths ,jam it into the hole with slow set 2part epoxy , run the screw in ,let the epoxy harden for a day and tighten the screw down completely .

    I did this with some tele bindings ,they only use 4 screws so lots of pressure on them and still it has held for 5 years

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by YetiMan View Post
    billy mays mighty putty.



    it's funny but I'm not kidding. that shit actually works really well for bonding to ski materials.

    they sell it at home depot under the name AquaMend...if you have a metal layer you might try FastSteel instead.

    Billy Mays would be proud! I ended up giving Mighty Putty a go since I had some kicking around. I mixed some up, broke off a little bit, rolled it into a long, thin piece and inserted it in the hole. I then screwed in the bindings, let it set for a bit, backed it off and cranked it down. The stripped hole was very, very minor (the screw was oh-so-close to biting) and the Mighty Putty seems to have taken up some of the void, enough so that I can crank on the screw and it no longer spins. Hopefully it will hold in the long run but so far, so good.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by D(C) View Post
    Billy Mays would be proud! I ended up giving Mighty Putty a go since I had some kicking around. I mixed some up, broke off a little bit, rolled it into a long, thin piece and inserted it in the hole. I then screwed in the bindings, let it set for a bit, backed it off and cranked it down. The stripped hole was very, very minor (the screw was oh-so-close to biting) and the Mighty Putty seems to have taken up some of the void, enough so that I can crank on the screw and it no longer spins. Hopefully it will hold in the long run but so far, so good.
    You're crazy man !
    Took me like 10 minutes to figure out how to change this shit

  13. #13
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    I tried JB weld to glue golf tees into old binding holes and while it did work ok I didnt like the way a solid "worked" vs working a liquid 2 part for specificaly filling holes

    I am sure JB or mighty putty has its apps like filling large holes in sidewalls or top sheets but I didnt think it applied all that well in screw holes

    I got an old pair of fisher RCS XC racing skis that were fixed on the top half way down the front of the ski with a 2 part epoxy putty ,the epoxy has to flex alot and the fix has been holding up fine for 5 years now

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonathan S. View Post
    I've used them, with great results, although only on the kind of minor spinners you referenced.
    Still requires drilling a big hole though -- scary!
    I got them from here:
    http://www.slidewright.com/proddetail.php?prod=SVBTII
    ... although seems like they're carrying only a brass version now.
    (I've since acquired a real helicoil kit, although fortunately I haven't had the need to use it yet!)
    We also have nylon inserts. You can get them individually or 20-packs.
    Best regards, Terry
    (Direct Contact is best vs PMs)

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  15. #15
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    From personal experience, using jb weld, and mixing in some shavings of steel wool, screwing the bindings into the wet hole and letting it cure seems to work and hold up extremely well.
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  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by XXX-er View Post
    I chop up the woven fibres of fibreglass cloth into 1/2 inch lengths ,jam it into the hole with slow set 2part epoxy , run the screw in ,let the epoxy harden for a day and tighten the screw down completely
    Bump to recommend this method for anyone in a similar situation I found myself in recently.

    I drilled my Thugs with an FKS paper template and I guess I screwed down the heels a little unevenly because one rear screw wouldn't bite on both. Tried once to repair with epoxy in the "good" holes and an epoxy & fibreglass (roofing insulation) in the "bad" ones. The "bad" holes only bit to about 75% after this. So I tried again, with a LOT of fibreglass in the mix (XXX's recommendation) so that the mix was almost to a putty consistency. Jammed as much of the mix into all of the holes as I could this time (I figured all the holes might be a little damaged now since screws have been in and out 3 times and this ski has no metal) then screwed in really slowly & evenly so that the "good" holes were jut snug but not tight and the "bad" holes just to the point they were about to strip. Let them set for 24 hours and tightened everything down completely. All holes including the "bad" ones were able to be cranked down completely.

  17. #17
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    It wasnt an easy process , I counted 9 "help!" pm's in my in box but now buddy really knows how to work with slowset ...wetting out, dryingtime,ect

    BTW I like using chopped up fibreglass cloth from the hardwear store as opposed to just insulation

  18. #18
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    Check out[ame="https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=173708"]this thread[/ame] on binding inserts, there are still some unclaimed.

    Puder Luder

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by D(C) View Post
    I've done some searching and the concensus seems to be that, for a mildly stripped binding hole, the best solution is to fill the hole with epoxy and some sort of filler, then screw the bindings into the wet hole, allow to harden, then tighten.

    My question is, what is the best filler to combine with epoxy? There are recommendations for steelwool bits, but I also have access to fiberglass cloth that I could cut into bits and to West Systems colliodal silica epoxy filler, a fluffy powder designed to be mixed with epoxy to increase viscosity and improve bonding strength. I would be using West Systems slow cure epoxy.

    Given the choice which would you go with, or am I good with any of the above?

    The skis are wood core with no metal, if that makes any difference.
    D(C) did you ever end up using the West Systems colliodal silica epoxy filler? Which one of these methods do you use now?

  20. #20
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    Mar 2009
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    3,063
    ^^^^^^^^

    Quote Originally Posted by D(C) View Post
    Billy Mays would be proud! I ended up giving Mighty Putty a go since I had some kicking around. I mixed some up, broke off a little bit, rolled it into a long, thin piece and inserted it in the hole. I then screwed in the bindings, let it set for a bit, backed it off and cranked it down. The stripped hole was very, very minor (the screw was oh-so-close to biting) and the Mighty Putty seems to have taken up some of the void, enough so that I can crank on the screw and it no longer spins. Hopefully it will hold in the long run but so far, so good.

  21. #21
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    I ended up selling the mighty putty skis so I can't attest to long-term durability. I had some bad spinners on another pair of skis and got helicoils which worked great. I've also done epoxy and steelwool, which works too.

    I have not tried colloidal silica but would be interested to know how it turns out.

    The role of anything you stick in there is to act as a wedge between the hole and the screw, then the glue holds it all together. Colloidal silica or other fine fillers are more reliant on the glue whereas something coarser like steelwool essentially acts like a helicoil, filling space between the core and the screw. I'm not sure which situation is better.

  22. #22
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    ^^ Right on! I see your point. The steelwool and epoxy method does sound very reliable. You use 24hr marine epoxy, right? Any particular brand you recommend?.... Regarding helicolis, you just hammer them down, right? The only reason why I'm hesitant using them is bc I'm worried I might mess them up in the process of hammering them down. Do you use any epoxy with them or no need?

  23. #23
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    Epoxy a helicoil in the stripped screw hole.
    That's what they are made to do.
    Leave No Turn Unstoned!

  24. #24
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    Why over think what is in reality a "field repair?" No ski shops are using steel wool, saw dust, or putty in their repairs.
    Leave No Turn Unstoned!

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dkla52 View Post
    ^^ Right on! I see your point. The steelwool and epoxy method does sound very reliable. You use 24hr marine epoxy, right? Any particular brand you recommend?.... Regarding helicolis, you just hammer them down, right? The only reason why I'm hesitant using them is bc I'm worried I might mess them up in the process of hammering them down. Do you use any epoxy with them or no need?
    Heli-coils require an installation tool as do ss inserts. Nylon and brass 'tap-ins' are hammered:

    Best regards, Terry
    (Direct Contact is best vs PMs)

    SlideWright.com
    Ski, Snowboard & Tools, Wax and Wares
    Repair, Waxing, Tuning, Mounting Tips & more
    Add TGR handle to notes & paste 5% TGR Discount code during checkout: 1121TGR

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