PSA: Mount your own fucking skis.

[angrysasquatch]

I use hot glue on most skis. Jam the tip of the gun right in the hole and squirt it in. If it's got bubbles or something not nice, you can make it flow again by pressing the glue gun tip against the hard glue. Epoxy is definitely more legit though. Don't use hot glue on carbon skis though, it'll pop out. Epoxy only.

[DRZ1050i]

Don't know if it's been mentioned before, but if your having problems with posidrive screws stripping you can always use a #2 square drive bit to get them in/out. I used to use deckmate screws a lot for work and, though they were a posidrive screw, always used a square bit because they would strip under high torque with the posidrive bit.

Square drive is also known as Robertson if you're looking for a driver or bits..

[lynchdogger]

Ya should have done that when the ski shop screwed the pooch on my skis. In fairness their dynafit jig is f'd up. Manufacturing these days ... shit. Alas, as most things it can be fixed.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using TGR Forums

[Shorty_J]

I just mounted another pair of my own fucking skis.

Took all the proper precautions and got 1 spinner (it happens). The awesome part is that I knew it was a spinner and could fix it now rather than have a shop cover it up and find out the hard way when my toepiece blows off the ski at high speed!

Which brings me to my next point... I highly recommend having some of these really inexpensive little miracle workers around your workshop:

http://www.slidewright.com/nylon-tap-in-inserts.php

SUPER easy to install and fixed my spinner in no time! Drill a 5/16" hole in the existing location, tap it in with a hammer (gently), re-install binding, done.

In case you're wondering if they're actually a proper fix, look at the pull out force specs on that link (240000 lbs!?!?), and do a search for a thread somewhere around here where marshalolson talks about destroying a binding before it pulled out of these inserts.

Lots of other great products on that site as well. I have no affiliation... just like the shop.

[PlayItLeo]

Popped my cherry on mounting up my own muthafucking skis last night, Sally S900 on Praxis Pows. Ditched the drive+ lifter plates the bindings had and mounted them flat. Had to cut and grind all the screws as a result. Got one base dimple from one of the screws being a bit too long. Pulled it, ground it down, smacked the base back down with a hammer, reinserted screw - no big deal. Props to this thread, the search JONG function, jondrums' paper templates, Jameson, and PBR.

[Ted Striker]

^^^ Did you decide to live with the 4 mm diff?

[PlayItLeo]

^^^ Did you decide to live with the 4 mm diff?

Yeah, decided not to sweat it. For the amount of days these boards will actually be used I figured it wasn't worth stressing over. If it feels wacky once I get a few days on 'em I'll deal with it then, but for now decided to not nerd out, stfu, and ski.

[nickwm21]

There was a template that had all the various mount patterns in layers so you could see if you had a conflict... anyone know where I can get that?

[PlayItLeo]

There was a template that had all the various mount patterns in layers so you could see if you had a conflict... anyone know where I can get that?

page 23, post #571 of the recently stickied () paper template thread

[Ted Striker]

Yeah, decided not to sweat it. For the amount of days these boards will actually be used I figured it wasn't worth stressing over. If it feels wacky once I get a few days on 'em I'll deal with it then, but for now decided to not nerd out, stfu, and ski.

Good plan. On a powder day, I never gave it a second thought, and since I just threw my skis down and stepped into them, I didn't even know which was which.

[skimaxpower]

There was a template that had all the various mount patterns in layers so you could see if you had a conflict... anyone know where I can get that?

Good call PlayitLeo. Here's the link.

....here is the Compare Binding PDF link with a layer per binding you can toggle on or off.

[NoPostholio]

Two good tips from BigSteve and PlayitLeo made latest swap that much easier -

The square drive in the posi is great - use the drill with square drive to remove and run back in 75%, then fine tune by hand....so much easier

And Big Steve rec on the 5200 marine adhesive - so much less friction putting the screw back in and much easier to work with than epoxy. And being able to break free w/o a heat up will be great.

Great thread!

[MyNameIsAugustWest]

Just mounted my wife's fucking skis...Barons on Fischer Koa 78s for her casual touring plans next year. Stupidly easy using the paper templates and JonDrums videos. My S3s with Tour F12's are next! I'm pretty sure I'll use Jon's inserts for mine; I already have all the supplies.

[~mikey b]

those fucking Moments?

[MyNameIsAugustWest]

Just mounted some Tour F12s on my fucking S3s...used JonDrums inserts...too fucking easy!

[Bobcat Sig]

I just fucking mounted yet another pair of skis. Used paper templates and some calculating to avoid Marker demo binding holes. Fuckin' easy.

[Ivan Oder]

Thirty-two fucking holes and solid 2 years later. No shop would do this for you without charging an arm and a leg and/or fucking it up. Practice on a 2x4.

[huhh]

Thirty-two fucking holes and solid 2 years later. No shop would do this for you without charging an arm and a leg and/or fucking it up. Practice on a 2x4.

That's what I did but I used jesters and dukes. Quite a shock to me when the two front toe holes matched both bindings. Saved me from drilling 4 holes.

[Lindahl]

Thirty-two fucking holes and solid 2 years later. No shop would do this for you without charging an arm and a leg and/or fucking it up. Practice on a 2x4.

I should do that on gaper day for shits and giggles. DIN toe block, Tech heel block on one side, visa versa on the other. Sounds like a recipe for getting fucked up.. haha

[Bobcat Sig]

Fucking sweet rig.

I'm mounting my fucking Viciks soon!

Fucking gracias. I'm fucking putting inserts in my fucking Viciks this weekend to run both Dynafits and some red LABS.

[Ivan Oder]

I should do that on gaper day for shits and giggles. DIN toe block, Tech heel block on one side, visa versa on the other. Sounds like a recipe for getting fucked up.. haha

Hell yeah, and use a tech boot in one and a normal boot in the other.

[auvgeek]

^^He was talking tech toe and DIN heel on one foot; DIN toe and tech heel on the other foot. Theoretically would work if you have a boot with swappable soles...except it won't actually work cuz of forward pressure.

[Lindahl]

^^He was talking tech toe and DIN heel on one foot; DIN toe and tech heel on the other foot. Theoretically would work if you have a boot with swappable soles...except it won't actually work cuz of forward pressure.

Hence a recipe for fucking you up - perhaps screw in the heel and use the pins after you settle into the binding. Just don't fall?

[shafty85]

Mounted my own skis for the first time last night - radicals on the new lotus 120s. Damn, it took a lot longer than expected - was up until 2am. Used jondrums deluxe install kit. Worked well, but I might by a used drill press (found a few on Craigslist for $75 last night) to speed up the process and ensure the holes are vertical. ***side note: anyone know anything about drill presses? What to look for in a used one? Prices? Etc? )

One question - not sure how well I got the epoxy into the hole. Got a good amount on the screw threads but don't know how much, if any, I got in the hole. Not a serious issue in this instance as I will be remounting with BF inserts in a couple weeks, but which is more important - epoxy in the hole or on the threads? Or are both equally important?

Another reason for the interest in the drill press is that I think it will allow me to slightly alter hole locations if necessary when remounting (I read inserts have less tolerance for location accuracy, which makes sense) and I'm not positive the paper template is 100% accurate - I got one hole, same hole on each binding - that was slightly off on the template compared to the bindings (rear left was approx 1-2mm too far outside). Anyone else have this issue? All the other holes were spot on.

[gregL]

One question - not sure how well I got the epoxy into the hole. Got a good amount on the screw threads but don't know how much, if any, I got in the hole. Not a serious issue in this instance as I will be remounting with BF inserts in a couple weeks, but which is more important - epoxy in the hole or on the threads? Or are both equally important?

Another reason for the interest in the drill press is that I think it will allow me to slightly alter hole locations if necessary when remounting (I read inserts have less tolerance for location accuracy, which makes sense) and I'm not positive the paper template is 100% accurate - I got one hole, same hole on each binding - that was slightly off on the template compared to the bindings (rear left was approx 1-2mm too far outside). Anyone else have this issue? All the other holes were spot on.

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). I apply the epoxy before I place the binding over the holes. It's liquid, so it will flow to cover the screw heads as long as you get a decent amount in. I usually turn the ski upside down to let it cure.

Jondrums' templates work just as well as a jig if used properly (use something very small and sharp to make your marks - like an icepick - before your whack it with a centerpunch). Jigs have some room for error as well, probably .5mm in any direction, plus hinges are subject to wear and rubber feet fall off or get flipped the wrong way, etc.