PSA: Mount your own fucking skis.

[MultiVerse]

Any suggestions for removing old hardened epoxy from previously used binding screws? Soaking the screws in acetone and then using a wire brush removed much of it but there’s still some epoxy embedded in the threads and I assume best results require clean threads?

[dcpnz]

Try heat. Soldering iron held on the screw for awhile usually loosens epoxy enough to peel off pretty easily.

[Smoova]

^This

I use a propane or butane torch to break down the epoxy that holds golf club heads onto shafts (butane is cooler than propane and will not break down the epoxy in graphite shafts).

I'd hold the screw in a pair of vice grips and torch the screw. If you use propane, the epoxy will break down in less than 30 seconds.

[XXX-er]

Last time I remounted my FR+ I got the epoxy holding the screws loose by hitting them with the flame from my ronson jetlite AND this bad boy will get any pipe or reefer going no matter how windy the chair is

http://reviews.canadiantire.ca/9045/...ws/reviews.htm

[buildakicker]

Mount'em up!

[Slandis]

Where are you guys getting your plastics? I've checked every hardware store in town and all I could find were 30x30 sheets at Home Depot for $180.
I was thinking of finding something around half an inch thick and drilling holes that are the diameter of my ski mounting drill bit. That way I can get jig-like vertical alignment as well. Seems like it would work, in theory...

Otherwise, has anybody used one of these? Seems like a handy tool to have; ultra portable.
http://www.slidewright.com/svst-cust...j.html?cat=132

[~mikey b]

I mounted my own fucking skis today in the parking lot of the RV shop while I was having my camper worked on. Now I have power, so I can mount and wax more fucking skis in parking lots all over the place.

Pour boiling water on the bindings. Epoxy will soften.

[XXX-er]

Where are you guys getting your plastics? I've checked every hardware store in town and all I could find were 30x30 sheets at Home Depot for $180.
I was thinking of finding something around half an inch thick and drilling holes that are the diameter of my ski mounting drill bit. That way I can get jig-like vertical alignment as well. Seems like it would work, in theory...

Otherwise, has anybody used one of these? Seems like a handy tool to have; ultra portable.
http://www.slidewright.com/svst-cust...j.html?cat=132

what you really need more than anything is a depth guage and for the thickness you need drilling a hole thru the top of a wine bottle cork works pretty well

[ACHTUNG]

I mounted my buddies fucking skis last night. I need to buy some more fucking Roo Glue

[Slandis]

what you really need more than anything is a depth guage and for the thickness you need drilling a hole thru the top of a wine bottle cork works pretty well

I have a ski shop drill bit...depth gauge not needed. I essentially want a solid (plastic) version of my paper jig...

But anyways, I found the plastic. Now I just need to find somebody who owns a saw (fucking nobody in college does).

[reynolds.trailrun]

But anyways, I found the plastic.

For another source or others of interest, Mcmaster-Carr (http://www.mcmaster.com/#) and online metals (http://www.onlinemetals.com/) have pretty reasonably priced stuff and can be cut to order.

[BaNosser]

Just got done installing my phuckin' inserts today...

fronts for Barons (sm) and Jester Demos.. sharing the foward two effin' inserts




the tail mounts have every bit as much fkn room between inserts (mounted at 315mm for the demos.. and just happens to be my bsl)

thanks to Jondrums, Puderluder & this fukkin forum for all the beta

[bern43]

So I'm going to mount my own fucking skis and I have a few questions. Mounting some dynalooks. I've done two test mounts now and both came out pretty good, but not perfect. I'm consistently give our take about .5 mm off. This is with using the paper template and a drill guide, and triple checking all of my marks with a micrometer.

Everything seems to line up perfect but then ends up off that tiny amount. Is there anything I can do to increase my accuracy? I know that in the end .5 mm won't matter, but if I can get this number down a little bit more I don't see why I shouldn't.

[Alpinord]

So I'm going to mount my own fucking skis and I have a few questions. Mounting some dynalooks. I've done two test mounts now and both came out pretty good, but not perfect. I'm consistently give our take about .5 mm off. This is with using the paper template and a drill guide, and triple checking all of my marks with a micrometer.

Everything seems to line up perfect but then ends up off that tiny amount. Is there anything I can do to increase my accuracy? I know that in the end .5 mm won't matter, but if I can get this number down a little bit more I don't see why I shouldn't.

IMO an RCH is within acceptable tolerances and you are good to go with your skis.

FWIW, I prefer using a super sharp awl to make initial marks by hand through the template vs pounding an initial mark with punch and hammer. I can't say my end results are any better, but it seems like it's the most accurate method for me. If you want to split the RCH's in half, with the lighter, smaller initial mark you can re-measure and then 'cheat' or 'move' a mark if you feel the need, before subsequently punching a better guide mark/hole for setting your guide and drilling.

Here is our recent Weblog Topic that may help some: Drill and Tap Guides for Hand Drilling

[gregL]

I prefer using a super sharp awl to make initial marks by hand through the template vs pounding an initial mark with punch and hammer.

^^^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 through the template instead of making a pencil mark first.

What is slightly off, the alignment of the heel slots on the Dynafits? Could be tweakable using a progressive screw tightening, could be the boots - but in any case, .5mm is within my range for an acceptable mount.

[bern43]

^^^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 through the template instead of making a pencil mark first.

What is slightly off, the alignment of the heel slots on the Dynafits? Could be tweakable using a progressive screw tightening, could be the boots - but in any case, .5mm is within my range for an acceptable mount.

The position of the plate is slightly off. The heel slots actually lined up pretty good on both of the test mounts. In both cases they were maybe the tiniest off but slid right to the middle when I let the boot drop in. I was pretty happy with how they both came out considering they were my first attempts. I like the sharp awl idea. Probably use that. On to the actual skis.

[dcpnz]

0.5mm would certainly be acceptable to me too - I've done much worse before I started using a drill guide and they've been fine.

I'm convinced that even with absolute precision on the paper templates, the punch and use of a drill guide there is an ever so slight bit of drill bit wander that can leave mount (especially dynafiddles) off by about that much.

[tBatt]

Now I just need to find somebody who owns a saw (fucking nobody in college does).

Your school doesn't have a machine shop?

[Wild4umlauts]

There's at least 0.5mm of inaccuracy in any well-used shop jig so I wouldn't get all bent out of shape about it.

[Alpinord]

I'm convinced that even with absolute precision on the paper templates, the punch and use of a drill guide there is an ever so slight bit of drill bit wander that can leave mount (especially dynafiddles) off by about that much.

I forgot to mention that using a brad tip drill bit in a guide hole does not wander.

[hawkgt]

I fucking mounted my own skis..... and I fucking skied them

[Crusty]

I mounted my buddy's wife's fuckin' skis the other night but I didn't get to mount his fuckin' wife. Guess I don't have to raise his kids either.........

[bern43]

One more silly question. I have a digital caliper. I'd like to use to to double check the middle line, holes, etc. from the edge of the ski. On the practice 2X4 you could just use the top of the 2X4 because there's no taper. Can't do that with an edge. I'm lining up a carpenter's square with the edge and then using the digital caliper to double check. Sort of a pain. Any easier way of doing this?

[Alpinord]

One more silly question. I have a digital caliper. I'd like to use to to double check the middle line, holes, etc. from the edge of the ski. On the practice 2X4 you could just use the top of the 2X4 because there's no taper. Can't do that with an edge. I'm lining up a carpenter's square with the edge and then using the digital caliper to double check. Sort of a pain. Any easier way of doing this?

And then there is the simplicity and accuracy of magnets and a true bar to find center:

Attachment 105058

...or calipers and a true bar:

Attachment 105060

Establish a reliable centerline and measure equidistant to your marks and holes. Use the longest straight edge (or a string) you have to draw your centerline. The larger the spread from your center line marks, the better.

[krick]

My recent horror story. A shop screwed up a mount earlier this year by mounting -1cm back even though I'd asked them to mount on the line because they couldn't mount on the line and still have 1cm clearance from the existing holes. I understood the clearance issue but was pissed that they didn't call me first to ask if they should go ahead with the mount (I would have said no). They offered to remount for free, but they couldn't (or wouldn't) do it with the existing bindings because of the clearance issues. I was pissed about the extra drill holes but said fine and told them I'd get some demo bindings which would solve the clearance issues while still allowing me to have my midsole on the line (and play around with midsole points).

I eventually got the demo bindings, brought the skis back in and had them remounted by the same shop. So what did they do? They mounted the demo bindings so far back that even the most forward position on the demo bindings was -2cm - i.e. even further fucking back than the first mount! I pointed this out, they apologized and said that they would remount again (yet another set of fucking holes), which they did. At this point I was hugely pissed about all the holes but happy to finally have my skis back and mounted where I wanted them.

When I got home, however, I noticed that none of the 4 binding plates were sitting flush on the skis and I could actually see that it was because the shop hadn't fully chiseled down the plastic plugs that they'd used to fill the extra holes they'd drilled. Rather than take the skis back, I decided to fix them myself and started unscrewing the bindings. Everything was fine until I got to one screw that offered no initial counter-clockwise resistance whatsoever. So I gently turned it clockwise and sure enough - spinner. Unbelievable - a fucking spinner that the shop either didn't notice or didn't bother fixing.

When I finished removing all the bindings, I got my next surprise - 2 of the rear holes on each ski (4 holes total) had less than 1cm clearance from old holes (about 6-7mm) which were filled with hammered in plastic plugs (no epoxy). Un-fucking believable, especially considering the fact that this all fucking started with them doing the first mount further back because of hole clearance issues. I chiseled all the plugs flush, fixed the spinner (epoxy resin with fiberglass cloth threads) and re-installed the bindings.

So now I've got two extra sets of holes, and bindings mounted with two screws on each ski having less than 1cm of clearance from old holes. Notwithstanding that I'm absolutely livid, I'm inclined to just let it go if the hole clearance (or lack thereof) isn't too sketchy because the only thing they could offer at this point is some kind of compensation which I'd feel bad about taking because the ski economy is absolute shit this year, ski shops including this one are bleeding red from every orifice and the shop tech is actually a really good guy (a complete fuck-up apparently, but a good guy nonetheless) and I don't want to get him shit-canned. What do you guys think about the hole clearance and am I being too easy on these guys?

PS - if nothing else, I learned a valuable lesson here, which is to mount my own fucking skis from now on.