PSA: Mount your own fucking skis.

[Falcon3]

I’m lucky my shit $10 printer that sucks down ink and hates doing its job is always dead on when printing templates.

[toast2266]

Mounted my own deathwishes with shifts on BF inserts. Going straight for the inserts was a rookie mistake, I probably did 10 failed test mounts and 5 okay-ish ones. Was forced to mount for real before I felt confident because my inserts started to strip.

If you're tapping you may as well drill by hand IMO as the tapping seems to be the main determinant of the screw angle. I messed around with drilling by hand, with a binding freedom drill guide, and with a janky old drill press that probably wasn't true vertical. All my results varied wildly based on the tapping by hand. Next time I do it I will make a guide block for the tap and probably just freehand the drill. I did end up using the drill press for ease of centering because it allowed me to visually adjust the center of the widening hole to match the template during the tapering beginning of the drill bit. Center punching was not a reliable way to exactly center the bit. The punches don't always center exactly where the tip of the punch is placed and if a punch was off it was worse than useless and impossible to repunch.

As mentioned in this thread I should definitely have done a normal screw mount of the binding and then widened the holes to insert width instead of going straight for inserts. That would have allowed any centering issues to be found and fixed before it was too late.

Miraculously it all worked out though! The final result wasn't 100% dead perfect but the screws went in just fine with minimal strain on one or two.

If you want, you can mount the tap in the drill press and just turn the chuck by hand. It's a minor pain in the ass, but it makes things go in straight.

[toast2266]

Dildo snapped up and caught it against the wire bail that holds the heel up? I've done that before when adjusting Pivots with a bit too much bourbon in me.

Those things are fucking mousetraps. I've definitely learned that lesson the uncomfortable way.

[Timberridge]

Attacks have less ramp angle right? If so do those.

Good point.

[toast2266]

Doing a mount tonight on a swiss cheese ski that has 2 hole conflicts in each toe. Those 2 holes won't overlap old holes, but they'll be closer than ideal (with old holes less than 1cm both in front and behind the new holes). Old holes are plugged with ptex. Core is in good shape, but it's definitely not a new ski. It's a Bibby, so no metal in the ski.

Options:

1) mount like normal. hope for the best.
2) mount with epoxy and steel wool bits. (less excited about this one just because I'll be removing the bindings at the end of the season).
3) mount with inserts.
4) mount a thin (~1mm) piece of metal under the toe and drill / mount through that (the idea being the metal would help keep anything from pulling up).

[thefortrees]

^^^ 7mm+ hole center to center should be fine based on my experience and this pseudo scientific test:


https://eu.blackdiamondequipment.com...y-drilled-skis

[HAB]

Doing a mount tonight on a swiss cheese ski that has 2 hole conflicts in each toe. Those 2 holes won't overlap old holes, but they'll be closer than ideal (with old holes less than 1cm both in front and behind the new holes). Old holes are plugged with ptex. Core is in good shape, but it's definitely not a new ski. It's a Bibby, so no metal in the ski.

Options:

1) mount like normal. hope for the best.
2) mount with epoxy and steel wool bits. (less excited about this one just because I'll be removing the bindings at the end of the season).
3) mount with inserts.
4) mount a thin (~1mm) piece of metal under the toe and drill / mount through that (the idea being the metal would help keep anything from pulling up).

I don't think 4) will do anything.

I'd do inserts.

[toast2266]

^^^ 7mm+ hole center to center should be fine based on my experience and this pseudo scientific test:


https://eu.blackdiamondequipment.com...y-drilled-skis

Good info. I'll have to measure and see if I can maintain 7mm. It'll be close.

I don't think 4) will do anything.

I'd do inserts.

Seems like inserts just remove even more material in an area that's already pretty hole-y. I'm afraid that the little bridges of core between the new holes and the old holes would fail.

After thinking about this a bit more, I'm leaning heavily towards #4. Meaning I'll mount a metal plate to the ski with 4 screws that are well away from any existing holes. Then I'll mount the binding through that plate (tapping those holes). I think that'll go a long way towards distributing any upward (pullout) force over 8 screws (4 binding screws + 4 extra screws in the plate).

[XXX-er]

I’m lucky my shit $10 printer that sucks down ink and hates doing its job is always dead on when printing templates.

the problem can be that somehow a template gets printed that is not to scale for whatever reason be it printer or program related

SO the template should always be checked against the binding itself

[HAB]

Seems like inserts just remove even more material in an area that's already pretty hole-y. I'm afraid that the little bridges of core between the new holes and the old holes would fail.

After thinking about this a bit more, I'm leaning heavily towards #4. Meaning I'll mount a metal plate to the ski with 4 screws that are well away from any existing holes. Then I'll mount the binding through that plate (tapping those holes). I think that'll go a long way towards distributing any upward (pullout) force over 8 screws (4 binding screws + 4 extra screws in the plate).

That's true. Helicoil might be the ideal middle ground.

The metal plate idea might help a bit if you screw it down elsewhere. I guess you'll just need to make it thick enough to fit the countersink for a flathead screw.

[abraham]

Good info. I'll have to measure and see if I can maintain 7mm. It'll be close.



Seems like inserts just remove even more material in an area that's already pretty hole-y. I'm afraid that the little bridges of core between the new holes and the old holes would fail.

After thinking about this a bit more, I'm leaning heavily towards #4. Meaning I'll mount a metal plate to the ski with 4 screws that are well away from any existing holes. Then I'll mount the binding through that plate (tapping those holes). I think that'll go a long way towards distributing any upward (pullout) force over 8 screws (4 binding screws + 4 extra screws in the plate).

What binding? I may have some plates for you if you want them

[toast2266]

What binding? I may have some plates for you if you want them

P18's / Cast. I actually have some plates, but I'm trying to keep it thin. I just want to add a bit metal to (theoretically) strengthen the mount, but the binding screws would still go into the ski.

I'm gonna swing by the metal store this afternoon and fondle some options. I'll report back with whatever terrible contraption I rig up.

[skuff]

^^^ 7mm+ hole center to center should be fine based on my experience and this pseudo scientific test:


https://eu.blackdiamondequipment.com...y-drilled-skis

That makes sense, I have a copy of the Look Tech Manual from 2004/05 that says, "Binding holes should be 5mm or more apart".

[abraham]

Right on. I have some dynalook plates I'd let go for next to nothing but that plus Cast seems unnecessary

[jhyatt]

Mounted my kid skis. No indication of drill size so I went 4.1
Bentchetlers mini 153 with tyrolia demo so younger kids can use them or with changing boot sizes

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[californiagrown]

Mounted up some STH2 16s and adjusted toes and forward pressure. Weird thing is, one of the toe pieces is loose on it's baseplate. Like you can jiggle it when the boot isn't clicked in. Seems solid and fine when the boot is clicked in though. Any ideas what that's about?

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[prsboogie]

Mounted up some STH2 16s and adjusted toes and forward pressure. Weird thing is, one of the toe pieces is loose on it's baseplate. Like you can jiggle it when the boot isn't clicked in. Seems solid and fine when the boot is clicked in though. Any ideas what that's about?

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Stupid question but did you make sure to tighten the thingamabob to the thingamajig? Ski'em, you'll be fine!



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[californiagrown]

Stupid question but did you make sure to tighten the thingamabob to the thingamajig? Ski'em, you'll be fine!



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All thingamabobs were tightly twisted to the thingamajig till turnability terminated.

Current plan is to ski em and hope for the best. I vaguely remember something like this with an old pair of STHs and never had issues with those... So IDK. Just hoping the collective would be able to offer up a satisfying answer.

[toast2266]

Mounted up some STH2 16s and adjusted toes and forward pressure. Weird thing is, one of the toe pieces is loose on it's baseplate. Like you can jiggle it when the boot isn't clicked in. Seems solid and fine when the boot is clicked in though. Any ideas what that's about?

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The whole toe piece is jiggly? Or just some play in the wings?

[Alpinord]

Has there been any changes to the 2020 Look Pivot heel screw layout? If so, what changed?

[californiagrown]

The whole toe piece is jiggly? Or just some play in the wings?

Whole toepiece is loose vertically on it's baseplate when a boot isn't clicked in. All screws sunk to depth, wings and forward pressure adjusted, din adjusted. Seems solid when a boot is clicked in though. Setup the same as the other toepiece, which is fine.

[m2711c]

Lulz...

https://forums.alpinezone.com/showth...swap-kerfuffle

[toast2266]

Whole toepiece is loose vertically on it's baseplate when a boot isn't clicked in. All screws sunk to depth, wings and forward pressure adjusted, din adjusted. Seems solid when a boot is clicked in though. Setup the same as the other toepiece, which is fine.

That seems a little scary. Is the toe height adjust screw a bit mangled? If you lower the toe height, does the toe piece tighten up?

[californiagrown]

That seems a little scary. Is the toe height adjust screw a bit mangled? If you lower the toe height, does the toe piece tighten up?

Wing height adjusts just fine. Just barely slid a business card between boot and AFD. Doesn't tighten the toe piece up.

Unless I hear differently, I'm probably gonna take the toe piece off, inspect it and if nothing seems wrong, shim with old credit cards or aluminum can.

[toast2266]

Wing height adjusts just fine. Just barely slid a business card between boot and AFD. Doesn't tighten the toe piece up.

Unless I hear differently, I'm probably gonna take the toe piece off, inspect it and if nothing seems wrong, shim with old credit cards or aluminum can.

That seems like a reasonable solution. If you can't find any stripped / mangled threads, then... (shrug)