Ski Club 2.0 Home
Snow Reports
FAQFAQ

Mail for help.Help!!

Log in to snowHeads to make it MUCH better! Registration's totally free, of course, and makes snowHeads easier to use and to understand, gives better searching, filtering etc. as well as access to 'members only' forums, discounts and deals that U don't even know exist as a 'guest' user. (btw. 50,000+ snowHeads already know all this, making snowHeads the biggest, most active community of snow-heads in the UK, so you'll be in good company)..... When you register, you get our free weekly(-ish) snow report by email. It's rather good and not made up by tourist offices (or people that love the tourist office and want to marry it either)... We don't share your email address with anyone and we never send out any of those cheesy 'message from our partners' emails either. Anyway, snowHeads really is MUCH better when you're logged in - not least because you get to post your own messages complaining about things that annoy you like perhaps this banner which, incidentally, disappears when you log in :-)
Username:-
 Password:
Remember me:
👁 durr, I forgot...
Or: Register
(to be a proper snow-head, all official-like!)

Skimender rp105 repair pistol questions

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Reading into this device it suggests you have to pre-heat the base area you are filling first before applying the ptex. Just wondering how this works with a long gouge ? eg. 20-30cm? Do you just keep working up and down it with the tip until it’s heated and softened along the length (or does the base cool too quick to do long gauges?) and then do your pass with the trigger depressed to dispense the ptex ?

Once the ptex is in do you also then have to try and apply pressure, like you do for a candle drip repair ?

Secondly for a deep core shot, am I right in understanding I should get some epoxy or araldite stuff in the crack first to cover the exposed core, then after that has set continue to the ptex fill with the repair gun ? For a deep gauge does gun this dispense enough ptex to fill in one hit, or is it a case of doing a pass leaving it to cool then going over it again ?

Thanks for any advice.
snow conditions
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Degrease the area with a wax remover.

Pre-heat with the tip but do it in sections of 2-3cm in length otherwise it'll cool. Most users don't pre-heat enough - the base will go shiny & smoke slightly. Angle the tip to get in to the gouge. Once heated enough then pull the trigger.

Over fill the repair by 1/2mm in height & gently massage the area with the tip to ensure the heat permeates through. No pressure is needed (which would only spread the material out).

Deep gouges can be done in one hit but can always be topped up if needed. Core shots need a metalgrip foundation layer smearing in first (you melt/weld it in with the tip of the pistol). You only need a thin layer of metalgrip (as though it was painted on) then et it cool for a few minutes before trimming of any surplus etc. Don't pre-heat the metalgrip, just apply molten p-tex straight on top.

A welded repair is a lot tougher than a candle repair so trying to scrape it flush is tough & it tends to drag/tear - I use a sharp 25mm chisel held as horizontal as possible to flush it down. Then a few longitudinal passes with some grit paper to structure the repair & blend it in with the rest of the base - usually 80grit to start with then some 120grit will blend in with most bases but you can vary it depending upon the coarseness of the existing structure.

I've got all the stuff you need in stock wink

Simples Toofy Grin
snow report
 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Thanks Jon, I appreciate the info (I actually already had a shopping basket open Happy),

Is the metalgrip layer essential or would squirting in a bit of epoxy resin / araldite type stuff and letting it set be acceptable ? I'd be worried about nausing it up and missing the crack thus leaving lumps of metal grip setting on my base ! Is it relatively idiot proof to add the metal grip ? Do you preheat the base before adding metal grip or just solder it in touching the metalgrip rod on the tip ???

(actually the other reason I ask is whilst away I had a very small core shot that i just filled with a ptex candle in resort - it seems to have held ok).

This is what I'm looking at.

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/11082544_10155325620060099_7680186826403820341_n.jpg?oh=8a6ec4d1320f6b990adb0d38ce2ab65a&oe=55AF4079

I've scraped it all smooth (and used wax remover) and pulled out the loose excess ptex, so the core shot on left runs the full length of that gouge. The core shot on the right is about twice the size as is visible as I had to cut away some more of the base that was loose. I guess it's about 0.5cm x 0.75cm now.

Assuming I don't cock it up Toofy Grin , is this tool capable of a decent job, or am I safer sticking with candles ?


Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Mon 23-03-15 15:56; edited 1 time in total
snow conditions
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
Metalgrip is waaaaaay better than epoxy and it sets/hardens in less than a minute & any excess can simply be trimmed off. And a 20cm length for £1.50 will last you a lifetime. No need to pre-heat the base when applying it either.

P-tex will only stick to p-tex & not to the core or the metal edge. It is possible to get a reasonable bond on very small core shots with a candle but the repair is not actually sticking to the core but to the surrounding p-tex - whereas on larger repairs there's not enough perimeter to bond to relative to the surface area being cover so the repair will lift.
latest report
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
On the gouge on the left it looks as through some p-tex has lifted from the core - try prying it up gently to check & if it has cut it out & do a bigger repair as it'll only lift with the heat from the pistol.

These repairs are really easy as if it doesn't turn out as required just cut it out & start again with no harm done.
snow report
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
OK thanks, so for those two dings in my picture you'd recommend a quick drip of metal grip (quick being the operative word if 20cm lasts a lifetime!?) then ptex it with the gun ?
EDIT - Sorry hadn't seen your 15:28 post when I wrote this. And yes you are right, the gouge on the left was effectively a long undercut, and having cut out the excess "flap" Im left with a gouge through to the core pretty much the length of that gouge.


Sorry last stupid question of the day : You said above "Don't pre-heat the metalgrip, just apply molten p-tex straight on top", but then also ptex only sticks to ptex and the ptex you are applying the repair too needs preheating so make it adhere - so do you mean after adding the metal grip, leave it to cool, then preheat the ptex around the gouge (but not directly heat the metalgrip in the gouge), then pull the trigger ? (hope that makes sense)

Appreciate your advice. Just about about to place an order. You are "Row and Snock" right? wink
snow conditions
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Sorry, p-tex will stick to the metalgrip. And yes, just warm around the metalgrip a bit then apply the molten p-tex straight over the top.
latest report
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
My shiny box of kit was delivered yesterday. Thanks@spyderjon for sending it out quickly. Another happy customer Toofy Grin

Will post a final pic of how I get on with the ski mender.

I have a busy weekend of repairing & waxing ahead. Particularly as I've now just ordered my wife a new pair of Atomic Affinity Sky skis in the sales.

I didn't have my own service kit when I bought my new board, so I never did anything to it, just went out and used it. But is conventional wisdom to use base cleaner on the new skis to strip out the factory wax, then load it up with the base renew wax you just sent me (kicking myself for not ordering a larger block now!), before applying my usual universal wax ? Or just wax straight on top of the factory wax?


On the plus side, my standard rules for a wax and scrape cycle dictate that it is always done with an accompanying beer or wine (occasionally a martini cocktail) at each stage, 1 for wax on, 1 for wax off Daniel-san... So with a base renew wax, then a universal wax, then a final spring wax, on a board and skis, I make that 6 cycles, which technically makes for a binge. snowHead
snow report
 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
A hot scrape clean is far more effective than base cleaner/de-waxer. De-waxer is great for cleaning out gouges prior to repairing 'em & for cleaning scrapers.
latest report
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
OK so here are the results : https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155356062190099.1073741829.749340098&type=1&l=8a7a5a21ff
(you don't need to sign in to view)

I'm pretty happy overall. Took a few goes to get the hang of it, so some of the repairs have a few shallow chips in but actually not as deep as they look on the pictures. A couple of times I was a bit heavy handed with the chisel and chipped out ends of repair but again only shallow bits (they are shallower in real life than the photos suggest). Theres a few more shallow chunks on the photo's that I wish I'd have filled but will leave these till after my next trip.

My observations:

- It can deal with way shallower gouges than a candle. I tried a few small cuts that I wouldnt have bothered using a candle on and it filled them nicely and didn't drop out when scraping. The long 30-40cm scratch, which is still visible under the clear ptex was pretty shallow but is now nice and smooth, you can't really feel it with a finger nail. I don't think the candle would have managed this one.

- Short holes are way easier to deal with than long gouges. On long wounds, I found it hard pre heating the next stretch after doing the first stretch as it would pull the molten ptex with it. I found for long gouges I had the best success by preheating the first area, dispensing ptex, then moving continually back reaaaaaaally slowly, like the length of the nib in 30 seconds, dispensing a little ptex each time. This seemed to work nicely.

- I had best results leaving it a good hour or two before scraping off the excess ptex.

- The repair is way tougher than candle as you say. Thanks for the tip off about the chisel, worked a treat, the steel scraper was not alot of use. Needs some care to work down gradually with the chisel as I unwittingly some some chunks of the repair out by beaing too heavy handed and going straight in at base level rather than working down from the top of the repair.

- Sandpapering for a smooth finish and blending was also a top tip, thanks.

- The metal grip was quite tricky hard to get into the holes, the nib of the tool would only just melt it, it stayed quite tacky, I was exepcting it to go more fluid. That said once in it worked. I needn't have worried about excess spillages as it scrapes off esaily. Also where I had two gouges next to the edge, where previous candle repairs have failed at first scrape, the metal grip + ptex repair seems to have worked a treat.


Overall I'm really happpy for the first bash and as I had two core shots to address it's probably almost already paid for itself against shop repair costs. I gouged out an earlier poor candle repair and re-did this too.

Well worth 50 notes. Seems to put in a solid and smooth repair. With practice I think repairs would be almost invisible.

Cheers
snow report



Terms and conditions  Privacy Policy