 Poster: A snowHead
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Thought I'd get my quiver in order today after a bit of rock scrambling on the SOPiB14, bit early I know but with a house move looming, thought it'd be prudent to get yet another job sorted!
Anyway, the pistol.........
I used to work in a ski shop and these things are the only way for a long-term repair to your bases as the ptex is actually welded into the base rather than just being dripped in molten from a candle.
Ordered this from Jon and it's every bit as good as the ones I used to use!
If I'd known I was going to write a review, I would've taken before/after pics of my bases, suffice it to say they're as good as new now!
Interestingly there is a new product now which wasn't available when I was tuning skis called metal grip, a ptex-like polymer that has better bonding properties to edges,bases than raw ptex, used this with a soldering iron-like tool before the actual ptex repair for better adhesion.
The pistol itself is a great bit of kit and only around £50, so if you do a few repairs to your bases it's a good investment, thanks Jon!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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KenX, I got one from him a few years ago and the repairs I did are still intact. I also use a chisel point soldering iron to melt the inside of a gauge before filling it with the pistol.
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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?
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Want.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Get 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I've saved a small fortune over the years repairing and servicing my skis, it keeps me out the pub.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Take a look at a Wintersteiger Polyman, you'll never touch one of these again. 
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Nice bit of kit, but at what price?
We used to use a great bit of kit, can't remember what brand, but it had 4 ptex feeds and would do the whole width of the base in one go, probably not wide enough for today's skis tho!
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The Polyman's are now over a grand each + VAT  . I've got two (black & clear) but I only use them if the ski is going to have a grind as they're not that precise & they put on too much material which is time consuming to dress down/remove. The resort shops love 'em as they just grind everything but discerning techs that only grind when necessary are now using either the Kunzmann Base Doc or the Skimender Pistol which are a fraction of the price (& within the DIY'er's budget as well) but are waaay more portable/precise meaning there's very little excessive material to remove. The tips of the Skimenders/Base Docs are also great for applying metalgrip foundation layers were necessary. In my workshop I mostly use the Base Doc as with just a quick wipe of the tip I can change from black to clear p-tex without any contamination.
P-tex bases melt at 148/150C so extreme caution should be used if using a regular soldering iron which tend to have tip temps of 350/400C whereas the Skimenders run at 220C & the slightly smaller tipped Base Docs are variable from 160 to 180C.
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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.
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Hi Jon, my soldering iron is an old Weller which I can pulse using the trigger so it doesn't get too hot..... A normal one would definitely be too hot for the Ptex tho! Or would I be better off just using the Skimender for mushing the base material/melting Metal-Grip?
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The Skimender tip is designed to be used to massage the ski base to preheat/soften it before pulling the trigger & it's angled head is usually pretty good for getting in all but the most awkward nooks'n'crannies which is were the Base Doc scores. You can also use the Skimender's tip to apply metalgrip but without pulling the trigger of course. And metalgrip should never be put in a base pistol. However those old pulsing irons are excellent so in your case Ken there's no need at all to change your method.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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spyderjon, Thanks for the input. I am very careful, I just dab into the gauge to roughen it up and preheat the base a bit, if it's an angled V gauge then I'll use a tiny soldering iron to dimple the sides. It just seems to make sense to increase the area available for bonding when filling a shallow groove that may easily be knocked out.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Considering that I got my pistol for under £50 it has saved me a small fortune in repairs over the years  My skis are seven years old and just had their second base grind, now these are mid fat off piste skis and I ski a lot of spring time rocky areas, they get battered.
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Offtopic: Sure anything Wintersteiger costs a fortune, even in a world where basic machinery is already in the tens of thousands... Polymans are versatile though, they only put too much down if you hold the trigger nonstop and run with it! Yes this happens a lot, our stagiare last winter had a gift for making a ski look like you'd thrown liquorice at it, but the trick is to apply lightly and intermittently, and tilt the head up to spread down the base as you would butter with a knife (not that I want to teach my gran to suck eggs as it were, spyderjon). For small areas I often do multiple follow-up runs without using the trigger, just the heated head. Clean-up can then be done with a little (or big) scraper. The din of the belt drives you mad very quickly, if you can avoid putting it on it's a win...
The Base Doc looks nice for precision work, have to find one to play with one day.
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You know it makes sense.
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albinomountainbadger, I find it's the width of the p-tex application that's the problem with the Polyman which is often quite a few times wider than the gouge I'm filling as it's head is probably 20mm wide - meaning it's being applied blind. It's fair to say however that the Skimender isn't a durable enough tool for pro workshop use but the same manufacturer also makes the TEC360 pistol which most shops are now using to replace the Polymans as/when they die & which is sensible money.
You're right the Base Doc is very precise to use (it's best/easiest used in conjunction with flat p-tex repair strips which are approx. 1mm thick x 7/8mm wide) & is actually very fast to use, especially when you count the minimal amount of material that need dressing off/removing afterwards.
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FAQ
