Changing bindings back. Inserts, helicoils, something else.

A snowHead

Problem.

Have Rossignol Bandit B3 juniors, originally drilled for G3 targa telemark bindings, these were taken out, the holes plugged and now mounted with a junior alpine binding.

Want to refit tele binding. Do not need capacity to switch bindings.

Should I just get a helicoil kit from screwfix, or bronze inserts from Anything technical? or do something else (plastic inserts etc)? I think quiverkillers / binding freedoms are overkill and anyway do not need ability to switch.

Have not got skis down from attic yet. As they are a junior ski it is quite possible that hey are not too thick.

Also if possible a link to what I'll need.

I have: a drill, duct tape, glue, some threadlock, assorted drill bits and a willingness to either tinker and succeed or mess up and get the bindings mounted on some other skis I'v probably got somewhere. (or just use the others kids tele ski). i.e. I am completely happy with failure.

A snowHead

Bear in mind that telemark bindings can put tremendous force on their fixings.

If you can fit M6 screws through holes in the bindings then I'd be tempted to use capped snowboard inserts - particularly for the rear fixings.

They fit through the ski/board and have to be countersunk into the base.

Some available here:
https://www.tognar.com/ski-repair-tools-material/

Not sure if there's a UK supplier but I think they originate from Snoli in Austria:
http://www.snoli.com/katalog?lang=en

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

A lot depends upon whether the existing telemark holes were enlarged slightly so the plugs could be installed and whether the plugs were glued in with epoxy or PVA. So unless you did this work yourself it's not possible to ascertain that.

I'd carefully drill out the plugs with a slightly undersize bit, a 3.5mm is perfect. Use a slow'ish speed. If the plug has been pva'd in then the plug will grip the bit and pop right out. If the whole plug doesn't come out or if it's been epoxied in then go up to a 4mm bit & carefully drill out the remaining wall of the plug. Be careful that the drill bit doesn't suddenly bite and plull itself straight through the ski - using a dulled bit will help prevent this or use a drill stop set to 7mm which is the junior ski mounting drill length.

Once you've done all the holes you can carefully mount the binding. Do a dry fit (ie no pva or epoxy) by gently hand screwing-in the screws to see if they'll tighten to a stop and not spin. Be really careful not over tighten. If all's good then remove the screws and apply adhsive in to the holes and remount the screws and torque-up. Usually you'd use an exterior PVA but in this case I'd use a waterproof flexible slow cure epoxy like Araldite 2011/Precision/Standard or Harmans Double Bubble Blue. If it's a junior ski make sure your mounting screws aren't too long, ie max 6.5mm penetration below the base of the binding.

If this is not successful then you can move on to helicoils/inserts and you've lost nothing except half an hour of your time. If you go the helicoil/inserts route check the ski thickness first. Helicoils require a pretty big diameter hole and have a slow twist so I don't think you'd get enough spirals within a junior thickness ski. QK inserts are shallower than BF inserts but you'll still need 11mm of ski thickness to install a QK insert. The plastic knock-in plugs are poo-poo and I'd definitely not use them with a telemark binding.

Helicoils/inserts are also dearer and you're need some specialist tools to install them. If you can't get the existing holes to work and you don't have the ski thickness for heli's/inserts then fix in from underneath the ski base. The cheapest and easiest way to do this and without any specialist tools is to use M5 tee nuts and then do a p-tex repair over the top. The other benefit of this method is that you can use M5 machine screws (ie QK/BF screws) to mount the bindings meaning that you don't have to drill out the holes in the binding base to accept a larger diameter screw.

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@spyderjon, thanks so much for such detailed help.

Help!!

Changing bindings back. Inserts, helicoils, something else.

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