 Poster: A snowHead
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  (Click on thumbnails for larger images)
At the end of last season I saw I had dinged the edge of one of my skis a bit, slightly distorted but nothing much to worry about. It sort of sharpened OK, so filled the associated hole in the PTEX and didn't think any more about it. Skied fine for most of the last trip, but on the last day I saw it had cracked. Over the day the leading edge lifted a bit, to the position you now see above. As the protruding area is towards the front of the ski it mostly skis OK, but I doubt this is a long term proposition. The crack is almost at the mid-line of the ski (you can see it in the 2nd photo), a BlackDiamond Kilowatt.
So you assembled gearHeads, is this repairable, or do I need another pair? Shame if I do as I've only skied them for 5 weeks  , although from the state of the edges you can see I do ski a bit on the hard side  . If repairable, any ideas where? Will S&R (Chertsey) have the skills, or Bartletts, or somewhere else?
BTW I'm off skiing for another 2 weeks on the 17th Jan (a week easch in St Anton then Engelberg), so I need a solution in place by then.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Totally repairable.
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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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Graham, Don't really know, but it doesn't look good to me. Not sure that S&R would have the skill set, where-with-all or inclination to do anything that would amount to much...so you are left with a local metalsmith of sorts who would take it on.....or BD themselves which would be the best bet...if only for the PR.. They seem like that sort of company.
To do a good enough job would probably be more than you would want to pay ... and then you'd suck up and buy a new pr. The latter idea sounds like more fun, btw. 
To my eyes...and I could be wrong... you would need that cracked edge welded..??? and is that easy, with hardened, treated metal..?
If you paid £50 or £60 for a decent job...you could easily undo that with one rock hit if the edge looks like it has started to pull away...
I imagine the success of this all depends on you finding someone willing to take it on... and you'll need a backstreet old boy into metal and plastics/glues possibly
Guessing here, so best of luck but come back and tell us how this panned out.
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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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JT, doesn't need to be welded but rather trimmed back and replaced with a new section of edge. I seem to recall spyderjon has done at least one of these.
Pretty straightforward (DIY procedure here: http://www.telemarktips.com/BaseRepair.html) in concept, somewhat of a PITA if some of the old edges have delaminated (older Blizzard Sigmas, grrr), and if I never have to do it on another pair of Fischer RC4s I will be happy.
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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 have seen worse repaired.. think you just need to get someone that has done a few to sort em out! Hey, if they can't be sorted... NEW SKIS!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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GrahamN,
I'm not an expert but those edges look completely ruined and wouldn't be repairable. The edges will be weakened because of the amount of damage and their proximity to the edges and the damage has gone right through the bases. If it isn't too much trouble go to S&R for advice.
Are you the SCGB member I met on the plane on the 13th of Jan last year going to St Anton? I'm hoping to go there with some friends on the 18th this year.
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GrahamN, Mrs Ski did a similar thing to a pair of touring skis some years back. Not knowing any better, I epoxyed the edge back into place, leaving in in a g-clamp overnight. That edge was then nominated as the outside edge - worked for several weeks .
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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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GrahamN, certainly repairable so long as the core hasn't been damage or absorbed a lot of moisture.
Are they are two seperate areas of damage or did you take the base pic first & then the edge broke out later in the same location?
If it's two seperate repairs then that's gonna bump the cost up as after epoxying the base & replacing the section of edge a shop would want to apply couple of patch repairs etc. You won't get a warranty on this work so it could be a cost that's better put towards replacement skis. If it's just the one repair site then it's propably worth the cost. I'd charge £20-£30 to replace the section of edge & apply a patch to the base. I've now done about a dozen edge replacement repairs, the vast majority on skis & boards used in the park were the edges have been damaged/ripped-out on rails.
However, & as you're a handy guy, why not just get at 'em yourself - you've certainly nothing to loose.
I wouldn't recommend trying to replace the section of edge as to be honest it's a real pain, with your biggest problem finding a suitable piece of donor edge & getting it aligned correctly. I'd suggest using your Araldite 2011 to bond the existing edge back in & clamping until cured. Warm the epoxy up with a hairdryer so it's runy & gets in to the ski better & degrease the ski first. Wrap some grease proof paper around the repair before clamping so that the clamp won't get bonded on as well. If the ski can be left somewhere warm to cure (airing cupboard) then even better.
Note that your clamping down on the thickness of the ski only & not trying to push the bent section of edge back inside as it will only break out again. When fully cured just file off the section of edge that's protruding plus any excess adhesive. Yes you'll might have a mm of ski with very little or no edge material but you also won't have further weaken the edge buy doing another cut to replace it. Then with your Base Doc tool just weld in shed loads of metal grip in to the base repair (don't bother applying p-tex over the top) & dress it off with a sharp chisel when it's fully cured. This repair will hold as well as a 'pro' repair but won't have cost you anything.
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| spyderjon wrote: |
............
I wouldn't recommend trying to replace the section of edge as to be honest it's a real pain, with your biggest problem finding a suitable piece of donor edge & getting it aligned correctly. ........... |
I thought that when I read the earlier link. I have some experience using similar tools to those shown - and it would take a fir bit of patience and skill to achieve the section repair - including the spot-on alignment required. I would not have thought it worth the effort.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thanks for the advice guys. Those are two shots of the same defect, from different angles. comprex's link is interesting, but doing a full edge replacement is a bit more than I'd trust myself with, although I have some dead 8000s I could use to find some edge material, and semi-dead XXs as well (but I don't have anything like a Dremel). I've decided to take them into Bartlett's tomorrow; they reckon they should be able to sort it (and possibly even in time for my long weekend trip out next Thursday ), but we'll see what the story is when they see it for real. And even though they'll no doubt charge quite a bit more than spyderjon, it's probably worth getting it done pro, as I don't really want the edge dropping out when I'm in the middle of nowhere because I didn't really know what I was doing - and, JT, while I'm really NOT angling to get another pair, I may just do so for peace of mind (and because I really like these skis).
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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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GrahamN, BTW, I've had a few Black Diamonds in to work on lately. Dunno what grade of p-tex they use but their bases didn't seem to be that durable.
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You know it makes sense.
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Craghopper, Are the ex-test Skis advertised anywhere?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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