Ski Surgery
Edge Replacement and Base Repair
By Y.K. Idgadambr
You know the feeling. Smoothly linked turns
interrupted by the rapid deceleration of one of your skis. Sometimes
there is a loud rock on metal noise, sometimes just the grabbing,
ripping, peeling sensation that puts a knot in your stomach.
In the millisecond it takes to do the damage, you know what has
happened. At best, you've put a big gouge in your ski, at worst
the gouge goes to the ski core and you have damaged the edge
of your ski. If the skis are old and have served out their useful
life, this may serve as their death knell. But what to do if
they are your best ride, your favorites of favorites? All is
not lost. Event the ugliest of base shots and edge damage can
be repaired. The following text will take you through the steps
required to remove the damaged edge section, replace it, and
repair the associated damage to the ski base. The ski in the
photos is a Salomon X-Scream, but the repair steps shown apply
for any cap type ski construction.
Step 1 -
Identify the limits of the damage to the edge. The impact
in this example was sufficient enough to pull the edge away from
the base and break it. As the photo shows, the edge was also
bent in an arc as it was pulled away from the ski base. This
edge will never again return to the location it was in when it
left the factory and must be replaced. Once the limits of the
edge damage are noted, the limits of the edge to be removed are
about 1cm beyond these points.
Step 2 - Cut
through the edge at the replacement limits.
Scribe two 45-degree guidelines where the edge is to be cut.
These angles will help to lock the replacement edge in place.
Using a Dremel tool with an abrasive cut-off wheel, cut through
the edge, cutting just deep enough to cut through the metal but
no deeper. It is easiest to start near the sidewall and work
toward the base until the interior border of the edge is found
under the ski base polyethylene.
Step 3 -
Remove the damage section. Only a gentle tug was required
to pull the edge free from the ski. The bend in the edge is clearly
visible in the second photo. The second photo also shows that
the sidewall of the ski has been deformed outward.
Step 4 -
Expose the core area that supports the edge. A cut is
made to connect the two 45 degree cuts made previously. The cut
in the photo was made parallel to the other edge to make matching
the repair patch to the opening easier. After the base material
has been cut through, peel the polyethylene off the core material.
Then cut away any additional core material away from over the
edge and its flange. In this case there was a thin layer of rigid
fiberglass. These pieces were removed in sections that were as
large as possible and set aside.
Step 5 - Repair
core damage. As noted previously,
the sidewall had pulled away from the core of the ski. The photo
below shows the gap that had opened up in the core when the sidewall
pulled away. This damage must be repaired before the edge replacement
can take place. Contaminants are removed from the damaged area
and then slow setting epoxy is used to fill the void. The sidewall
is pulled back in place with a clamp. A piece of masking tape
is used as a dam to keep the epoxy from spilling out over the
sidewall. The clamp is pushing against a piece of steel rod that
matches the approximate curve of the sidewall cross section and
distributes the clamping force along the sidewall. The steel
rod bridges well beyond the repair area in both directions and
helps to act as a template to relocate the deformed sidewall
into the correct orientation.
Step 6 -
Level core repair. Once the core repair epoxy has set,
it needs to be brought to a uniform elevation. A Dremel tool
with a router bit and router base makes this an easy task. The
corners where the bit won't reach can be cleaned up with a sharp
chisel.
Step 7 -
Prepare the replacement edge piece. The edge shown in
the photo below is a piece of edge salvaged from a pair of Volants
that had experienced a cap failure. Volants are a good source
of edge material as they have plenty of beef and a wide flange.
The edges are also relatively easy to extract from the ski. If
you don't have access to salvageable Volants, repair edge sections
are available from ski repair suppliers such as Tognar Tools.
The Volant edge flange does not have holes in it so a series
of holes were punched to allow the edge to be fastened mechanically
prior to bedding it in epoxy. The edge is cut slightly longer
than the gap in the edge on skis and then the ends are hand filed
for a very close tolerance fit. The goal is to get as close to
a zero gap fit as possible. The fit needs to be correct in two
planes, both side to side and up and down in relation to the
ski bottom. If the repair edge is larger in cross section than
the ski edge, the inner face of the repair edge should be aligned
with the inner edge face on the ski. The surface of the repair
edge closest to the sidewall should also line up with the ski
edges.
Step 8 -
Mechanically fasten the edge to the ski. Small brass screws
are used to hold the edge firmly in place so that the repair
section does not move when it is epoxied. Brass screws are used
to make grinding the tops off easier in later steps. Drill small
pilot holes for the screws and attach the repair edge section
to the ski core. Double-check the alignment in all planes.
Step 9 - Epoxy the repair edge section in place.
Place a piece of masking tape along the ski sidewall to act as
a dam to keep the epoxy from running out of the repair area.
Use a slow setting epoxy and flood the pocket around the edge
repair section and slightly over it. Warming the epoxy slightly
with a hair dryer or heat gun will help it to flow around and
under the repair section. Let the epoxy cure.
Step 10 -
Grind the heads off the brass screws. Using
a Dremel tool with an abrasive bit, grind the heads off the brass
screws so that the brass is flush with the flange of the edge
repair section. The shafts of the screws are left in place to
act as shear pins. These pins, in conjunction with the 45-degree
bevels at either end of the repair section, keep the edge from
pulling out sideways.
Step 11 -
Level the epoxy. Using a Dremel tool
with a router base, cut down the epoxy placed in the previous
step so that it is level. The depth of the cut will depend on
the thickness of the base repair material. The goal is to make
a cut that will leave the base repair material slightly higher
than the ski’s base material when it is epoxied in place.
Make light cuts and work down to the correct depth. Clean out
the corners where the router bit won’t fit with a sharp
chisel.
Step 12 -
Remove additional base material from around the edge repair section.
The goal in this step is to take a
little more base material from the ski so that the base repair
joints are not directly above the edge repair section joints.
This step also gives fresh, sharp edges along the limits of the
base repair patch, which makes it easier to install a tight fitting
patch.
Step 13 -
Cut the base patch out of base repair material. Sheet polyethylene is available from ski repair suppliers.
Carefully cut the patch so that it forms a tight fit against
the edges of the ski’s base material and the ski edge. Slightly
roughen the back of the patch to provide some “tooth”
for the epoxy to grip to. Using slow setting epoxy, epoxy the
base repair patch in place. Use masking tape on the sidewall
to keep epoxy from bonding to the sidewall. Place a piece of
plastic wrap over the repair patch. Place a metal scraper over
that to distribute the clamping pressure. Clamp and allow the
epoxy to cure.
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Step 14 - File
the repair edge section flush with ski edge, level repair patch. Once the epoxy has fully cured, scrape off any excess
epoxy and file the repair edge section so that the two visible
faces are flush with the ski edges. Using a steel scraper, flatten
the polyethylene repair patch so that it is flush with the base
and the ski edge. Using a fine abrasive or abrasive fabric such
as Swix fibertex or 3M Scotchbrite, buff the repair area to remove
the scraper marks. |
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Step 15 -
Perform standard base tune. File,
structure and wax skis as you would normally do.
Step 16 - Go
skiing. And keep and eye out for rocks!
Editor's note: Thanks to Y.K. Idgadambr for sharing
this terrific step by step edge repair guide with the Tt.com
community. It is meant as a guide only for those folks familiar
with the use of power tools and the safety procedures required.
If you are not knowledgeable in this area please become so before
attempting the work described above. The improper or unsafe use
of power tools can result in serious injury or even death.