Read this 7 step short guide on how to handle and work with our DIY skis/snowbords and kiteboard materials HERE.
Building diy skis and snowboard construction guide
In general you should start with our Simulator for diy skis and snowboard, in order to get familiar with your design. This will on the long run save you time and money. By simulating your design first you will minimize the chance of ending up with a too stiff or too soft skis/snowboard, or a too heavy skis/snowboard. The simulator is really a great tool for evaluating changes such as wood core thickness changes, design changer or changer of composite fabric relative to another design.
When you handle your ski or snowboard materials, make sure you use gloves to handle the material always,. This is both for your and materials best. Please, do also use an airgun to clean the material or a clean cloth might be used. Denatured Ethanol (93% alcohol) can be used to remove any dirty or fatty stains or even Resin if needed.
Make sure you work with the epoxy resin and composite fabric in a suitable environment. You should not do this in your home, as it will leave a lot of fabric dust and bad smell from the resin, unless you know what you are doing. If you have no choice, then make sure window is open while working with epoxy, cut the glass outside so you dont spread the small particles inside too much.
1) Please wear proper protection. Most important when working with Resin is Nitrile (not Latex! or other) gloves to avoid any skin contact, amp ventilation and good organization! Wipe our materials with clean cloth and if you have 93% ethanol or pure alcohol it is also good idea to wipe the base, sidewalls, insert filler and topsheet material nicelly.
2) Be well organized. Plan everything and make a list of steps. Cut your material to dimensions, weigh each fabric piece and layer it all in the order you are going to use it. Remember your time is limited by the Resin Pot life!
3) Check if your Base material/Topsheet material plastic has a protective film on the outer side. It can be done by making a scratch with a sharp object on the corner. Make sure you know which side should be applied resin onto!
4) Prep the materials. Use gloves not to pollute the material, this would make a poor bound. Check steel ski / snowboard edges for rust. Sand if any. Whip down. Airblast if possible the ski /snowboard topsheet and the base for dust and wipe it with clear cloth. Make sure the wooden core is ready and clean.
5) When cutting fabric, make sure you have gloves and do it a safe place, as the fabric will leave a lot of small glass like residues all over. If some fabric fibers have been misaligned in transport, just run your hand over them in the direction of the fibers and align them. This is not a big problem, dont worry. Glass fabric will become transparent with Epoxy.
6) When mixing Epoxy resin and hardener, approx. max. 300mL in one batch, use digital scale and mix by weight. Total resin weigh is somewhat more then the weight of your fabric. Weight the required Hardener then add the Resin. Mix well for 2 min. Mix can become hot. Let it sit for 1 min for the air bubbles to escape.
7) Remember that the heat is Resins friend, it will benefit you to work at warmer environment. We dont recommend you to work under room temperature of 21C. If you wish best possible durability, and you have pressed at room temperature, it is recommended to post cure your product.
8) After pressing for the required time, take the product out and leave it to finish hardening. In general, you should wait some days ~7days before you start cutting and finishing your product, this will ensure that all epoxy is cured, and that the bounding is optimal!
Enjoy!