Comments on: How Many Holes can you Drill in a Ski? http://www.wildsnow.com/398/how-many-holes-can-you-drill-in-a-ski/ Backcountry Skiing Weblog Blog, FAQs, more, links and info about randonnee, telemark and backcountry ski mountaineering. Tue, 21 May 2013 00:01:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Erik Erikson http://www.wildsnow.com/398/how-many-holes-can-you-drill-in-a-ski/#comment-53084 Erik Erikson Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:45:22 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=398#comment-53084 Thank you for your advice and the very quick answer. Not the first time you or some poster here helped me out.. great!! Thank you for your advice and the very quick answer. Not the first time you or some poster here helped me out.. great!!

]]> By: Lou Dawson http://www.wildsnow.com/398/how-many-holes-can-you-drill-in-a-ski/#comment-53082 Lou Dawson Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:37:38 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=398#comment-53082 Erik, you can use the same holes quite a few times but they do deteriorate a bit each time. If you use epoxy each time, and heat the screws when removing, you can do it dozens of times. Key it to not over-tighten but to still tighten enough. Requires a "feel" for appropriate tightness. As for the plastic plugs, they seal the holes just fine, but are not liked here at WildSnow HQ because when drilled out the remaining plastic in the hole may not bond to epoxy. We usually fill our holes with epoxy or urethane glue if there is a chance we'll be drilling them out again. For temporary sealing, I just put duct tape over them. Once in a while we use the plugs. Lou Erik, you can use the same holes quite a few times but they do deteriorate a bit each time. If you use epoxy each time, and heat the screws when removing, you can do it dozens of times. Key it to not over-tighten but to still tighten enough. Requires a “feel” for appropriate tightness.

As for the plastic plugs, they seal the holes just fine, but are not liked here at WildSnow HQ because when drilled out the remaining plastic in the hole may not bond to epoxy. We usually fill our holes with epoxy or urethane glue if there is a chance we’ll be drilling them out again. For temporary sealing, I just put duct tape over them. Once in a while we use the plugs.

Lou

]]> By: Erik Erikson http://www.wildsnow.com/398/how-many-holes-can-you-drill-in-a-ski/#comment-53080 Erik Erikson Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:25:46 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=398#comment-53080 I hope someone can answer that following questions for me: - How often can you screw bindingscrews in the same allready existing holes? For some reason I had to take the screws out from my tlt vertical backpiece. Than screwed them in again, but forgot the glew. screwed them out and in again with glue. Do I have to worry? - In one of my k2 waybacks a shop had to screw new holes for a binding. the old ones were filled by just hammering in plastic pegs (no epoxy). Is this sealed enough? Thanks! I hope someone can answer that following questions for me:
– How often can you screw bindingscrews in the same allready existing holes? For some reason I had to take the screws out from my tlt vertical backpiece. Than screwed them in again, but forgot the glew. screwed them out and in again with glue. Do I have to worry?
– In one of my k2 waybacks a shop had to screw new holes for a binding. the old ones were filled by just hammering in plastic pegs (no epoxy). Is this sealed enough?
Thanks!

]]> By: Lou Dawson http://www.wildsnow.com/398/how-many-holes-can-you-drill-in-a-ski/#comment-51618 Lou Dawson Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:34:12 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=398#comment-51618 Hi Michael, that would work, it essentially just fills the hole with wood. The advantage is is fills the hole without any voids. Doing it just with epoxy, it's sometimes difficult to push epoxy into the hole without any air pockets. You can do it with match sticks as well, though the golf tee is harder wood (?). Either way, the top of the wood needs to be sealed from water damage after it's smoothed off, that is unless it's re-drilled for to be used again for mounting bindings. I'm still doing this stuff quite a bit. One problem I've found with epoxy is that unless it's mixed correctly and allowed to really harden, it works fine for filling holes but is less than ideal if it needs to be re-drilled and inserted with another screw as softer epoxy may not be strong enough. In terms of "stronger," are you concerned about the strength of the skis from breaking, or strength for re-inserting screws? Most skis these days are super strong. Lou Hi Michael, that would work, it essentially just fills the hole with wood. The advantage is is fills the hole without any voids. Doing it just with epoxy, it’s sometimes difficult to push epoxy into the hole without any air pockets. You can do it with match sticks as well, though the golf tee is harder wood (?). Either way, the top of the wood needs to be sealed from water damage after it’s smoothed off, that is unless it’s re-drilled for to be used again for mounting bindings.

I’m still doing this stuff quite a bit. One problem I’ve found with epoxy is that unless it’s mixed correctly and allowed to really harden, it works fine for filling holes but is less than ideal if it needs to be re-drilled and inserted with another screw as softer epoxy may not be strong enough.

In terms of “stronger,” are you concerned about the strength of the skis from breaking, or strength for re-inserting screws? Most skis these days are super strong.

Lou

]]> By: Michael West http://www.wildsnow.com/398/how-many-holes-can-you-drill-in-a-ski/#comment-51608 Michael West Thu, 28 Feb 2013 05:00:01 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=398#comment-51608 Hey Lou, I'm wondering what your thoughts are on a specific technique to fill holes. I saw someone the other day who would fill the holes partway with regular old 5 minute epoxy (not the steel variety), and then place a golf tee inside the hole. Once it hardened, the top of the tee would be cut off and then ground flat with a dremel tool. It seems to me that this would be much stronger than regular old plastic plugs, but i'm wondering how you think it would compare to your recommended steel epoxy/ steel wool? Cheers, Michael Hey Lou,
I’m wondering what your thoughts are on a specific technique to fill holes. I saw someone the other day who would fill the holes partway with regular old 5 minute epoxy (not the steel variety), and then place a golf tee inside the hole. Once it hardened, the top of the tee would be cut off and then ground flat with a dremel tool. It seems to me that this would be much stronger than regular old plastic plugs, but i’m wondering how you think it would compare to your recommended steel epoxy/ steel wool?
Cheers,
Michael

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