Comments on: Does Epoxy Dissolve Backcountry Ski Core Material?

By: Thijs Nijveldt

Thijs Nijveldt — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:17:04 +0000

if you use the heating of the screw to get it undone agina, you might consider using “mold release wax”.
I use this when I want to create thread in epoxy, and need to remove the screws after the epoxy has cured.
This mold release wax will create a very small layer on the screw to which the epoxy cannot attach. Works perfectly, and this might prevent damaged skis from overheating with the soldering iron!

By: Greg Louie

Greg Louie — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 16:09:34 +0000

Nice concise explantation, Pete. Thanks! I’ve been setting screws in foam core skis for decades and suspected as much.

By: aviator

aviator — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 16:05:00 +0000

@peter
I agree with everything you said.

By: Peter

Peter — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 15:55:50 +0000

As someone who has used epoxies, polyester and vinylester resins with foam,balsa and wood cores over the last thirty years I know that the problem with dissovling a foam core is associated with solvent based resin systems like the polyester and vinylester resins, not epoxy resins. In particular styrene foams dissolve readily with these as the resin solvent base is styrene. Other foam cores can soften if too much solvent is trapped in the foam. This would be unlikely with the small amount of resin used to set a screw. Epoxy resins are not solvent based and do not have this problem. I hope this helps. As a side note any foam core can be damaged by excess heat and I have seen this when thick laminates with lots of resin cure quickly and exotherm a lot of heat in a short time.

By: Lou

Lou — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 05:00:23 +0000

Nick, yes.