:: View topic - vds rubber

Where do you guys get your rubber that goes on the edges for dampening? Also do you get your glass and other composites through Vectorply?

thanks

You can get rubber strips from Lindsay at snowboardmaterials.com.

You can also get rubber (in strips and in sheets) from McMaster or probably from an arts and crafts store.

I bought my fiberglass and epoxy from Revchem, which is a supplier in California. But they require you to buy their fiberglass in bulk (150 lbs. worth). I highly recommend them because of their good customer service and of their prices. Revchem provides supplies for a few local snowboard and skateboard companies also.

However, if you want smaller quantities, your best bet is to try your local marine/boat supplier. They should carry the right kind of fiberglass along with epoxy that is appropriate for the job.

McMaster has a lot of rubber from which to choose. Durometers range from 30A to 80A and thickness ranges from 1/32" to 1/2".

What DUROMETER is best for vibration damping needed in a ski? What THICKNESS is best? What WIDTH is best?

After speaking with BigKam, here are answers to my questions about vibration damping strips:

Since the rubber strips absorb shear stress and prevent delamination as well as reduce chatter, they need to surround the entire perimeter of the ski.

DUROMETER should be ~60 Shore A, THICKNESS should be "one and a half sheets of paper" (ie: as thin as possible), and WIDTH should be 1" or wider.

Plugging these parameters into McMaster-Carr's product search engine, it seems that Part Number: 9013K472 (ULTRA-STRENGTH NEOPRENE RUBBER) is a likely candidate for vibration damping strips.

SpecialK: have you ordered the McMaster stuff yet? i'm curious if it even works.

oh, i was at HomeDepot today and noticed in the plumbing section for sale 40-mil thick PVC sheets. it felt rubbery. 40-mil might be thick, but it could work for tip and tail dampers. with some sanding i bet it will stick okay to epoxy.

When you add the VDS right on top of the edges and the base does it cover the gap between the edge teeth so that no fiberglass gets in that space between the edge teeth undeneath the VDS? It seems like only epoxy would be able to seep in that gap and make things heavy. I read from others that VDS increases the bond between fiberglass and edge but shouldn't there be fiberglass in between the edge teeth for strength and to soak up epoxy?

thanks!

Hey Great website guys,

I'm having trouble finding top sheet. I have ordered all the other materials from SBM.com but they do not have any top sheet.

1) The local plastic dealer has 1/16th poly but he says it won't epoxy, can this be used if it is textured on one side?

2)SBM said you can do without if one is o.k with the lack lustre finish, is this o.k. or will I lose some properties in the ski?

3) If I can not use the local Poly, is there any out there? that I could get in non ridiculous amounts, preferably in Canada?

Mac

Mac Durasurf will sell you material from their overstock inventory a 2.00/ metre. you have to buy 10 metres but that is only 20.00 regular price is 6.00/meter. There is lots of choices in colors etc. I had a bit of a time getting them to actually ship the material and then when they did I think they thought I was in a big rush so they shipped it on overnight courier and it cost me 230 Canadian for shipping so I was not too happy . I just posted a comment about the clear material as I was kind of disappointed at how opaque it was but my thickness was 1.2mm so that might account for it. I have an old inventory but if you call them they will email you a list.

Did I read that correctly, $230 for shipping? That hurts.

If that is the case, it's outta my price range.

The polycarb probably won't epoxy that well even if textured. We have tried before and it comes off pretty easily.

There are alternative to a top sheet. Wood veneer works well and looks good. The Dr. Strangeloves have a wood top and they are holding up pretty well. They are getting scratched on top and the sides, but they don't look any worse than our skis with a ptex top. Epoxy for a top also works well. If you use a layer of peelply as your top when pressing, you can pull that off and the top should be smooth. You can then protect the epoxy with a polyureathane like system 3 wr-lpu (http://www.systemthree.com/p_wr_lpu.asp). It comes in different colors as well as clear gloss and satin. The finish should look really good.

-kelvin

Yea it was out of my price range too and negated any benefit of the "good" price on the base material. Ask them to mail it to you it will cost under 20.00 and you won't pay any Canadian fun taxes or duty. It did take a month for them to put it in the box and ship it so I think they misunderstood my frustration with a need to get it delivered ASAP.

What is peelply?

Has anyone found stainless edges in the US? Or uncut/coiled rolls of edges (less than having to buy 300 lbs)? I talked to CDW and they only sell huge coils, and sounded like I had NO hope of ever getting stainless from them. I hate dealing with overseas purchases. Thanks

i have the same question.