:: View topic - Renewable Materials

Hi All,

So I am nearing the end of my college career, and plan on starting on my ski building after I have a real job.

In the meantime I want to start a thread about sustainable/renewable materials. I'll be posting an article of sorts on my findings about renewable materials this semester, and also companies that have sustainable practices in place.

In the mean time I thought I would start a threat that had some material substitutes, and links to suppliers for them

Epoxies: http://www.entropyresins.com/

Basalt Fiber: http://www.sudaglass.com/fabrics.html

Sidewalls: http://www.blacklocustlumber.com/

Metal Edges and Ptex Base?

Soybean Topsheets. Do not have supplier yet.

Rubber Substitutes for tip/tail and on top of edges?

I was thinking that there will be a substitute material for rubber on the tip/tail and edges, but as for metal edges and ptex base, the closest I have come up with is recycling edge and ptex (curb recycling that is).

Sourcing metal edges domestically would be ideal, but I cannot find an edge supplier in the U.S.

Core Materials: no brainer, use local lumber mills that plant trees, if they do not plant trees maybe make a donation to a company that plants trees for the wood you use.

There has been a ton of discussions of this topic on here for years, but never a collecting point with every thing, so I like this.

Bamboo, although not locally sourced at all typically, is at least ridiculously sustainable for cores.

I have been saving up scrap ptex pieces for a couple of years now with a crazy idea of grinding it all up into a powder, and melting it into a sheet of ugly mess that might be usable.

that could make a cool base, unless it becomes a mucky brown/black color

I've looked into getting edges locally or even made in the US, but out side of CDW I haven't found anything. Thought I had a lead locally but it turned out that it would be too expensive and honestly the guy would be trying to break into a market that is sewn up. Unless he had a guaranteed amount to make it wasn't worth the while to make a few hundred feet of edges a year.

I like the locust wood. I'll have to look into it. IPE seems off the charts in hardness.

Hey guys, I have not posted much on here as I mostly read and search. Somthing I think most should do, instead of ask questions that have been already answered 100 times in other places. Anywho, I Just looked into the Basalt fabric as a possible fiberglass replacement.

Triaxial -28.7 onces per sq. yard

Quadaxial - 19.9 Onces per square yard

both 13 micron roving.

So how is it possible that the quad which has a full extra layer runnin 90 degrees is lighter?

Has anybody considered using this stuff?

I know Mervins Lib tech and Gnu boards use this fabric, what weight I am not sure? If you where to use it, do you think the quad would give to much torsional stiffness though a light wieght fabric? And would you use triaxial considering it seem heavy (for a touring ski, splitboard at least)

Any others views would be great?

So, I called up the distributor and he told me the strands are smaller which make it lighter, though the micron rating stays the same.

Next question: has anybody used both triaxial and biaxial in the same build.

As in Biax above core/ triax below! Basalt or Glass!

Fibers running laterally will do nothing but add weight. Diagonal fibers add torsional stiffness, leave out the 90 deg fibers.

Who has flax details? Idris?