Just the other weekend I road my sled onto the trailer but hit the edge of the trailer and dug the metal edge fairly deep into the plastics of the ski... any suggestions on how or what to use to weld/or adhesive the gap back together? They are the Simmons Flex-ski
any direction would be greatly appreciated!
You may be able to have it welded if you have a good plastics welder nearby. Properly done, plastics welding can be a pretty good thing. I tend not to trust any sort of thermoplastic repair as much as the original part.
If filling the gouge is all that is important to you, not a strength repair, then you might be able to melted plastic of the same kind into the gouge and make a useful filling repair.
Yah the area is non structural so filling is the important part... at the moment it looks like it would catch onto branches and other debris but too big for me to want to cut off...
In that case a piece of scrap from a shortened hyfax plastic - or an old one, might work to fill it. Either type plastic is likely the same or similar enough to bond for a fill job. Just enough heat to get the sacrificial plastic melted enough to drip it on is what you want. The host (ski) should be nicely warmed in order to get a decent bond. A hair dryer would not be too much heat in the local area.
Go to a downhill Ski sales / repair outlet and ask for some P-tex rod. P-tex is a filler that has a low temperature melt point and can be applied using a heat gun and smoothed with a putty knife.
Had the same thing happen to me twice. Noticed the cut and replaced the ski. Next day put a big slice in the new ski. I ended just cutting the "chunk" off and using a dremil to smooth it out then a small propane torch to finish it.
I don't think Ptex will work on the type of plastic in skis. Usually you have to match the palstic due to the properties in the resin. Same thing with Kayaks. So many different brands. If you look up Pelican kayaks they have repair kits with heat welders. Also automotive stores sell reapair kits for plastic bumpers (same type of kits) Go to your ski's manufactur's site and see if they offer a repair kit or atleast the exact material they use in their skis.
Still haven't repaired my kayak yet.
RR
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2009 Tundra 300 F
300 cc of Raw Power
Iv'e used P-Tex to repair kayaks a few times before and it works for about a season. So I don't think that it would hold up on a sled ski. I could be wrong, but that's my experience with kayaks at least. Plastic welding probly is a better bet, if you can find a good one. Good luck.
