Re-glue skins

I have stripped all the glue off the skins with a heat-gun and a puddy-knife. The BD Gold Seal glue is so thick I can't spread without it rolling and balling. I am going to buy more glue tomorrow and warm it before trying to spread it. Fresh snow is accumulating.... Any suggestions or best practices would be REALLY REALLY appreciated.

Warming the glue is key. It makes it possible to make nice thin coats of glue. I usually put the glue tube in a vessel of quite warm water. It'll be obvious when the viscosity decreases.

Ventilate well; the solvent is good for the glue, but no-bueno for you.

BD Gold is meant for patching. They make full length iron on glue strips.

I think www.straightchuter.com has a tutorial. I'd recommend watching it because i did mine and had a few spots where i messed up the glue when i pulled the laminate off.

blackdiamondequipment.com/en/ski-skins/g...D1635330000ALL1.html

BD Gold is meant for patching. They make full length iron on glue strips.

I ordered the strips but snow piling up.  Thanks

Warming the glue is key.

Thanks

Do the transfer strips stick to ski bases as well as the naptha-laden Gold Label? I've been less impressed with the glue on recent BD skins than with my older Gold-Label re-glued skins.

Do the transfer strips stick to ski bases as well as the naptha-laden Gold Label? I've been less impressed with the glue on recent BD skins than with my older Gold-Label re-glued skins.

Ski bases? Yes. Skin bases? No, not very well.

At least in my experience. The process was a pain in the ass and the results weren't very good, so I'll gladly be buying a new pair of skins for an extra ~$60 instead next time. They'll last longer anyway.

edit: maybe I'll try the gold label next time. But the sheets suck.

Apply blue painter's tape to the plush side of your skins prior to spreading on glue. There's no way you can avoid accidentally getting some glue on the plush, and this will protect it. Warming the glue beforehand is a really good idea. Warmed glue applies easily with a spreader, such as a Popsicle stick.

I've had good results with Gold-Label -- but more as a summer project -- where I can let thin layers of glue dry in warm temps for several days between coats.

I can say for sure that a thick layer of gold label applied at 11:00PM the night before a tour and left to dry in a 45 F garage for a 6:00AM departure is a fricking disaster.

Totally agreed with both Jim and Randy. The blue painter's tape is an essential, especially with warm glue, which will run into the plush more readily. I use an expired credit card as a spreader; it's wide and stiff, but not too wide.

Thin layers, cured at least a day in a warm place after the final application, are key. It'll stink up your house if cured inside.

Thank you all for your input.  Painter's tape to the plush side of the skins prior to gluing is essential.  Warming the glue to apply a thin layer prior to using the transfer rolls is key!   The Black Diamond Gold Label Glue Renew Transfer Rolls worked great but you have to be careful when you line up the roll prior rolling it out or your going to track off to one side.  I set the heat of the iron at just below cotton/wool and kept the iron moving.  Then immediately pressed it with a roller.  I did this three times and let it cool.  So many little things to be careful of as you go but a heat gun and puddy knife make the fixes easy because you can heat the puddy knife to fix glue smudges / mistakes instead of adding more glue from the tube.  I thought I Ventilated enough but I didn't.  The true test will be on the mountain Wednesday.

This Facewest video was very helpful as well:

Looks like bubbles in the image but there are none.
https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/1928856_10207742676380237_5894087117388177466_n.jpg?oh=6c1765494274ae14ce0675622061ef31&oe=57204865

https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/12360155_10207742676540241_5982387570631488817_n.jpg?oh=6105071a41bb2dc24f8f3ca06abc938c&oe=57130775

Looks like a good job to me. The only tip I'd add to what's been said above is that you can brush on Gold Label--patching thin spots or re-gluing entire skins--followed by heating with a heat gun. That'll give a nice, even coat as well as encouraging a good bond between skin fabric and glue, or between old and new adhesive.

Caveat: I don't know how close to the glue's flash point the tip of a heat gun is, but it's worth considering the consequences should all those fumes ignite.

I've never bothered taping the plush side of skins; using a disposable bristle paintbrush creates very little mess. And the bit of adhesive which did once get into the working part of a skin never bothered me--it looks ugly, but doesn't interfere with function.

As always, YMMV.

Mark