Remounting bindings in old drill holes...

I thought this would be a good time to ask this question as most of you all are likely fiddling with gear and rearing to go once the snow really begins to fall. Be nice as I am not a gear tech and have never mounted my own skis before, so here goes:

I had to pull off my bindings (naxos) to warranty them as there was a bit of play in the touring arms, and now having them back, want to remount them in the same holes... Is this possible? I assume yes as long as the holes are in good condition. I also have heard something about needing to first apply some sort of epoxy to the holes, then remount the bindings with new screws. Does this in effect cause the holes to be sealed, and  mean that you cannot pull them off again (once dried) and repeat ( if neccessary for whatever reason- say, if bindings fail )?

Also, any suggestions for type of epoxy, etc. that is known to work best with skis?

Thanks in advance to all and may it snow soon and hard!

Chris

You should be able to use the old screws and just screw them in again. Be careful of new screws as they may not have the same pitch to the threads and will strip the old holes. Also "DO NOT USE EPOXY" you will make it damn near impossible to remove the binders in the future :'(. Just squeeze a little white glue, waterproff carpenters glue iis best nto the holes this acts a lube and sealent. To repeat, same screws, carpenters glue go for it and get ready to ski.

BTW: Heat is useful in dealing with epoxied binding screws. A ski shop’s heat gun will put out some serious BTUs but even a hair dryer will help.

You should be able to use the old screws and just screw them in again. Be careful of new screws as they may not have the same pitch to the threads and will strip the old holes. Also "DO NOT USE EPOXY" you will make it damn near impossible to remove the binders in the future :'(. Just squeeze a little white glue, waterproff carpenters glue iis best nto the holes this acts a lube and sealent. To repeat, same screws, carpenters glue go for it and get ready to ski.

I did strip a few of the old screws and imagine that I could have possibly screwed up the threading in the holes as I remember some wood chunks coming out when I finally got the screw out... I plan to use some wood /carpenters glue, with a few new screws, along with the old ones, then first apply a small amount of glue before inserting screws. I hope it holds true enough but guess it cannot hurt to try.

Thanks also about the heat to help with the epoxy, I wonder if the reason I had such a hard time getting the screws out was that the ski shop I had them mounted in used an epoxy? My drill is quite powerful and the bit may have been the culprit as well since it was not the perfect size for the job.

thanks, going to get to work now and ski these puppies this weekend.

Chris

This glue topic comes up every few months on various forums - I am firmly in the epoxy camp, at least with my own skis. It not only seals out moisture, but improves the retention of the screw (bonds with the very similar resins in the topsheet of the ski) and does not, according to what I've seen/read, dissolve foam cores. If there is damage to the threads in the topsheet, epoxy will restore some structural strength.

My suggestion is to get the right screwdriver (Pozidrive #3), replace the deformed screws, remount with medium-speed epoxy (five minutes doesn't give you enough time to get all the screws in). If you need to remove them later, try holding the screwdriver firmly in the screws and applying heat with a heat gun to the shaft of the screwdriver. About 2 minutes per screw and they come out no problem.

I would like for the bindings to come off with minimal difficulty and as these skis will only have a useful life of 2 more years tops, I figured I would go with the earlier suggestion of a good waterproof carpenter's glue. It seems to be doing the trick and I will surely battle test them pretty soon. Thanks all for the suggestions- the skis are firmly mounted and the bindings no longer have any play in them- finally.

Another question to come soon regarding tuning, waxing equipment, etc.

Happy turkey day all.

Chris