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Jacques

Workin' It on Skis Best I Can
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Reality check: every time you ride up the lift, your ski bases are bathed in UV light. It reflects off the snow. Bluebird spring days are the worst because of the higher sun angle. Basic rule of thumb: if you are accumulating a sun burn, your bases are getting their fair share too. So, I'd think a few hours of UV exposure to cure a Phantom application really is just a drop in the bucket as far as ski bases are concerned.

Truth. Anyway I was trying humor. Should have used one of these! ;)
 

PisteOff

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If you’re handy, you can rig up some UV lights over an indoor workbench. I don’t know what the specs of the lamps would need to be, but it’s what DPS will be recommending to shops that want to apply Phantom.
Take your skis to the tanning salon.....that would get some looks :ogcool:
 

Andy Mink

Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
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I rely on structure and that fluoro, and usually it's enough... for a while. Then the fluoro and wax wear off, and it's back at it. Especially in spring, the morning crust makes sure the afternoon is pretty wax free. I don't feel like waxing daily or switching skis midday (but have done that a couple times). Would be nice to paint and forget.
Supposedly you can wax over the Phantom. You could set it up for the morning and at least have something left at the end of the day. Unfortunately the gooey stuff comes later in the day.
 

cantunamunch

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That would be very nice... I got my skis waxed after a very sticky day at Copper last year, and the next day it was better, but not nearly as much as I was hoping. So short of doing it yourself with the right level of knowledge, even a fresh shop wax helps minimally with spring conditions.

When you decide on a second pair, have a serious think about having one of them ground for spring, especially if you find a place that does chevron or thumbprint structures as those are still decent in cold.
 

Tom K.

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When you decide on a second pair, have a serious think about having one of them ground for spring, especially if you find a place that does chevron or thumbprint structures as those are still decent in cold.

Agree. For sticky spring snow, structure is number one, and wax is one-point-one.

Ha, geeky engineering humor!

Honestly, when it gets that sticky, it means my local mtb trails are entering their prime season...
 

dbostedo

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Hmm... never considered a grind. I didn't realize it would make that kind of difference. I'll have to consider that next time! (Might be back in Colorado in late April... )
 

pcjer

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I was in on the early Kickstarter and have been looking at the box since it's been cloudy when I've been home in Utah lately. Think I'm going to try the application on my giant Pow skis that see less than 10 days per year (unfortunately), it would be nice not to have to worry about waxing those ever. I'm nervous to try it on my Renouns in case I screw it up!
 

dovski

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What's the application procedure?
you have to apply compound A then leave the skis in the sun to cure for three hours after which you apply compound B and let the skis cure for another three hours before you can brush the stuff off. THey say that you then need to ski them for two runs before Phantom will take effect. Forecast is for sunshine in my area on Sunday so will be applying to my rock skis so I can test it on Monday at Crystal. If it works I will apply to my other skis. Big challenge is the application process as it just is not super practical - DPS did not share this with anyone during the kickstarter campaign
 

James

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Hmmm...did they outline the UV light option?
I actually have been gifted an application or whatever it's called.
 

Andy Mink

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THey say that you then need to ski them for two runs before Phantom will take effect.
You will definitely notice that the bases will feel sticky/grippy for a few runs. Once the excess goo is gone they will be fine.
 

dovski

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Hmmm...did they outline the UV light option?
I actually have been gifted an application or whatever it's called.
I spoke with DPS and they said UV light would not work. They later emailed everyone and said they hoped to have an indoor solution to share within 2 weeks
 

mdf

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Or maybe some specific wavelength that the UV lamp doesn't put out. Maybe those chemists that found the patent could figure it out?
 

Jacques

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So what cures it if not UV? Heat?

Can't be heat. Seems they said the sun would work at like 20 degrees F. I think that's above here, or the other thread on this "juice"
 

eok

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I'm guessing DPS really means standard fluorescent lights won't work as a UV source.

The Phantom application needs a specific light wavelength (or range of them). I've worked with UV cured resins that cure at UVB and some at UVC wavelengths. Those are the most common, as far as I'm aware. But, there are other resins that cure at other specific UV wavelengths. There's also some types of coatings that are cured with a combination of infrared and UV. Considering how complicated and expensive things could get to cure via some sort of artificial light source, just leaving the treated skis in the sun for a while looks real attractive to me now. ;^)

Anyway, looking forward to hearing the details from DPS soon. I'm thinking if the product becomes popular then shops will start selling it and will want to be able to cure it in-house (day or night, rain/snow or shine) as part of a service bundle.
 

dovski

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I think this is the flaw in the product as currently it has to be sun cured. The fellow I spoke with at DPS said they had tested with black lights but had bad results. Bottom line the time and light requirement for curing is going to be a challenge for shops. If DPS cannot find a faster simpler way to cure the skis this will likely become a niche product for die hards like us. Hopefully they come up with a solution in two weeks like their email said the would. My guess is they are scrambling to test a bunch of different options right now to see what works.
 

dbostedo

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^^^
They emphasize partly sunny to sunny in the instructions... cloudy days are no good.

I'm finding the need for 6 hours of sun an issue only because of the time of year. If I wait until summer to apply it, I won't have any issues, and I suspect many folks wouldn't.
 

James

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A tanning salon?
Some shops now have an infrared waxer. It runs down a track above the ski at a set speed several inches above.I would think you could convert it to uv.
 

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