Hardwire Spring Lube

[JohnSKepler]

My Voile Transit springs sound like an old bed frame. Is there something the collective ‘we’ uses to quiet them down? I have to think it would also extend life and prevent corrosion. WD-40 comes to mind…

Shown are my V6 skis which I didn’t like with Meidjo and TXPro. You can see my experimental binding plates (white rectangles) made from polyethylene. Going to try them with my Transits and F1-Green. Using this one set of Transits on four skis now!

[Inspiredcapers]

Can’t comment on the squeaky bed noise yet as my Transits are still in the mail but I’m curious as to how thick the experimental polyethylene binding plates are. Strictly for mockup purposes or are you going to try skiing them? If you’re skiing them for awhile are they inserted?

Went a little crazy with binding purchases this year, have a few to try out now and not wanting to swiss cheese my skis too much…

[JohnSKepler]

Can’t comment on the squeaky bed noise yet as my Transits are still in the mail but I’m curious as to how thick the experimental polyethylene binding plates are. Strictly for mockup purposes or are you going to try skiing them? If you’re skiing them for awhile are they inserted?

Went a little crazy with binding purchases this year, have a few to try out now and not wanting to swiss cheese my skis too much…

Oh, I'll ski them for sure. I started making them out of plywood last year because I didn't want to Swiss cheese my skis. Those were 3/8" thick. Inserts in skis and inserts in the binding plates. They worked great but inserts aren't cheap, they take time to set, and wood presents a problem with water, especially when you're making binding plates for tomorrow and you don't have a week to cure the polyurethane.

During last season I took screws in and out of plastic Voile risers many times and they did fine. So this year I'm trying polyethylene instead of wood. It's naturally waterproof and doesn't need inserts. Again, inserts in the skis but the plastic shouldn't need them. 3/8" polyethylene sheets on Amazon.

I already replaced the plywood set I had for my objectives and they did fine. It wasn't a great test because I didn't really ski aggressively, but I will. For me.

The hardest part is getting the holes in the right places to match up with the ski but I've developed a system that works perfectly, and I do mean, perfectly. It's a little tedious but is foolproof. And then there's mounting the new bindings on top of the inserts. I try not to have a new binding hole within 1/4" of an old binding hole. I had to move the Transit back 3/4" to avoid interference with the other hole pattern to get that. These are on top of Meidjo 3 which is kind of a Swiss cheese all by itself!

I've thought about coming up with a universal binding plate pattern that I'd use on all new skis that would minimize interference. Haven't bothered with doing that yet. I also thought about using aluminum. You could go with 1/4" and get closer between holes but you'd be tapping all the holes. I may try that at some point. The polyethylene is a little heavy so I will be going back and making some lightening cuts on the underside with Forstner bits. Thought I'd test them out good first but we need some good snow for that and it's been a little thin so far.

[timpete]

Interesting idea! You could look into PEEK also as a material, might have better screw holding than polyethylene. Or teak - oily dense wood that should resist moisture damage over time.

[fisheater]

I would probably start with white lithium grease, because I have it in stock. It’s in the sweet spot between bearing grease and motor oil in my home shop.

[JohnSKepler]

Interesting idea! You could look into PEEK also as a material, might have better screw holding than polyethylene. Or teak - oily dense wood that should resist moisture damage over time.

Wood would be best for sure. Marine grade plywood to be exact, polyurethaned well. Pretty much what skis are made of. I’m using plastic because I’m lazy.

I would probably start with white lithium grease, because I have it in stock. It’s in the sweet spot between bearing grease and motor oil in my home shop.

I could drill a small hole in the barrel, push grease in, and cover it with a small rubber plug. Don’t know how else to get grease in there!

[fisheater]

On Hardwires you can unscrew the threads from the barrel. Then wipe on grease.
I haven’t tried on my Transit. They’re adjusted nicely, I’m not curious enough to find out.

[Capercaillie]

Spray-on silicone lubricant "creeps" well and does not react with plastics or rubber. That and silicone grease are the only things I use for anything that contacts/might drip or creep onto plastics.

[voilenerd]

I don’t really hear my transits when skiing. Only when carpet flexing at my house.