The goal of the graphic was to tie basalt into the design while keeping with the Aftermath theme. Basalt is formed by the rapid cooling of lava and can form a hexagonal crystal structure. As a follow up to last years Revelation theme, a red dragon eye was used (vice last years white horse eye). Here are a few photos that show the development of the graphic.
At this point all the layers of the ski were nearly ready. The quad-axial basalt was cut into strips for the layup.
This pair of skis are the last planned use of the wooden ski press. My goal for next year is to have the steel press ready; this will allow me to press two skis at once or even a snowboard.
I cut the flashing off again this year with a jig-saw which isn't ideal. The blade angle can change during cutting and produce an edge that is not perpendicular to the base. Next year I hope to have a bandsaw. This year I built myself a spindle sander from an old air compressor motor so that I could more easily finish the ski edges, tip, and tail. I used a 6" diameter expander wheel and sanding belt for the spindle. The sander worked very well, especially compared to the belt sander I had used in years past. During edge sanding it never bogged down and I didn't even have to change the belt. This turned out to be a very good investment.
The final ski is below; I didn't use tip or tail spacer material this year, but ran the core the full length of the ski. I did cut the core about 5mm narrower than the tip and tail so that no wood would be exposed; this is shown below.
Overall, the skis have a good flex and a relatively low weight; they are the heaviest of the Aftermath, but also have the best overall flex. A summary of the three generations of Aftermath is shown below:
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|
Stiffness
(lb/in)
|
Pair
Weight
|
|
Aftermath (AMH-12)
|
17.34
|
8 lb 10 oz (3912 grams)
|
|
Aftermath 2.0 (AMH-13)
|
7.95
|
7 lb 0 oz (3175 grams)
|
|
Aftermath 3.0 (AMR-14
|
12.22
|
9 lb 0 oz (4082 grams)
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