Does turf soften up?

[Shadow7874]

My turf, underpadding, hood seal and contact cement arrived to day and i must say im suprised. The seal is amazingly soft but really firms up under pressure, it should be much better then the dry rotted to hell one i removed.
The turf suprised me though, the old stuff on my ski was quite work but it was significantly softer then the new turf. The new turf is rugged (i need new razors before i think of starting) but will it get softer with the addition of water or something?

O yeah, anyone know what size rivets to use to rivet my 550 chinpad back on? Ive never used a rivet before but i have a pop rivet gun so i just need to know what to buy.

 

[FyrHazard]

Did you get the B-stock turf? I thought mine was pretty hard too, and it hasn't softened up even after 2 years.

 

[Big Kahuna]

It softens up in the sunlight.

 

[Wolf Child]

pour gas on it and light it on fire. it'll soften up.

 

[Shadow7874]

Its regular diamond molded turf, not the b stock. Im hoping it gets a bit softer cause it seems rough, and it looks like its going to be a b**** to glue down, fortunately i dont have to cross that bridge for a few days at least, although the sooner i do the sooner i can ride.

 

[stanton]

heat makes it MUCH MUCH MUCH easier to work with.

 

[Shadow7874]

Is there a wait time between underpadding and turf?
The under padding should be super simple and i could probably knock it out after my exams but before work tommorrow then let it dry good before turfing over it.

Any good methods for making a pattern to cut out? Id like to have enough to do my tray and rails off of the one roll but i dont know if that will happen.

 

[restosud]

the pole pad on a 550 screws on.no rivets.
turf will get softer with heat but will return to it's present state once cool.

 

[Wolf Child]

Is there a wait time between underpadding and turf?
The under padding should be super simple and i could probably knock it out after my exams but before work tommorrow then let it dry good before turfing over it.

Any good methods for making a pattern to cut out? Id like to have enough to do my tray and rails off of the one roll but i dont know if that will happen.

get a paper bag or somthing similar to make your patterns.

use an angle grinder or disk sander to make smooth transitions in the pad.

you should be able to turf right away, although alot of people I have seen let it dry first.

get yourself a heat gun and a BFRM to do the turf. it will come out MUCH better.

 

[kawyjunki]

You can make a pattern out of some thin cardboard like a cereal box, or some craftboard like you would find at wal-mart, or use some large masking paper as well.

As far as time between aplications, once your underpad is stuck your good to go again with the turf. Just make sure you put 2-3 good coats of glue on the turf and pad it will soak up abit.

 

[Shadow7874]

the pole pad on a 550 screws on.no rivets.
turf will get softer with heat but will return to it's present state once cool.

So the six rivets i drilled out were screws in disguise??? :biggrin:
Mine was riveted in, perhaps its different for other years but i dont really have anything to screw it in to. Its a thin plastic piece with 6 holes covered in styrofoam.

And should i just use a flat piece for the bottom and one for the sides or try to do it all in one? Id prefer seamless but will it be better to just do a couple parts since its my first time turfing?

 

[yankeeboy]

if you still have it, and its in 1 piece- use your old turf as a template

 

[Shadow7874]

if you still have it, and its in 1 piece- use your old turf as a template

Its long gone. The tray way in one peice but the sides were mangled. Im sure ic an measure the tray and cut out a square, just not sure how to get the sides right in all one peice, nothing better to do then try when i get the time

 

[Big Kahuna]

place your turf on the hood of your car, it will soften up and make it easy to work with.

 

[Conquistador]

pour gas on it and light it on fire. it'll soften up.

:haha:

Like Wolf Child said, I'd use a heat gun. Even a hair dryer will work, but you'll need to exercise some patience.

 

[Shadow7874]

Well i was going to do the underpadding today but took a nap instead. Got hardly any sleep last night so i figured i might as well get some before work.

Will a regular exacto blade cut turf easily if heated? It seems pretty tuff

 

[Moondance]

Make your pattern out of poster board first. Once you know it fits the ski, then cut the turf. You don't heat it to cut it. When you start shaping it around any angles, corners, footholds, etc, you will then heat enough to stretch it around the shapes. There are several good threads on turfing. Sounds like you need to do a little reading before jumping into this project.