Ski bottom finishing method

Claim 1

A laminated ski comprising: a core member tapering from an intermediate point of maximum thickness towards its opposite ends; an upper metal member bonded to the upper side of said core member and a similar lower metal member bonded to the lower side of said core member; a top member of hard plastic material bonded to said upper metal member and having a smooth outer surface; a bottom member of hard plastic material bonded to said lower metal member and having a predetermined texture pattern of elongated irregular indentations without feather edges or fuzzy ends impressed on its bottom surface, said indentations having a depth of about .002 to .005 inches and extending generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the ski, the bottom surface also having a central longitudinally extending groove of less depth than the thickness of said bottom member impressed therein.

Claim 3

A method for manufacturing a ski having a textured pattern of a multiplicity of irregular indentations and a central longitudinally extending groove on its bottom surface, said indentations having a depth of about 0.002 to 0.005 inch, said indentations being free of feather edges and fuzzy ends, comprising the steps of: providing elements for forming the ski including a bottom lamination of hard plastic material; providing a form having an area at least as large as the area of said bottom ski lamination; surface treating said form to provide a roughened surface having a multiplicity of irregular ridges having a height of about 0.002 to 0.005 inch and also providing a raised portion of uniform width and thickness extending longitudinally along the center of the surface of said form, the thickness of said raised portion being less than the thickness of said bottom lamination; placing said form against the bottom surface of said bottom lamination and applying heat in the range of about 250* to 400* F. and pressure in the range of about 60 to 100 p.s.i. to the form to press against the heat the bottom lamination to cause the form to imprint its pattern of irregular ridges on the bottom surface of the bottom lamination in a precise manner, without feather edges or fuzzy ends and also to imprint a longitudinally extending centrally located groove of uniform width and of a thickness less than the thickness of the bottom lamination on the bottom surface of said bottom lamination.

Claim 4

A method for manufacturing a ski having a textured pattern of a multiplicity of irregular indentations and a central longitudinally extending groove on its bottom surface, said indentations having a depth of about 0.002 to 0.005 inch, said indentations being free of feather edges and fuzzy ends, comprising the steps of: providing elements for forming the ski including a bottom lamination of hard plastic material; providing a form having an area at least as large as the area of said bottom ski lamination; surface treating said form to provide a roughened surface having a multiplicity of irregular ridges having a height of about 0.002 to 0.005 inch and also providing a raised portion of uniform width and thickness extending longitudinally along the center of the surface of said form, the thickness of said raised portion being less than the thickness of said bottom lamination; placing said form against the bottom surface of said bottom lamination and applying heat in the range of about 250* to 400* F. and pressure in the range of about 60 to 100 p.s.i. to the form to press against the heat the bottom lamination to cause the form to imprint its pattern of irregular ridges on the bottom surface of the bottom lamination in a precise manner, without feather edges or fuzzy ends and also to imprint a longitudinally extending centrally located groove of uniform width and of a thickness less than the thickness of the bottom lamination on the bottom surface of said bottom lamination.