Cracked boot, plastic welding?

[Hans]

Nice boots to get some injuries

Wouldn't take the chance to repair those boots, too risky if you ask me. Especially with the forces of ex.carving.

[Schneewurm]

What a shame for this DeeLuxe-shell, just moldet in Italy!

So let me ask some questions about the Raichle/DeeLuxe Hardboots - and of course I will answer some of them at same time.

Remark: this Deeluxe-shell is well known as AF-shell. SB-shell is similar like Track 225/335.

• Are this boots now overall made in Switzerland? - Not at all!
• Is the AF-Shell a well engineered product like the older SB-shell, which was driven by good swiss shoe-makers? - certainly No!
• Was the AF-shell a quick-and-dirty-devlopment, driven by the new Austrian owner of Raichle at that time: Kneissel? - Yes, it seems!
• Does the AF-shell look like a patchwork with his splited and riveted tongue? - Yes it does!
• Was the AF-shell the all over market-leader, like the SB-shell (in Switzerland about 80-90% of all selling Hardboots over any brand have been the SB-boots), because they are excellent to ride, comfortabel and long living? - No, never at all Years of production!
• Was the overall production of DeeLuxe-hardboots moving by Kneissel from Switzerland to Hungary and Czech Republic for less production costs? - Yes surely, Austrians prefer other quality standarts!
• Does DeeLuxe use the same high quality plastics, from the plastics-supplier like they used it at factory in Kreulingen, later in Bottighofen? - I don't know!
• Does Raichle design the AF-shell to use it with non flexible Skiboot-buckles? - No, just with the well known "newer" AF-specific band-buckles, which can fit full the contour of the shell!
• Does DeeLuxe make the boot more stiff using just harder plastics, without to cheque if the construction is able to manage this? - Yes, it seems!
• Are the actual boots since some Years drilled to a cheap and costless manufacturing (e.g. missing plastic-inlay between liner and shell, mass-productioned Skiboot-buckles instead of the orginale band-buckles, liners are now from China, no more calf-spoiler on Track 225/325), for maximise shareholder value? - Yes surely!
• Is the actual price of the most expensive hardboot from DeeLuxe now 50 % higher then Years ago (inflation rate was much time less)? - Yes surely, it's now a days more importend to earn money then to make a good job/product!

Well, surely its nice for us, there are still some hardboot-makers on market. But higher prices don't realy match with a "more"/better product.
So let ask me what are You seeking for, a good product, or just as like usual, a good marketinged product?

[Simon]

@ Schneewurm:
you are right with all your questions, but I already know that and that does not help me.
I really hoped that at least you know the plastic type of the AF shell? Please search one time again!

For sure I'm looking for a good product, but that does not exist

PS: I cracked also the well engineered SB shell

[Schneewurm]

And from which factory/time-period (Kneissel, pre-Kneissel) was the boot?

I really hoped that at least you know the plastic type

Hey man, just open your eyes! Every plastic-part of Raichle boots, from shell to tongue and spoilers is market with the type of material (different materials!) in big letters. But only the type of material, not the quality and origine of them!

And as I rememeber me well, there is at your location the Technische Univeristät Nürnberg with an Institut für Werkstoffwissenschaften introducing also Polymerwerkstoffe. So ask just a student from there, hanging on any of the multiple/everywhere McDonalds in Nürnberg (the Germans should better stop to eat so much junk-food!), perhaps he can help You! Good luck!

[skywalker]

@ Schneewurm:
you are right with all your questions, but I already know that and that does not help me.
I really hoped that at least you know the plastic type of the AF shell? Please search one time again!

For sure I'm looking for a good product, but that does not exist

PS: I cracked also the well engineered SB shell

Haha, very funny.
Maybe you forgot: He's the Almanach of sh**, knowing abolutely everything - except anything anyone might need

skywalker

P.S.: Even if a swiss product fails, he will be able to blame anybody else.

[Simon]

Hey Schneewurm,

stop the thing switzerland against the rest of the world, I'm swiss too!

And from which factory/time-period (Kneissel, pre-Kneissel) was the boot?

I bought this boot in February 2005 and it's not a last season model.

Hey man, just open your eyes! Every plastic-part of Raichle boots, from shell to tongue and spoilers is market with the type of material (different materials!) in big letters. But only the type of material, not the quality and origine of them!

Do you really think, if it's so easy I would ask here?????

If you really are "mister knowing everything about snowboard" tell me the plastic type, if not stop writing!

Simon

[starikashka]

Guys Does the life level in switzerland so low that you need to think about how to repair thing and introduce a unmanageable risk in the snowboard fun?

[Schneewurm]

@Simon
Boots from 2005? In the Year 2000 production of Raichle in Switzerland was terminated.
Did You use this boot fitted with Your SAB ?

@starikashka
You know, Swiss poeple are sometimes a kind of modesty, not so prodical like perhaps russians can be.
Remember, Aleksandr Vasilevich Suvorov loosed 5'000 of 21'000 soldiers, without any battle, just only by crossing 3 passes 200 Years ago in Switzerland.
Now a days russians like to accomodate in Central Spa Hotel for going carving in Sölden like BIG3 - Think BIG - Think Sölden.

E.g. me, I can be very satisfied to carve, at just this passes I wrote above, some view 100 meters or some view kilometers beside the track Suvorov was crossing the alps. This could be at a liftcard for Euro 11.- a day and a 2-bedroom for Euro 13.60.- a day, probable on free nice slopes like in Sölden. (see also pictures, I'm not talking about Engelberg)
Sure, there are no lots of wellness-attendants around me, just some poeple living in a rough area, talking a language which is hard to understand even for me - just only an authentic mountain-area!

[Simon]

Yes, this boot was only used with SAB, but I don't think that's the point.

[starikashka]

Schneewurm if modesty driving to do such a stupid thing like getting more risk for yourself it`s should be called differently

Suvorov made this march to win a battle. Did he? Who knows how many soliders would be killd if he did not made this. Another Russian general, Zhukov said during II world war - "I do not worry about soliders - women will make more for us".Everything for a victory.

So, what was your point to mention that great guy

BTW - prices are good where did you get it?

[ursle]

back to op
http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/s ... hp?t=21489

same question recently on bomber, concensus is it's non weldable
but replaceable
intecs will prevent it next time,


now then
anyone have any intec heels they arn't using and would like to trade or sell
thanx

[Simon]

Finally I tried to weld the shell plastic. it does not work, the plastics melts, but with a lot of bubbles (perhaps the plastic has absorbed water) and a homogeneous weldseam is not possible.

ursle: I have already seen the post on "bol", thats the explanation, thanks.

Simon

[starikashka]

glue would help but anyway - new boots are better.

[Schneewurm]

@Simon:
The modification of Your boot with the SAB can be an additional stress for the boot. (I saw Your SAB only on Your pictures, but I think there are at least two general things, they don't mach to the orginal boot-construction idea.) I don't have at the moment the user manual for Your AF-boot, but just see the attached graphic showing the user manual from the Raichle SB-Boots.
Safety pitch No.4: Do not make changes which are not specifically described in these instructions.
Safety pitch No.8: Any mechanical modification (drilling, gluing etc.) of a boot must be performed only by a trained specialist. Such modifications are made exclusively at your own risk.
So be afraid, also changing the orginal mechanism to a Bomber BTS, can destruct the plastic. The BTS (a kind of a dirty construction) can be modified to prevent such actions.

Another peril is the use of American bindings like Catec or Bomber comming with metall levers. As the Hardboots have been designed, all brands of platebindings are comming with any kind of plastic front trigger, no metall-stuff at all. Metall lever can occour additional stress to the boot design. The next peril is the force of closing the front trigger. Overtighten levers are an additional stress for bindings and boots.
Forces and how to do thighten the binding, are described in Your owner manual of the bindings, or are teached in every basic lesson by an alpine snowboarding school.

I hope I will not annoy You when I predict gluing with the specific glue for this material, whitout any additional reinforcement, wouldn't help in this case of crack!
(Type of plastic is marked between the two sign > <like>XXX< inside of the plastic)

[Franck Lehmans]

Finally I tried to weld the shell plastic. it does not work, the plastics melts, but with a lot of bubbles (perhaps the plastic has absorbed water) and a homogeneous weldseam is not possible.

Hi Simon !

Isn't it possiblie to use fibers and "résine" (like "Araldite"... I dont remember how to say it in englisn so I have wrote it in french) ? Of course, that repaired part will be harder than the rest of the boot. But wy dont you try that ?

Hope you'll find a solution !