I have found 250-260F to be optimal for heating the boot without discoloring/melting the plastic. But either way this is a great system. Very happy with it!
Hell ya!!! What a great video. I am person who buys thrift store ski equipment and because of this I have found a lot of boots that quite doesn't fit me or my kids. I am going to try this out on my 16yo daughter's boots. She has wide feet and I think this could really help.
Hey Craig, I have a number of 3D printers at home and I can print in heavy duty high temp materials. Are you able to share the STL files for the clamp end? Please let me know! Thank you!
Props for continuing to educate and support the ski scene! Question: I know Dalbellos are known for their thick shells, and you mentioned in one of your Dalbello boot reviews that you're not a fan of punching their shells. Do you mind elaborating? I just ordered a pair of Krypton 130s in a size down from my measured mondo, so I'm pretty much expecting a boot punch may be needed.
Hey Crabgrab, The Dalbellos have definitely gotten better in regards to their stretching capabilities. The main thing with the Kryptons was always just that from a design perspective and the shell thickness it is a bit more challenging to get a good result and get the stretches to hold their shape. Since their update to Krypton 2 shell and a step up in their plastic choice it has become much easier. There is for sure ways to tackle it and with some focus, you can still get a good result. Just requires a little more time... :) Also in your favor is the Dalbello shells running quite long in shell length which will be invaluable when downsizing the mondo.
Thank you so much! Just bought my first pair of boots and skis, and I was terrified they would have pinch points and be super painful. I'm glad there's something I can do to avoid the ankle pain from the rental boots I used to get!
Great idea, but wouldn't have enough pressure to from your feet alone to alter the plastic. If your boot allows it however, you may be able to heat mold the plastic to get a better shape.
@@tayloranderson456 No worries, yes. Heat molding is a different process for boots that have moldable plastics. Check out this video :) ua-cam.com/video/VsIptfZCZLg/v-deo.html
Do you have any info on how to identify which type of plastic is used in a shell? And also which temperatures should be used for various plastics? I work in a ski shop and have to do some punching now and then. Sometimes customers bring in boots I have no info on, so it's hard to know how much heat to use. We recently got a new "punching machine" from Tecnica. It's also used to thermoshape their Forge hiking boots. It's very quick and flexible, but uses a heat pad instead of heat elements, like the ultracam. Do you have any experience with this?
Yeah unless you look up the details on the boot its hard to directly know the plastic type. I think a lot of it really comes down to experience with punching many types of boots to getting used to how they respond. A general rule is to get the plastic to 300F/150C. But you will find boots that are Pebax or Grilamid require heating to different levels to get the best results. Also you will notice that different plastics will cool faster or heat through faster ( ie. transluscent vs solid.) Although I havent used the Tecnica one, I definitely have used many types of heating elements and tools. I always find myself going back to the hand held heat gun as I just like the control and ability to really fine tune/ feather the heat exactly where I want it.
You have the coolest channel ever! I just got done buying new boots and the fitter (/salesperson ?) told me 'There are things you could do to shape a boot to your foot with punches etc. but there was not much you could do to make a boot smaller.' There was also a buckle that I wanted to move (which in my mind, you could've just drilled an xtra hole), but he basically said you couldn't do it. Just shows me he either wasn't really informed or just wanted to sell me new boots. It's all good, I think my (new) boots are fine, but I feel like I could heat mold my shell myself now after watching your (other) video. Question - I have already had the liners heat molded - do you just skip warming those up if you just want to do the shell? (And would you do this with every pair of new boots, even if you foresee any specific issues (haven't skied with them yet))?
Thanks! Yeah any molding that you do is only to expand the boot. If you need to reduce space inside, you will want to do it with internal shims in the certain areas required. Moving a buckle is usually possible. And no I don't mold every boot. It is only for people who are experiencing pressure points or are being constricted by the boot. If the fit feels ok, you should just ski them in, or as you have done with a heat mold to the liners.
@@PatriotFootbeds Cool - thanks. I've decided not to do anything with the shell for now. But it is interesting how much you can actually do. I really had no idea. Thanks so much for your videos and replies! ...Oh, and Patriots rule! :D
@@cerenademe9433 Thanks for watching! Enjoy the skiing and I hope the boots work great. If not I hope there is some good info her for you to dial them in. Cheers
Hi ! Are all ski boots punchable ? I just got myself some SALOMON X-ALP EXPLORE and was wondering if it's possible to customise the shell ? Thanks for your answer, great video keep it up :) Adrien.
HI Adrien, Ye sit is possible to punch and stretch the X alp. But it is made from a Grilamid plastic, so it would require a lot of care and a bit of skill to get a good result. Do you have access to any boot fitters in your area?
@@PatriotFootbeds thanks for your fast answer ! Yes I can find some ski shops in my area. So it's maybe best to leave it to them and no try this myself at home ? ^-^ I thought that the shell had to be custumshell or custom-HD in order to do any changes to the shell shape ? (That's what I understood in one of your other videos)
@@adrienboisseau300 Yeah I would say the SLab boot would be one you could do yourself, but with how technical this boot is, I would try find someone to help you get them dialled in. The Grilamid needs to be heated slowly and having some specialist tools will make it much easier to manipulate. Best of luck with it! :)
Won't the punching out at the ankle interfere with the flex of the boot as now the upper cuff can't slide easily over the lower part of the boot, ie there will be some extra friction between the 2 parts?
Not to any noticeable degree. And if your ankle is impacting hard enough against the shell to warrant a punch, then flex isn't the biggest consideration.
If you are just putting your feet in without the liner, do you need to adjust at all for the bottom thickness of the liner since that would lift your feet up a bit? Or is that not a big issue.
The base of a liner is less than a mm. You might account for this on a grind, but very minimal when making a punch. Main thing is be sure the footbed height is accounted for.
@@PatriotFootbeds ok thanks! Sorry my boots are the price of the tool, I'm broke haha I will make a cad drawing like yours :) thanks for the fast response
Thanks Dan, I outsourced the printing to a local company, they printed me the parts in a PLA. I have been looking at some consumer 3D printers to make some stuff at home and will likely swap to an ABS. :)
Patriot Footbeds Another approach is to make some silicone moulds. Barnes is the best supplier down here IMHO. You can buy aluminium granules to fill the resins which is both cheaper and increases the heat tolerance of the parts. Then again just buying a Prusa i3 or something similar could be the simplest if you’re not sure about demand. Anyway - we’ll done mate!
Thanks Dan, Yeah I looked into some silicone molds, but I think the challenge is the groove that slides on to the tool not being easy to create even with a 2 part mold. :( Is the Prusa i3 a printer? I was considering the Anycubic i3 mega or the CR-10 as possible options for at home if you have any recommendations :)
Patriot Footbeds The Prusa i3 mk2s is the Cadillac of printers if you can afford it - the auto calibration is next level. I have an earlier gen Prusa than goes pretty good too. The Anycubic seems like the best value option down here but I’m guessing it could take a bit more effort to get good prints than the Prusa would. Whatever you get I’m looking forward to seeing your boot related designs. If you start getting more orders for punch tools than your printer can churn out then I’d be happy to share moulding/casting info - you can do some pretty hairy undercuts with the right mould design.
@@jamesmartin1711 Check them out here James. patriotfootbeds.com Im out of stock currently on the tools, but will have some more in the next 2 weeks. Shipping is included, but is taking a few weeks to Canada currently. Cheers and Merry Christmas.
Hi Craig, Thank you so much for making these videos! I have a severely distorted right ankle after a bad car accident in 2001. I punched out some head mojo 80 27.5 I was using on my own using a ball-peen hammer inside shell after heating with heat gun and slowly tightened the buckles. It worked perfect for them, most definitely a game changer for me but after one season really stepping up my ski game with no pain/pressure on my ankle anymore, I felt like I out grew the boot, I needed a stiffer boot better fit. I just purchased Dalbello Il moro mx110. in my correct mondo 26.5. I want to try these tools you made as I am a mechanic I have/or can get those vise grips lol. . . . I'm just curious after just seeing your shell molding video If I'll need to punch those dalbellos for my right ankle after heat molding them? will that heat molding process manipulate the shell around my huge ankle or should I still attempt to punch it? . . . Spending some money on those boots I really want to get them perfect and not mess them up. . . . I also just ordered some heel wedges I'm gonna need to add on right side only, the geometry of my bad ankle has been changed drastically. When I'm sitting with knees bent keeping them level my right heel is approx 1/2inch off the ground if that makes any sense. I ordered 1/4" and 3/8" wedges. If you have any experience doing just one side for special situation I'd like to hear. Thanks again! :)
Hi Benji, Yeah the Dalbello's with Contour 4 already have a preshaped ankle pocket in the shell, but you would have to just see if it lines up in the right spot. Also the molding might get a little bit more shape if you add some padding to your ankle when molding. It would just be the case of whether it will be enough to fully relieve the pressure. If it was to continue, than I would say yeah go ahead with a punch. Definitely have worked with many feet like yours after injury. It really is a case of doing what is necessary to make it work. For sure use the wedges to try and gain balance between your feet. Also you may look to shim the entire boot board to also try match your other foot better. Cheers :)
@@PatriotFootbeds For sure! I'll keep that in mind. I tried exact same boot on at my local shop and you are correct. those pockets didn't line right up with where I need. I'm hoping those heel wedges better align that and heating the shells will do the job. Maybe add some shims in there also under the board. Regardless, I'm super pumped! Just got an email the boots shipped. I'll keep you posted how they turn out. Thanks again, Ciao =D
@@PatriotFootbeds Just about got done molding and shaping, final fit I have 2; 3/8 wedges, one on top of the boot board and one underneath the foot bed inside liner makes geometry about perfect. After heat molding the shell with that set up in placing some foam padding on my ankles, I still felt too much pressure on the front of my ankle. Still ended up punching the outside ankle using my good ole ball peen hammer trick then I finished it off by heating just that area in the front w/heat gun again to approx 250 degrees F and jamming my daughters 11 inch softball with a thickish paperback book inside and tightened buckles to kinda flatten out the egdes that dalbello wraps around the ankles so close. Like you said, had to do whatever to make it work but honestly cannot feel a difference between the fits in either boot now =D!!! super comfy now can't wait to shred it up!
Just an update : my Il Moro's are killer! So comfortable! Thank you so much for The guide. I had about 35-40 runs so far between a few trips to some mountains and my skiing is getting back to how it was before my injuries. I even jumped a couple bumps today! Getting in that knee flex. These 110's are perfect stiffness slingshoting the turns 😊 amazing never thought I'd experience that feeling again. It's one of the only things I can do my where my ankle isn't hurting at all. Nowonder I'm becoming obsessed 🤣 I wouldn't have taken the risk investing in new boots if it wasn't for your videos, God bless brother 🙏
I have found 250-260F to be optimal for heating the boot without discoloring/melting the plastic. But either way this is a great system. Very happy with it!
Hell ya!!! What a great video. I am person who buys thrift store ski equipment and because of this I have found a lot of boots that quite doesn't fit me or my kids. I am going to try this out on my 16yo daughter's boots. She has wide feet and I think this could really help.
Hey Craig, I have a number of 3D printers at home and I can print in heavy duty high temp materials. Are you able to share the STL files for the clamp end? Please let me know! Thank you!
Props for continuing to educate and support the ski scene!
Question: I know Dalbellos are known for their thick shells, and you mentioned in one of your Dalbello boot reviews that you're not a fan of punching their shells. Do you mind elaborating? I just ordered a pair of Krypton 130s in a size down from my measured mondo, so I'm pretty much expecting a boot punch may be needed.
Hey Crabgrab,
The Dalbellos have definitely gotten better in regards to their stretching capabilities. The main thing with the Kryptons was always just that from a design perspective and the shell thickness it is a bit more challenging to get a good result and get the stretches to hold their shape. Since their update to Krypton 2 shell and a step up in their plastic choice it has become much easier. There is for sure ways to tackle it and with some focus, you can still get a good result. Just requires a little more time... :) Also in your favor is the Dalbello shells running quite long in shell length which will be invaluable when downsizing the mondo.
Thank you so much! Just bought my first pair of boots and skis, and I was terrified they would have pinch points and be super painful. I'm glad there's something I can do to avoid the ankle pain from the rental boots I used to get!
Thanks Evan! All the best with them!
You wouldn't happen to share the 3D files would ya? I got a printer with ABS here, and a boot fitter is a 3 month waiting list...Great vid!
Sorry not anymore. After some misuse, I now only sell the complete aluminium tools and extensions/parts.
Hi Craig
WOW , it was great same as always.
Alireza
This is great! Could you just wear the boots then heat up the areas that feel tight and let your foot do the punching?
Great idea, but wouldn't have enough pressure to from your feet alone to alter the plastic.
If your boot allows it however, you may be able to heat mold the plastic to get a better shape.
@@PatriotFootbeds Thanks! Is heat molding different than punching?
@@tayloranderson456 No worries, yes. Heat molding is a different process for boots that have moldable plastics.
Check out this video :) ua-cam.com/video/VsIptfZCZLg/v-deo.html
@@PatriotFootbeds Thanks!
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Sir
Gary Paisley no worries!
nice job! just ordered the aluminium ones from your store.
Awesome, Thanks Anti!
Ill get them ready to ship now :)
Do you have any info on how to identify which type of plastic is used in a shell? And also which temperatures should be used for various plastics? I work in a ski shop and have to do some punching now and then. Sometimes customers bring in boots I have no info on, so it's hard to know how much heat to use. We recently got a new "punching machine" from Tecnica. It's also used to thermoshape their Forge hiking boots. It's very quick and flexible, but uses a heat pad instead of heat elements, like the ultracam. Do you have any experience with this?
Yeah unless you look up the details on the boot its hard to directly know the plastic type. I think a lot of it really comes down to experience with punching many types of boots to getting used to how they respond. A general rule is to get the plastic to 300F/150C. But you will find boots that are Pebax or Grilamid require heating to different levels to get the best results. Also you will notice that different plastics will cool faster or heat through faster ( ie. transluscent vs solid.) Although I havent used the Tecnica one, I definitely have used many types of heating elements and tools. I always find myself going back to the hand held heat gun as I just like the control and ability to really fine tune/ feather the heat exactly where I want it.
You have the coolest channel ever! I just got done buying new boots and the fitter (/salesperson ?) told me 'There are things you could do to shape a boot to your foot with punches etc. but there was not much you could do to make a boot smaller.' There was also a buckle that I wanted to move (which in my mind, you could've just drilled an xtra hole), but he basically said you couldn't do it. Just shows me he either wasn't really informed or just wanted to sell me new boots. It's all good, I think my (new) boots are fine, but I feel like I could heat mold my shell myself now after watching your (other) video.
Question - I have already had the liners heat molded - do you just skip warming those up if you just want to do the shell? (And would you do this with every pair of new boots, even if you foresee any specific issues (haven't skied with them yet))?
Thanks!
Yeah any molding that you do is only to expand the boot. If you need to reduce space inside, you will want to do it with internal shims in the certain areas required.
Moving a buckle is usually possible.
And no I don't mold every boot. It is only for people who are experiencing pressure points or are being constricted by the boot. If the fit feels ok, you should just ski them in, or as you have done with a heat mold to the liners.
@@PatriotFootbeds Cool - thanks. I've decided not to do anything with the shell for now. But it is interesting how much you can actually do. I really had no idea. Thanks so much for your videos and replies! ...Oh, and Patriots rule! :D
@@cerenademe9433 Thanks for watching! Enjoy the skiing and I hope the boots work great. If not I hope there is some good info her for you to dial them in. Cheers
@@PatriotFootbeds Indeed! Thank you! BTW, my new boots are Hawx Ultra 95 S W - will be trying them out in a couple of days. Can't wait! :D
@@cerenademe9433 Great boot choice! Hope they work really well. :)
Hi !
Are all ski boots punchable ? I just got myself some SALOMON X-ALP EXPLORE and was wondering if it's possible to customise the shell ?
Thanks for your answer, great video keep it up :)
Adrien.
HI Adrien, Ye sit is possible to punch and stretch the X alp. But it is made from a Grilamid plastic, so it would require a lot of care and a bit of skill to get a good result. Do you have access to any boot fitters in your area?
@@PatriotFootbeds thanks for your fast answer !
Yes I can find some ski shops in my area.
So it's maybe best to leave it to them and no try this myself at home ? ^-^
I thought that the shell had to be custumshell or custom-HD in order to do any changes to the shell shape ? (That's what I understood in one of your other videos)
@@adrienboisseau300 Yeah I would say the SLab boot would be one you could do yourself, but with how technical this boot is, I would try find someone to help you get them dialled in. The Grilamid needs to be heated slowly and having some specialist tools will make it much easier to manipulate. Best of luck with it! :)
@@PatriotFootbeds thanks a lot for your advise! :)
Won't the punching out at the ankle interfere with the flex of the boot as now the upper cuff can't slide easily over the lower part of the boot, ie there will be some extra friction between the 2 parts?
Not to any noticeable degree. And if your ankle is impacting hard enough against the shell to warrant a punch, then flex isn't the biggest consideration.
If you are just putting your feet in without the liner, do you need to adjust at all for the bottom thickness of the liner since that would lift your feet up a bit? Or is that not a big issue.
The base of a liner is less than a mm. You might account for this on a grind, but very minimal when making a punch. Main thing is be sure the footbed height is accounted for.
The tooth paste bleeds through? Crazy
through the plastic??
Liked for the intro….haven’t even watched the video yet.
I wonder if you can get the same results from one of those paint less dent removal tools?
Nordica has a pretty similar system to that and it achieves great results! :)
Hey mate, amazing work! Are you willing to share the .stl file? Cheers!
Hi Duc, sorry have stopped selling the STL. I do still have available the Metal Parts if you want to make your own tool.
@@PatriotFootbeds ok thanks! Sorry my boots are the price of the tool, I'm broke haha I will make a cad drawing like yours :) thanks for the fast response
@@Filte good luck :)
Amazing work with CAD there Craig. What plastic did you print it in?
Thanks Dan, I outsourced the printing to a local company, they printed me the parts in a PLA. I have been looking at some consumer 3D printers to make some stuff at home and will likely swap to an ABS. :)
Patriot Footbeds Another approach is to make some silicone moulds. Barnes is the best supplier down here IMHO. You can buy aluminium granules to fill the resins which is both cheaper and increases the heat tolerance of the parts. Then again just buying a Prusa i3 or something similar could be the simplest if you’re not sure about demand. Anyway - we’ll done mate!
Thanks Dan, Yeah I looked into some silicone molds, but I think the challenge is the groove that slides on to the tool not being easy to create even with a 2 part mold. :(
Is the Prusa i3 a printer? I was considering the Anycubic i3 mega or the CR-10 as possible options for at home if you have any recommendations :)
Patriot Footbeds The Prusa i3 mk2s is the Cadillac of printers if you can afford it - the auto calibration is next level. I have an earlier gen Prusa than goes pretty good too. The Anycubic seems like the best value option down here but I’m guessing it could take a bit more effort to get good prints than the Prusa would. Whatever you get I’m looking forward to seeing your boot related designs. If you start getting more orders for punch tools than your printer can churn out then I’d be happy to share moulding/casting info - you can do some pretty hairy undercuts with the right mould design.
Patriot Footbeds Also, any tips for punching out snowboard boots besides heat gun + broom handle?
Stud!!!
Could you send me the 3D print file?
What do you charge for it?
Hi James, Sorry, I stopped selling the 3d printed parts. I now only sell these parts in Aluminum or as a complete tool.
@@PatriotFootbeds ok thx
I suppose you’re in USA but do you have a price list and if I decide to buy can figure out shipping to Canada then. Thx
@@jamesmartin1711 Check them out here James. patriotfootbeds.com Im out of stock currently on the tools, but will have some more in the next 2 weeks. Shipping is included, but is taking a few weeks to Canada currently. Cheers and Merry Christmas.
Hi Craig, Thank you so much for making these videos! I have a severely distorted right ankle after a bad car accident in 2001. I punched out some head mojo 80 27.5 I was using on my own using a ball-peen hammer inside shell after heating with heat gun and slowly tightened the buckles. It worked perfect for them, most definitely a game changer for me but after one season really stepping up my ski game with no pain/pressure on my ankle anymore, I felt like I out grew the boot, I needed a stiffer boot better fit. I just purchased Dalbello Il moro mx110. in my correct mondo 26.5. I want to try these tools you made as I am a mechanic I have/or can get those vise grips lol. . . . I'm just curious after just seeing your shell molding video If I'll need to punch those dalbellos for my right ankle after heat molding them? will that heat molding process manipulate the shell around my huge ankle or should I still attempt to punch it? . . . Spending some money on those boots I really want to get them perfect and not mess them up. . . . I also just ordered some heel wedges I'm gonna need to add on right side only, the geometry of my bad ankle has been changed drastically. When I'm sitting with knees bent keeping them level my right heel is approx 1/2inch off the ground if that makes any sense. I ordered 1/4" and 3/8" wedges. If you have any experience doing just one side for special situation I'd like to hear. Thanks again! :)
Hi Benji,
Yeah the Dalbello's with Contour 4 already have a preshaped ankle pocket in the shell, but you would have to just see if it lines up in the right spot. Also the molding might get a little bit more shape if you add some padding to your ankle when molding. It would just be the case of whether it will be enough to fully relieve the pressure. If it was to continue, than I would say yeah go ahead with a punch.
Definitely have worked with many feet like yours after injury. It really is a case of doing what is necessary to make it work. For sure use the wedges to try and gain balance between your feet. Also you may look to shim the entire boot board to also try match your other foot better.
Cheers :)
@@PatriotFootbeds For sure! I'll keep that in mind. I tried exact same boot on at my local shop and you are correct. those pockets didn't line right up with where I need. I'm hoping those heel wedges better align that and heating the shells will do the job. Maybe add some shims in there also under the board. Regardless, I'm super pumped! Just got an email the boots shipped. I'll keep you posted how they turn out. Thanks again, Ciao =D
@@PatriotFootbeds Just about got done molding and shaping, final fit I have 2; 3/8 wedges, one on top of the boot board and one underneath the foot bed inside liner makes geometry about perfect. After heat molding the shell with that set up in placing some foam padding on my ankles, I still felt too much pressure on the front of my ankle. Still ended up punching the outside ankle using my good ole ball peen hammer trick then I finished it off by heating just that area in the front w/heat gun again to approx 250 degrees F and jamming my daughters 11 inch softball with a thickish paperback book inside and tightened buckles to kinda flatten out the egdes that dalbello wraps around the ankles so close. Like you said, had to do whatever to make it work but honestly cannot feel a difference between the fits in either boot now =D!!! super comfy now can't wait to shred it up!
Incredible Benji! Great work! Enjoy the well earnt turns :)
Just an update : my Il Moro's are killer! So comfortable! Thank you so much for The guide. I had about 35-40 runs so far between a few trips to some mountains and my skiing is getting back to how it was before my injuries. I even jumped a couple bumps today! Getting in that knee flex. These 110's are perfect stiffness slingshoting the turns 😊 amazing never thought I'd experience that feeling again. It's one of the only things I can do my where my ankle isn't hurting at all. Nowonder I'm becoming obsessed 🤣 I wouldn't have taken the risk investing in new boots if it wasn't for your videos, God bless brother 🙏