It was a dark and stormy night, and closed the door of my car with a paddle blade right next to the door hinge.
So I lost a small section of the paddle tip (water entry edge, outermost portion of the blade) . It is about 2.5 inches long and with a maximum width of a dime. It looks like a spearpoint. I still have the section.
What is the best way to repair it for the sake of aesthetics. I was thinking of using some carbon fiber cloth, the appropriate resin, and judicious sanding to secure the piece that cracked off.
Would I use ordinary epoxy or does carbon fabric need a special resin?
You don’t need special epoxy. I would first tape the piece back in place with clear tape on one side and fill the gap on the other side with epoxy. You can add graphite powder to the mixed epoxy to darken it so that it will show less. You will need to make a splint out of cardboard or something like to hold the pieces in proper alignment as the epoxy cures. Once it does, remove the tape and fill any residual gap on the opposite side if needed.
I would use fiberglass to patch over the crack. Plain weave 4 ounce/square yard cloth will probably be sufficient if you patch both sides. This will be much less apparent than using carbon fiber fabric as fiberglass is nearly transparent when fully wet out. You would never match the weave pattern of the carbon on the blade with a carbon fiber patch and it would stick out like a sore thumb.
I repair carbon paddles and sometimes boats all the time. It’s just as easy as working with fiberglass but watch out for splinters and cutting yourself on the fibers. I dont sweat the weave,the builders don’t