Hi, I purchased carbon paddles that don’t come assembled. I glued the paddle blade to the shaft using just regular hot glue, but on my first try I lost one of the paddle blades. I’m not sure what to use to get a good bonding. I have searched the net for advice, but I haven’t found any thing specific enough for my situation.
I’m looking for a very specific advice on what product to use and how to do it. I just don’t want to risk losing another blade in the water. Thanks!
Epoxy or plexus
Both available from jamestown dist.
Use the extended cure epoxy.
The stuff that takes an hour to 24 to set up. 5 minute stuff seems more brittle and rarely gives you enough time to place everything in alignment.
The new West G-flex epoxy might be
good for glueing on a paddle blade. The 4 oz bottles are reasonable in price, and it mixes at a one-to-one ratio. Takes about a day plus to set up, but probably the paddle could be used after 24 hours. G-flex is thicker than regular West 105/205, so it’s less likely to run out of the joint, but thickening with colloidal silica or microfibers is easy.
I’ve been using G-flex for attaching fittings to the inside of a composite hull, and it works quite well. West claims it will stick to poly hulls if they are cleaned and flamed first. I’m skeptical.
What does the manufacturer suggest?
The manufacturer that sold you the paddle doesn’t have a suggestion (or include some epoxy with the paddle)?
Anyway, epoxy is the thing.
Make sure that you clean the shaft ends and sockets in the blades very well. You probably contaminated them with the hot-melt.
Thanks for the tips
Thanks very much for the advice. I just ordered from Jamestown distibutors the G/Flex Epoxy. It helped that this site provided enough information on the product to help me chose the one I need (there are so many types of epoxy).
I’m looking forward to get this done so I can enjoy my new set of wing paddles
Thanks
Thanks, i ordered from them
Thanks
– Last Updated: Apr-17-09 4:28 PM EST –
if you can find it
Locktite makes an adhesive called “depend”. I have not been able to get a good supplier for it, but it is extremely strong. By far the strongest epoxy I have ever seen.
Is it an epoxy? And how did you tell
– Last Updated: Apr-18-09 1:08 PM EST –
that it stands so far out ahead of epoxies?
Consumers Reports rated Loctite Sumo Glue, a polyurethane, fairly high.
They rated Loctite's quick setting epoxy rather low, and noted that it was not recommended for applications exposed to water.
CU's highest rated epoxy was Devcon Steel. They did not rate West G-flex or any other slow-set epoxy. I suspect that West G-flex can match or exceed any quick set epoxy and urethanes too, but you have to wait 24 hours for a set and 48 for a full cure.