Working with minicel

Advice
#1

Hi.



I have two Old Town 111 Loons. These have pretty spartan cockpits and I want to customize them with minicel foam. I’m having trouble finding good instructions/plans for things like foot pads,knee pads etc.



Does anyone have a good resource for this either in text or video-based formats?



Thanks.

#2

Here’s a couple links to get ya started
http://www.kayakoutfitting.com/

http://www.kayakfit.com/

#3

shape to fit
Most people glue in oversized blocks and sheets of minicell and shape to fit. A flammable contact cement like DAP Weldwood works well for most applications. Multiple coats are needed on the foam because it is so absorbent. Others here have recommended Barge cement, 3 M spray adhesive and other types of adhesives.



For shaping minicell many tools can be used. Knives, coping saws or hacksaw blades work for rough shaping. Some favorites for finer shaping are Red Devil Dragonskin, Stanley Surform tools, or good old sandpaper. The 3M Sandblaster product works well too. A lot of fine minicell particles are generated and tend to stick to everything due to static electricity, however.

#4

Wouldn’t say minicell is "absorbent."
A couple of coats is enough except where carving has left a rough surface.



If one has the patience, there are a number of waterproof caulk/glues that are great gap fillers, and will hold indefinitely. Mild, low force clamping may be needed…



Contact cement works well when the surfaces to be joined meet with little force and no gaps. Otherwise another adhesive may be needed. I once used 3M Structural Two Part urethane to glue a triple saddle down. Worked pretty well, and took less urethane than you might think.

#5

outfitting
"kayak outfitting" is the search term to use.



I found that minicel heel pads didn’t stand up to abrasion from rough/sandy heels. Adding a layer of neoprene(fabric side up) made them much more durable.



A serrated bread knife makes a good cutting tool.


#6

I have pics of outfitting…
…in several of my Webshots albums:



http://community.webshots.com/user/brian_nystrom-reg

#7

Heat Gun

– Last Updated: Jun-17-11 8:39 AM EST –

After you've finished with cutting, scraping and sanding, you can get a nice smooth professional-looking finish by passing a heat gun over the foam. Do this very quickly and from at least six inches away. You can see it happen, and it happens fast. It would be easy to overdue this, so be careful.