Aloha all,
I am all about reducing, reusing, (repairing), and recycling. With that said...
I couldn't find a thread about repairing a carbon fiber blade (for an older kialoa) so I made this one. I wanted to ask the community about different methods for fixing damage to the edge of the carbon fiber blade. I have attached an image of the damage to my paddle.
I am thinking of getting some of that sun activated epoxy and some tape and trying to build up the edge and then sanding down. I know there are some edge protector strips and tape, but I would rather maintain the thin edge and not create any lip.
Any ideas or suggestions?
Mahalo
-Colin
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Submitted by colinmaui on Fri, 11/04/2011 - 6:35pm
Depending on the type/consistency of the epoxy/polyester resin you are going to use, you can do it several ways.
If the resin is more of a paste (i.e. peanut butter or mayonnaise) you may not need to use tape to make a wall and just fill the gaps with enough of the paste. Use a popsicle stick to apply it like you are scraping the "peanut butter/mayonnaise" paste off the stick into the gaps. Once you are satisfied with the amount, then expose the UV resin to the sun.
If the resin is more liquid like syrup or honey, then you should use tape to make a single wall or a double wall for the resin to sit and harden in. Make sure the ends of the taped off area is closed off so that the resin doesn't flow out to where you don't want or need it to go. Once that is done just pour enough resin into the area/resevoir you made and then expose it to the sun.
Keep an eye on the tape to make sure the resin doesn't leak as sometimes the heat of the sun and or the heat reaction of the resin hardening will make the adhesive in the tape weaken. I always apply extra tape whenever I use any syrupy (runny) resin as gravity always prevail.
I'd let it sit overnight to fully cure and bond to the surface before sanding the excess down. Nothing worse than sanding too soon after supposedly hardening and the resin just peels or pops off because it didn't fully bond.
I use a 2 part epoxy resin (1:1, 2:1, 5:1) for edges as they bond better than polyester resins in my experience so far. The few paddle edge repairs I've done using polyester had to be re-done as they would crack or chip away while the epoxy repairs wouldn't in the same use/abuse.
#1 Sat, 11/05/2011 - 12:53pm
looks minor! slap some epoxy resin on that bad boy done
#2 Fri, 12/02/2011 - 7:26am
Find Marine Tex (white) at Ace or a marine supply store like maybe Valley Isle MArine. works great sands easy.
#3 Fri, 12/02/2011 - 8:12am
A little dab will do you of fine chopped carbon cloth and epoxy will do the job. No need buy the carbon, which is usually available free as scrap from composite shops.
#4 Fri, 12/02/2011 - 9:23am
I use a carbon powder mixed with some epoxy. lightly sand the edge to get rid of the frayed fibers, taping of any areas that you don't want to get sanded. Tape the underside of the paddle leaving it out off the edge, prime the area with some epoxy wait til this primed area gets tacky, make a paste with the carbon powder, if it is mixed right it should stick to your mixing stick without dripping off, then apply this mixture to the damaged edge, when it cures sand to the original profile, apply a urethane clear over the area and your done. I've used this method on carbon paddles with this type of damage, plenty. The carbon is black so it will matches pretty well.
#5 Sat, 12/03/2011 - 8:58am