PeterO wrote; >I've had a carbon fibre paddle for 3 years and the blades are starting to >be >covered with fine scratches. Can anyone tell me if this will weaken the >blade which is exposed to a fair bit of UV in the intense Australian sun. >Also recommendations on restoration of the surface and care and maintenance >would be very welcome. Acccording to my source the carbon fiber should provide adequate protection to the laminate below the first layer but some deterioration on the surface may occur. If the scratches bother you the paint will solve the problem (you can even use it for fancy decoration if that turns you on) . Two part polyurethanes seem to work best. I have used these for over 25 years and they hold their gloss as well as providing a touhg finish. Most custom yacht builders use them. Brand names that I have used with success include AWLGRIP, International, IMRON and Sika. Not sure how easily you can them Down Under but every marine store worthy of the name that I have seen carries something. Cheers John Winters *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
John wrote: >the carbon fiber should provide adequate protection >to the laminate below the first layer but some >deterioration on the surface may occur. If the >scratches bother you the paint will solve the problem >(you can even use it for fancy decoration if that >turns you on). Two part polyurethanes seem to work best. G'day John, Thanks for the advice. The scratches do bother me a bit, which is curious because normal wear and tear scratches on a boat don't worry me much at all! Anyway I'll certainly try the two part polyurethane and hope that its available in a transparent version. All the best, PeterO *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Jan 12, 2005, at 3:39 PM, PeterO wrote: > John wrote: >> the carbon fiber should provide adequate protection >> to the laminate below the first layer but some >> deterioration on the surface may occur. If the >> scratches bother you the paint will solve the problem >> (you can even use it for fancy decoration if that >> turns you on). Two part polyurethanes seem to work best. > > G'day John, > > Thanks for the advice. The scratches do bother me a bit, which is > curious > because normal wear and tear scratches on a boat don't worry me much > at all! > Anyway I'll certainly try the two part polyurethane and hope that its > available in a transparent version. Remember that adding a finish will add weight. On a normal paddle I wouldn't let this slow me down, but since part of the reason for carbon is lightweight it does matter a little more. I would let the scratches accumulate before doing anything drastic. Small scratches could be buffed out at the expense of some material if they really bother you. The best solution is to just ignore them. Nick Schade Guillemot Kayaks 824 Thompson St Glastonbury, CT 06033 USA Ph/Fx: (860) 659-8847 http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On 12 Jan 2005 at 22:21, Nick Schade wrote: > Remember that adding a finish will add weight. On a normal paddle I > wouldn't let this slow me down, but since part of the reason for > carbon is lightweight it does matter a little more. I would let the > scratches accumulate before doing anything drastic. Small scratches > could be buffed out at the expense of some material if they really > bother you. The best solution is to just ignore them. Alternatively, you could try using a squeegee to let the polyurethane only accumulate in the scratches and not coat the whole surface. Sort of what I do with gel coat when I want to repair a lot of scratches on a hull. In fact, you could use epoxy instead of PU. Mike *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Thanks Nick, I'll try buffing out the scratches first as you suggest because this should also tell me whether they are deep enough to worry about, although John Winter's advice and the fact that they look more like scuff marks than scratches suggests they are not a problem as far as paddle strength is concerned. All the best, PeterO *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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