[Paddlewise] Carbon vs Fibreglass - coatings on a paddle

"PeterO" wote:

> G'day,

> I've noticed that the coating on my carbon fibre paddle degrades with
> scratches and discoloration over a few years and commercial recoating 
> hasn't been all that satisfactory. I don't seem to get the same effect 
> with fibreglass paddles. I'm going to try recoating the blades myself 
> and on sanding back I've noticed that underneath the discoloured 
> material there is a 'core of carbon fibre / resin that seems much 
> tougher. I'd be glad of any explanations and recommendations for more 
> robust coating materials as thepaddle in question is in all other 
> respects perfect!

Peter,

Epoxy is UV stable, therefore it is common practice to colour epoxy 
paddles black (better yet first black and then an UV-stable white paint,
ar aluminium-coloured, that reflects much of the light. Under the top surface
of your paddle much of the carbon fibres soak up the sun's rays, but
not perfectly. I guess the carbon is fairly stable under the fierce sun
on the southern hemisphere, but I am not the expert on that!

Typical tell-tale signs in epoxy is clouding of the top surface, the first sign
of deterioration!

So roughen up the surface, use a durable black paint, then aluminium-coloured (aka silver)!

The guys at Uroxsys in New Zeeland are paint experts, ask them which to use, and say hello from me!

<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Tord S Eriksson,
MA in Journalism; ex Editor-in-Chief; Avid Photographer; Pentax Fan,
Articulated Bus Driver; Hon. Member of East Horsley Aerospace; 
Hon. Member of PAN, the World's Oldest Photo Club; On FlickR: Tord55;
</font>
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