Hey folks,

I notice some paddles come with a treated tip - what is that stuff?

And is there a way I could and should treat paddle tips myself?

A few of mine are getting kind of rough so I'm thinking I should sand and treat them.

Thanks

I used that last year : http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/bondo ... p.html#srp

A bit messy to work with, but the result is rather strong.

I would think most are ?epoxy? resin with some kind of filler. I always wondered if I could rebuild my damaged tips but I don't know what to do for a filler.

Sawdust for a filler?

Check out this thread, specifically the posts by Mike McCrae with info on reinforcing paddle tips/edges with carbon.

http://www.myccr.com/phpbbforum/viewtop ... 49&t=40190

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"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915

Any idea about carbon fibre tape?

https://www.thechandleryonline.com/prod ... s_id=10154

That place is my local place but does not seem to have tow. Not that I can find on their website at least.

Noah's?
http://www.noahsmarine.com/items.asp?Cc=Carb%2DUni
this what you were after?

P

These people have Tow, Braids & Tape

https://shop.compositescanada.com/#/cat ... bon?page=1

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"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915

My vote for plain old fiberglass, with a little time spent in the school of hard knocks... hardwoods, like ash, maple, cherry, etc become much more durable with a sheathing of f/glass. After experiencing ongoing wear and splintering on maul and axe handles just below the metal head where the wood is exposed to impacts again and again, the f/glass protection results in a much longer lasting handle... no need to replace handles now.

For paddle tips, maybe overkill but since it's so easy to apply an inch of glass at the tip, splitting and disintegrating blades have been restored this way. Good against rocks, shorelines, gravel, crazy wildlife, what have you.

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P16, I think all the methods mentioned will work. For sure in any case you want to start with a sanding followed by some varnish or something like Watco Teak Oil. It's easy and should take less than 5 minutes per paddle to sand and refinish. Then if you want additional protection any of the methods mentioned will work...whichever you prefer. I have even rolled a thin bead of epoxy onto the edge of carbon fiber paddles that were used to go upstream in rocky rivers to give them a "sacrificial" edge. I've also seen keeleasy strips mentioned as one way to easily add a lot of toughness...they would add a touch of thickness to the paddle but should be great for durability. On some of my worn paddles I paid to have someone add tip protection and I know he uses carbon fibers wrapped lengthwise along the paddle edge plus epoxy resin and he makes a mold around the tip but I'm not sure how he makes the mold.

I've seen rudimentary molds done with kitchen plastic wrap. Not on paddles but on other stuff when dealing with epoxy.

First attempt went well . Kind of looks like hell but I have learned a lot and next time I have some better ideas to refine my technique.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt07vxPfpYo

...wrt to refining technique which I'm sure will happen as time goes on... no need for plastic wrap and sanding off excess epoxy if the cloth is simply laid out on the paddle bare wood and wet out with a minimum amount of epoxy. Too much epoxy and it will run and cloth will float, apply only enough to make it cling close. Glass both sides at once since there's a chance the fiberglass could warp the blade with one side only.

Wetting out only takes minutes... another coat of epoxy can be painted on after the first is partially cured to tacky for a chemical bond. A light sanding for varnish to grab onto scuffed tooth should be all that's necessary along with smoothing the edge.

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Nice work P16. It's great to see well-used paddles patched up and put back into service. Regarding your "looks like hell" comment, after a little sanding you could paint the paddle tips red, or scout colors, or you could use some painters tape plus paint to recreate some traditional design(s). If you are not drawn to decorating paddles I bet there is someone around you that might WANT to do it.