Making a wood paddle

[decagrog]

I know it's an old post but I'm bringing it up because I've finally founded the time to build my first paddle

For the shaft I've used obeche, iroko and a strip of carbon in the center, for the blade two balsa sheet


To me a critical step was to apply evenly the glass on the along the paddle edge, I followed Andygere suggestion but I've noticed some air between the two lamination of the edges.

Maybe next time I'll try to completely overlap both cloth and apply on the edge a kevlar stripe for give a bit of more protection.

I've also seens a couple of outrigger paddle with a red  material around the blade edges, still need to figure what it is...(maybe ABS?)

I'm completely unsatisfied about the resin finish, I've tried to wetsand it with 400 and 800grit but it's still worse (very opaque), do you guys apply a transparent gealcoat in order to have a good looking result?

The final weight is 850grams, a little on the heavy side but I hope to on the next paddle (yes I plan to try again   )

I still must try it, we have really bad weather here in Italy in those days...

I've added a couple of photos:
- 1st photo it's the weight before glassing
- 3rd photo it's the first cloth applied on the blade, after fully glass the blade the cloth  seemed a little dry so  I've applied another pass of resin but the final result is a little messy...

[decagrog]

Still searching for suggestion, anyone?

In the meantime someone suggested me an auto body-filler as alternative to clear gelcoat but I fear that is not as resitant as a finish for marine use

[paddlebuilder]

I've built quite a few wood paddles, all with laminated glass and epoxy blades.  The opacity after sanding is pretty normal due to the tiny scratches left by sanding.  The two part polyurathanes I use would give you a transparent finish if the opacity is created from the sanding scratches.  There are also some two part acrylic poly's now available.  Both the solvent based and water based two part poly's are very uv resistant.  I'm not sure what is available in Italy but check out Jamestown Distributors for the technical information on these products.  I hope that helps!

[karl]

Hi
Swaylocks has a lot of advice on getting a glossy finish with epoxy if that's what you're after. Looks like lots of hard work though.

Alternatives to give a light gloss are several coats of Future floor polish wiped on, or clear gloss spray can acrylics. Both need a polish once fully dried and should take the opacity of the epoxy finish cost out.

[andygere]

You can get pretty decent gloss with epoxy, but it requires a bit of work.  In my mind, it's worthwhile and much more durable than spray on gloss or brushed on varnish.  I used varnish on my first paddle, and it looked great but was way too much work. Round shafts are tough to varnish without getting runners, and it takes several coats to build up to something reasonably durable.

The first key to polishing epoxy is to post cure it.  Depending on the brand, you need to get it up above 120 degrees for at least 4 hours (longer is better) to get it to develop full hardness. Allow a few days of normal cure first. I post cured by leaving it in my car with the windows up on a hot day.  It's a good idea to use a thermometer to determine if the temp is getting high enough.

The next key is to wet sand with increasingly finer grits, but much finer than you are doing.  Don't skip intermediate grits, and don't use dull paper.  Be sure to back the paper with a medium density foam pad or sponge, and be careful not to burn into the cloth along any edges.  If you do, you have to recoat, fair and start the process over, and that's a real pain.  Once you get to the limit of what's typically available for sandpaper (1500 or 2000 grit) switch over to Micro-Mesh sanding pads or disks, and work the grits all the way up to 12,000. http://www.ptreeusa.com/microMesh.htm These are the key to eliminating scratches, and getting a glossy finish. I use the disks on my orbital sander for flat areas, and soft touch pads for the rest.  I've been using the same set for a while now, and they seem to continue to do a good job.  Be careful wet sanding with your orbital.  I damp sand with mine, which seems to keep the pads from loading up while minimizing shock risk.  Use your own judgement there.  Finish with a fine polish like Finesse It or similar, which seems to bring up the shine a bit.

You'll never get quite the gloss that you would with polyester resin, but you can get really close.  The feeling in the hand is really nice, silky but without being slippery.  Your carbon fiber paddle shaft will feel crude and rough in your hand by comparison.

I have not experimented with using Future, with or without the polishing pads, but I'd like to give it a try.

These photos don't show the gloss very well, but this is my most recent work.

[decagrog]

Thank for the reply guys, especially Andygere for the detailed explanation

I guess there will be a lot of work again to have a decent film, but looking your paddle it worth the hassle 
You don't apply any on the epoxy to prevent the UV degradation?

I'll give also a look to the Swaylocks forum

[andygere]

I don't leave the paddle in the sun, but I do periodically coat it with a good quality carnauba car wax.   So far, that provides all the UV protection I need.  System Three makes a UV resistant epoxy called SB-112.

[decagrog]

I've founded and ordered a clear gelcoat from a local producer but I've made the error to not check for the composition...is styrene based

I'd like to do this kind of project but I work in a garage with poor ventilation so I want to avoid any harmful chemical even if I'm using a fullface mask with organic vapour filter...call me paranoic but if our beloved sup is also about physical activity and performance I don't want to loose even a 0.1% of my respiratory capacity  or have other issues

I will go a bit off topic (maybe I'll start a dedicated post)  but I would love to build with a green philosophy in mind (I think it's almost time to make a change ) , so I'll start to search for safer and environmental friendly products!

For example for the epoxy I've found the Supersap resin: I plan to build also sup board so I've decided to try the 100/1000 for laminate and the CLR for the hot coat.

The CLR is a bit more UV resistant so I'll try to use it also on the paddle for a gloss finish instead of the gelcoat.

My next step should be use an organic cloth instead of the fiberglass, hemp seems to be a good substitute...just need to find a valid source of hemp fabric with the right weight

[surfniels]

just saw this little nice video about dutch wood paddles an came to think of this thread
http://vimeo.com/55112172#
here is the link to his website:

http://www.hilmanmeubelen.nl/peddels/