Kevlar Tape......

[Aookie]

hi to all.....

currently my polo paddle has no kevlar tape protecting the edges of my blade.
so recently i got some kevlar tape, i need some advice on HOW TO FIX THE KEVLAR TAPE TO MY PADDLE???

a lot of thanks for any advice provided.

[michielv]

Well, this is something you pay money for ;-)

Kidding: it is quite simple actually. Use epoxy resin (not the glue, resin!) and a brush to apply the resin to the blade first. Then put the kevlar tape onto the covered part and apply some more resin to soak the kevlar tape. As kevlar is quite "headstrong" and has a tendency to come loose again you can do the following:

After applying the resin to soak the tape, use some cheap tape (not ductape, electrical plastic kinda stuff) to keep the kevlar tape in place. Cover the kevlar tape completely with the plastic tape and make sure it is completely smooth. That way it will stick to the blade and become smooth as well.

HTH,

Michiel

[Aookie]

thanks a plenty for d advice....

however can u pls explain more abt
" you can do the following when it gets loose"

i gotta reapply the epoxy again???

[michielv]

What I meant was: it will get loose as the kevlar tape probably isn't wide enough to have enough grip.

Therefore, after soaking the tape in epoxy resin use plastic tape (cheap stuff) to keep the kevlar tape to the paddle blade. After a while the epoxy has set and you can remove the plastic tape, revealing a lovely smooth kevlar edge.

Come to think of it: it might be possible to epoxy glue to
simply glue the kevlar tape to the blades and then use epoxy resin to soak the kevlar tape and make it sturdy. Gotta try that sometime ...

HTH,

Michiel

[Duncan Cochrane]

We do this all the time on blades we sell but slightly differently to Michiel.
We wet out the kevlar tape first on a board with epoxy until it is wet through and then place it around the blade which is standing upright in a vice. Start in the middle of the top and use your fingers to make the tape conform to the edge. Doing it this way there is little need for tape and it is relatively clean and easy if you wear gloves.
Duncan

[michielv]

Sounds like a good one to try as well. I wanted to add kevlar tape to my own paddle anyway so Duncans solution might be work even better.

Another advantage of the tape however is that the epoxy gets really smooth and requires no further finishing after the epoxy has set.

BTW: with soaking the kevlar in epoxy I meant the what Duncan described as wetting the tape on a separate piece of cardboard. Do not do this on the paddle as it will result in a mess :-)

[Aookie]

hey to all.....

thanks to all for the advice given...
i did have a greeat time doing the kevlar tape on my paddle.

it was messy...but its worthwhile doin it.....

[gavin]

Well I'm glad I found something on this topic but was a little dismayed to find how old it is.

Do the edges of the blade surface need to be roughed up too or just the edge in preparation for kevlar tape? How rough should it go? Should it be fluffy like boat repairs or just rough enough to create a bit of friction?

[Rob Warren]

Yes you will need to key any area that the tape will come into contact withplus a little extra to give you some room for error.

Duncans method is the best method and the same way as I do it.

That reminds me I have a set that I need to do tomorrow :D.

[gavin]

How much does it need to be roughed up? Does the smooth shiny coating need to be completely grinded away to reveal the the fibres underneath?

Also, how does one avoid those weird crinkles that happen around corners when you use duct tape?

[Cameron, NZ]

I use the same method as Duncan mentioned tho I strap the paddle to a table or bench so I can do both ends at the same time and don't want to have any possibility of doing the vice too tight.

I use 40 grit sandpaper to give a nice rough surface for the epoxy to grip to. But you only need to roughen the surface and get rid of the shine, certainly no need to take the top layer of material off.

You often find that tape will leave ridges of resin, do not sand these as the kevlar will fluff up. Use a sharp knife to cut the bits off. I avoid using tape at all and just come back every hour until the resin is set to push back down any naughty bits that are coming away.

And remember to use gloves, epoxy may smell the nicest of the resins, but it is actually the worst for you if it gets into your system.

Cheers
Cam
www.polomania.co.nz

[gavin]

Thanks for the advice on sanding Cameron.

Does anyone know what I mean about the crinkles? Like if you tried to take a strip of duct tape all the way around a set of paddles you get a crease at the corners because there's too much material and it makes a few (or a lot) of little folds... Does that happen with kevlar tape?

Cheers,
Gavin

[GAM]

When we did my paddle the material followed the contours of the blade fine.Pretty much we did what Duncan suggested and may have applied just a little tension to the material to aid this around the corners of the blade.

[Rob Warren]

What you're looking for is Kevlar braid and not tape. The weave of the braid means that when you pull it tight arond the corners of the blade you shouldn't get any crinkles. You can, as said earlier, go back to the blade before the resin has gone off completely and smooth any bits that stick up.

[gavin]

umm.. What does kevlar braid look like? And more importantly where can it be purchased?

I've been getting all my repair stuff from cfsnet.co.uk and East-Coast fibreglass supplies as they seem to have the most comprehensive catalogues for repair supplies and I wanted to save on P+P.

[Cameron]

Ah yes you definitely need the braid as it is lovely and flexible and with a couple of times running your fingers around the blade and putting some tension on it will sit down without crinkles. I wouldn't ever try it with plain tape.

Duncan has the tape in Aussie, I don't know if he sells small orders as you need about 2 x 1.25 metres for a normal paddle (e.g. Double Dutch Kinetic), but he takes credit cards. Whereas we don't take credit cards (www.polomania.co.nz) and the bank fees will be about the same as the $30 NZ cost of the tape.

[gavin]

Oh no.. Just bought 5m standard kevlar tape.. Need some for seam repairs, but.. =/

Is there anywhere in the UK/Continental Europe that sells kevlar braid? Would like to keep costs down and S&H from Aus.... =/

Didn't realise how much would be needed, thought 1m per set of paddles would be ok..

Does anyone know how much comes in one unit from Kayaksplus? Looking to do at least 3 paddles.

[Rob Warren]

Try Dave Brown. Braid cost about £2/m. It's not listed on his website but give him a ring.

http://www.dbxclusive.co.uk/

[gavin]

Awesome just ordered a length.

So many things you can't find out just by browsing..

Thanks Rob.

[Rob Warren]

No problem ;)

[gavin]

Well I've just done my first pair of paddles. I'll be honest in saying I can't tell the difference at all between braid and tape other than braid is thinner in both dimensions.

Used Cameron's method of wetting it out before applying and it was a breeze.

Thing is, the kevlar on one blade has a slightly prickly feel to it. Haven't had a chance to go over the second blade yet. I did cover some areas with tape but even in those places the epoxy underneath isn't smooth because there wasn't really a lot of it.

Does there need to be a residual layer of epoxy sitting on top of the kevlar for a nice finish? I always thought it was best practise to squidgee out as much epoxy as possible so there's a better bond and to minimise weight.

Also, there are another set of blades on which the kevlar at one of the corners has worn off and the blade edge itself has gone. Is it okay to put on a little strip of kevlar to recover the place that's gone or will the whole blade need to be redone?

Cheers..

[Rob Warren]

Your correct in saying that you don't want too much excess resin on top of the braid. With practice I know the correct amont to use to wet our the braid. I wet it out first then apply it to the blade by hand sing my fingers to get rid of any air gaps and squeeze off any excess resin. The finish is not smooth, it's textured and you sholud feel the weave of the braid but it shold not be rough.

I found that if you try to pach up a balde that already has a kevlar braid on it it's very difficult to avoid rough, uneven, edges where the the new peice of braid starts and ends. the same can apply to putting a whole new edge over the top of the existing one. The only way I've fond to get a good finish is to remove the old edge first but that in it's self is a job and a half. Good luck if you try this option. If it's gone through the edge and the blade I'd probably ditch it and get a new blade.

Hope it helps. :wavey:

[gavin]

Does the roughness mean that the kevlar wasn't wetted out enough?

And there are some places that are smooth where there was tape covering but have little (air) holes or pockets where there isn't any epoxy and those edges are kind of sharp too. Any idea how to take care of that?

[Rob Warren]

Sorry but without seeing the blade it's difficlut to say.

I find when the braid is wetted out it'll start to go a little translucent (ish) in that you will just start to see the things under it. I use a thick plastic bag or cardboard to wet the braid out on and you'll start to see a color change int he braid and start to see the writing on the card or bag shwing through.

There isn't really any way of getting rid of air pockets once it's set you just have to make sure you get rid of there as you apply it.

This is how I do it :


remove ALL tape and sticky bits from the blade.
Rough up the bade edge making sure you rough up a little more that the area the braid will cover to give your self a little room to play with.
cut the braid to length then mix the resin and wet out the braid on a peice of card board or thick plastice bag. Make sure you see a colour change in the braid and it is wet on both sides. If in doubt wet out more than you think you'll need. The weight difference for this small abot won't make any difference.
Apply the braid to the blade starting and the shaft on one side and working your way around to the other side. Use your hands (with gloves) to smooth out the braid and get rid of any air pockets and ensure it's even over the edge of the blade. Doing this should help remove any excess resin.
Leave to set.
Before fully cured (when the braid is tacky) you can push down any bits that have air pockets or have pulled away from the blade.If you're still unsure or having problems you could try to get hold of sombody who has done it before in your area to have a look at what you've already done. I don't know where in London you are but you could try Clyde if you can get over to Meridian.