fiberglass wrap for a canoe paddle? - Woodworking Talk

smokinsmitty · 10-13-2009, 10:50 AM

i made a canoe paddle from bass and walnut, and want to fiberglass wrap it, any one help me out? i checked a couple woodworking shops around me, and they dont have any thing. i dont know how well it will turn out if i go and get a sheet of fiberglass and some resin and slap that on. Thanks!

firehawkmph · 10-13-2009, 10:59 AM

SS,
Welcome to the forum. I haven't done that much fiberglass work, but from what I have I'll pass on. The matting is going to show through if you are just using resin to adhere it. I am not sure what kind of look you are expecting. My buddy up the street makes fiberglass parts for his older corvette from scratch. He makes them from a mold. So he starts with a gel coat which ends up being what shows. It provides a smooth finish where the matting doesn't show through. I don't know that you could use a gel coat with the way you would be just wrapping the paddle. If you do use the matting and resin, you would have to be careful on how you laid the matting to make it a somewhat even pattern. Once hard, you would probably have to do some sanding to end up with a smooth surface. You might want to check with the boating guys or a corvette forum for more info.
Mike Hawkins

John in Tennessee · 10-13-2009, 11:03 AM

Do you just want to use it to seal it? If

thats all just put a dew coats of polyurethane

Now if you want to strengthen use the glass matt N
ow
with that being said it will ruin it as far as showing the grain and
craftsmanshipJ ust use

t

he clear.
Sorry spellchecker wen nuts
--

smokinsmitty · 10-13-2009, 11:23 AM

i want to strengthen it. so it dont get dings and nicks. theirs got be a wrap that dries clear! i would think.

BHOFM · 10-13-2009, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smokinsmitty

i want to strengthen it. so it dont get dings and nicks. theirs got be a wrap that dries clear! i would think.

I am a boater..

I would just coat it with epoxy and then a couple
coats of spar varnish. The glass is just going to add
weight to it and not help that much to prevent dents.
The epoxy has no UV resistance so every few years
the varnish needs to be renewed.

If you insist on glassing it, go to a hobby shop and
get some very light glass. They have some that is
like silk, they use it on model aircraft wings.

It is 1/2oz as compared to 6 to 9 oz that they use
on boats and such.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXL491&P=ML

http://www.duckworksbbs.com/supplies...th-9/index.htm

It will disappear under a couple coats of epoxy.

If you do not use epoxy, as apposed to poly resin,
just give it four or five coats of spar varnish.

Just a picture for the fun of it...

smokinsmitty · 10-13-2009, 12:03 PM

thanks for the advice!