>
> I'm building a Putz skin on frame kayak, and want to know what glue to use
> for putting the frame together. Putz recommends epoxy from the small dual
> syringe dispenser. The frame is cedar so I will not be coating it in
> epoxy, probably just a linseed oil, turpentine, and kerosene mixture.

> I have a lot of System 3 epoxy left over from my stitch and glue, but it
> seems like I would waste a lot by trying to get the right mixture for the
> small amounts that I will be using. I would like to save my System 3 epoxy
> for a stripper.

Putz's boook mentions that he uses those small dual-syringe tubes of epoxy because, he uses very little glue. Most of the joints are held with brass or bronze screws.

He uses the glue for the 7 or 8 scarfs in the stringers, and (with screws) for holding on the deck supports. A single ounce of glue woupld suffive for this much work. If you add in the Joints for the knees that attach the bow and stern stems to the keelson, and the bridgework you might need another ounce or two. For such a small quantity you might buy those dual tube glue sets, or you can mix small quantities of your current epoxy resin, and use that.

West systems has a repair set that includes small pre-measured packages of resin and hardener. These are roughly the size of the pack of mustard or ketchup you might get at a restaurant.

When I want to mix very small amounts of resin and hardener I use two graduated syringss. One for each product. I squeeze out the appropriate amounts in a mixing cup (small), and if the amounts are small enough I`ll mix them with a toothpick, or a piece of wood a bit larger than the size of a matchstick.

If you do all the scarphs at the same time you'll mix glue just once for that step. If you pre-cut the bridge work pieces, and work very fast, you can install them all before a batch of resin starts to set up, but more than likely you'll need to mix two or more tiny batches for this job, and the other times that you just need a few drops of adhesive.

Go with what you have, or buy a dual-tube dispenser of the 5 minute epoxy.

Paul G. Jacobson