: I'm not building a boat yet but after seeing Steve Fredericks pictures I am
: interested in making a Euro paddle. (I made a GP already) I can get
: polyester resin pretty easy, would this be suitable for reinforcing the
: blades, etc.?
: Is it posible or practicle to by small quantities of epoxy.

If you have polyester resin available, go ahead and use it.

Polyester was used for years before epoxy came on the scene -- for covering wooden boats and for reinforcing paddles. I believe it is still being used for reinforcing the blades of hockey sticks.

The amount of area you are covering on a paddle is fairly small. Should you have problems, they will also be small. And you probably won't have problems.

There are two types of polyester resin, and they are handled differently. One has wax and styrene plastic dissolved in it. As the polyester resin polymerizes it squeezes out these dissolved products. They then form an airtight barrier on the surface which allows the resin to harden.

Otherwise, air inhibits the curing of the surface of the resin, which is a plus for people putting on several layers of resin (filling the weave) or adding more glass cloth and resin to make a thicker layer of fiberglass. A new coat of polyester resin forms a strong chemical bond with the tacky but firm underlying layers, allowing you to put on several coats a day.

If your polyester resin has the dissolved waxes and styrene plastics then you will need to sand this off between coats.

If your resin does NOT have these dissolved materials, then you'll need to apply an airtight barrier to the top of your finished resin. This does not have to be very elaborate. A solid barrier can be make by wrapping the blade with a tightly stretched piece of Saran wrap, or a similar kitchen wrap.

If you have irregular surfaces, use a liquid based air barrier. You can mist the top with cooking oil, or motor oil. You can also spray on a "mold release" compound called PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), or make a sealing mixture by dissolving some parafin wax in kerosene and mist that on.

Or, shave up some parafin wax and dissolve it in the polyester resin itself before you add the catalyst for that final coat. You don't need a lot. I've seen references to using a mix which is about 95 percent resin and 5 percent wax. If you are mixing a 5 ounce batch of resin for the last coat (which is probably way too much) you would need only 1/4 ounce of finely shaved parafin stirred in and dissolved.

Epoxy resin uses a hardener. Polyester resin uses a catalyst -- and not very much of it. A drop or two of catalyst to each ounce of resin. Check your instructions. Generally you'll use more catalyst in colder weather, or with thin coats or if you want the stuff to "kick" sooner. Both the liquid resin and the catalyst are really nasty chemicals which you do not want to get on your skin. Wear gloves!!! Once the plastic has cured it is fairly inert.

Some of the "bad" attributes of polyester resin are noted when the stuff is used on the hulls of boats which are kept in the water all their life. Paddles don't see that kind of use. You use a paddle and then you take it out and store it with your boat. Polyester is much more stable in sunlight than epoxy as it has greater resistance to breakdown from UV.

Good luck with your project. Hope this helps.

PGJ