Sorry. I imagine that this has been covered off many times before.
Anyhoooo....I'm wanting to retain the ability to swap my shaft / blade / handle.
5 Minute Araldite with the carefully applied heat gun at the time of removal seems to be the preferred option correct?
I see that hot glue is also employed but an off the shelf household hot glue gun doesn't fill me with too much excitement reliability-wise.
Any pointers and or links to previous discussions appreciated!
Cheers y'all!
Mate, I've tried the araldite option when I started and glued in my t-piece to shaft and could not make it let go when I wanted to shorten it. I tried everything from hair dryer to boiling water and eventually had to cut it all off as I destroyed the t-piece by cracking it when trying to loosen. I didn't think the glue gun would work and you probably heard me cursing when I first did it as I only got the handle half way in before it grabbed! F*ck, I might have said! Quick refer back to forum and then rotated the shaft and handle under hot water from tap and magic, slid straight it and could move around for a few mins to align right. What's better it has never moved yet with 6 months of surfing! Glue gun is easy as but make sure you warm up all bits under hot tap before glueing as you get time to move all around! My 2c worth anyway.
Araldite for my paddles, pour boiling water straight out of the kettle on then join while turning and twist apart... Worked every time for me
Ditch the hot melt glue gun and just get the hot melt glue sticks.
Cut small chunks off with scissors or a knife and melt it onto the blade / handle ferrule with a heat gun or old school hot hair dryer.
Keep the heat source moving so you don't cook the paddle component (epoxy will soften with too much heat).
Make sure you heat the shaft too!....if it's not hot the glue hardens too quick and doesn't bond well.
Best bit......you can easily pull it apart again!
When you guys use 5 min Aradlite, how do you do it exactly, and how much do you use?
I've tried to remove Araldited handles several times, but once I've glued them they aren't coming off, even if I boil them for an hour or heat them with a gun until the paddle is red hot, and/or apply so much pressure that the handle breaks. No way in hell they are coming off. But I am aware that some people manage to get Araldited handles off, so the most likely thing is that you are glueing them on differently. Do you eg. use a very small amount of glue, perhaps? Do you sand the surfaces before bonding? Do you apply glue to both surfaces? How long do you wait for the glue to cure before using?
silicon and electrical tape , its got to be nearly four years in small waves , im sure it would come apart if needed but why worry about it ?
I just put the araldite onto the handle then insert into the shaft, the excess pushes out the top of the shaft and i just leave this. You need to make sure you give the handle a good twist while pouring the boiling water on to remove handle , has worked several times for me, i usually leave it over night after gluing before using...
I agree with Deano. I use the glue gun and heat sticks. (Not Araldite) After setting your paddle, if you decide it's the incorrect length you reheat the shaft, pull the handle out and cut your paddle down. Reglue and your away.
On my Fanatic paddles and previously KeNalus I have had the slightly longer handle piece. This has enabled me to reheat the shaft and adjust the paddle length as required. I cut the shaft a little shorter than normal and the extendable paddle handle can then be adjusted up or down about 4 inches. This has helped me with back issues due to too short a paddle.
Unfortunately the araldite option doesn't allow for adjustment as easily as the glue gun / heat option.
At the risk of dumbing this topic down completely, I use Kwik Grip contact adhesive.
I used this when I first started paddling because I wasn't sure of the paddle length I needed, and it lasted well.
Apply it to both the handle and shaft, leave it for a few minutes until it starts to "skin", then push them together.
It's still gooey enough after a few minutes to get the handle lined up, and will go off in it's own time (overnight).
A hairdryer to release if you need to adjust height.
