Help with Kevlar

[Larry650]

Howdy,
My 1993 Mad River Malecite has a couple places where the kevlar is coming apart, sort of. The flotation chambers on each end have a approximately 2 inch diameter spot right in the middle where the overlaying kevlar has detached from the underlying foam. It's like a bubble, I can push it in and out with my finger. So my question is can I just inject a little resin into the area and smooth it down? Maybe use some sort of syringe?
Thanks in advance for any help.
Larry

 

[dogbrain]

That might work, but on something like that I might cut away the bubble and put either kevlar or glass over the spot. Post a few pictures, I'm having a hard time visualizing the problem.

Mark

 

[Larry650]

Thank you Mark,
I'll be honest, I don't have the foggiest idea of how to post a picture. Don't think it would show anyway. It's just the kevlar over the middle of the flotation chambers is not attached to the flotation foam in two small areas. The rest of the flotaion chambers, the kevlar is stuck down nicely.

 

[Alan Gage]

If it's just on a float tank I'd probably cut a slit in the bubble so that it would lay completely flat and put a small fiberglass patch over the top. Injecting epoxy would probably work too but you'll still need to cut a slit or poke a pretty good sized hole since epoxy will probably be too thick to flow through a needle of any sort.

Alan

 

[BWCA66]

If it's just on a float tank I'd probably cut a slit in the bubble so that it would lay completely flat and put a small fiberglass patch over the top. Injecting epoxy would probably work too but you'll still need to cut a slit or poke a pretty good sized hole since epoxy will probably be too thick to flow through a needle of any sort.

Alan

Actually I've use livestock needles all the time to inject resin to get rid of bubbles. Poke a hole to let air and excess resin out and after you smooth it out coat the outside too. Kevlar does not impregnate with resin so both sides need to be well coated.

 

[Jim Dodd]

Actually I've use livestock needles all the time to inject resin to get rid of bubbles. Poke a hole to let air and excess resin out and after you smooth it out coat the outside too. Kevlar does not impregnate with resin so both sides need to be well coated.

Yes The Livestock needles and syringes work fine. I used the biggest I could find, and resin ran out of them almost Too easy.
It was messy , for me anyway !

Jim

 

[Larry650]

Ah Ha, the livestock needle! I should have thought about that as my family raised calves when I was a kid.
Thanks
Larry

 

[Guest]

Actually I've use livestock needles all the time to inject resin to get rid of bubbles. Poke a hole to let air and excess resin out and after you smooth it out coat the outside too

Thanks. I have plenty of needle-less syringes from my lab days, and live in a rural area with Feed and Farm stores. And have a friend who is a large animal vet (horse doc) who could surely get me a couple.

Maybe some more Vetrap while I’m asking.

https://www.chewy.com/3m-vetrap-hor...MIovbyr76k6AIVGqSzCh2awAQCEAQYASABEgLLJ_D_BwE

OK, at $1.69 a roll I could probably afford to buy my own.

About injecting epoxy with syringes and needles, any tips on cleaning them out for reuse? Squirt acetone through?

 

[dougd]

The few times I've use a syringe with epoxy all I did was use acetone. May take a couple of passes but it will come clean.

 

[pblanc]

I clean out syringes with white vinegar followed by water. I think the vinegar is less damaging to the vinyl button that is on the end of the plungers of most syringes than acetone is. I find that I can usually reuse syringes a half dozen times or so, but eventually the vinyl plunger cap will swell to the point that it will no longer fit into the barrel of the syringe.

 

[Guest]

I clean out syringes with white vinegar followed by water. I think the vinegar is less damaging to the vinyl button that is on the end of the plungers of most syringes than acetone is. I find that I can usually reuse syringes a half dozen times or so, but eventually the vinyl plunger cap will swell to the point that it will no longer fit into the barrel of the syringe.

That syringe plunger part is what I was wondering about. I know that typical spray bottle gaskets will degrade even with just 70 % alcohol, and white vinegar kills them even faster. Acetone would probably eat a spray bottle gasket plunger in a few squirts.

Gotta love vinegar. A gallon of white vinegar is dirt cheap, and Helpful Hints from Heloise handy for a million uses.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Distilled-White-Vinegar-1-gal/10450998

Non-consumption “Cleaning” vinegar is cheaper still. Always handy in the shop, and I keep a gallon on the shelves for come what may.

 

[Boatman53]

West System sells plastic syringes with a pretty fine tip all built in. I’ve used them quite a bit. I fill them with all sorts of goo and usually clean them two or three times. Our local store stocked them with the epoxy or you can get them fro Jamestown distributors.
Jim

looks like Walmart even stocks some these are ones with a curved tip, 4 for under $6.50.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Monoject...8TQDZZ-782tQdSOl1pBeofPI84D1Egy8aAqvOEALw_wcB