moulded fin base - pure epoxy strong enough?

General Discussion
1

Hi swaylockers,

I want to mould the base of my single fin with epoxy resin.

Will pure epoxy be strong enough?

Or do I need gless-Ronings or something like chopped glass fibre strands to strenghten the fin base?

 

Best regards, Andi

2

100% resin is ok but it’s not nearly as strong as adding a few rovings or loose glass. Adding glass makes it more dimensional stable over time and temperature.

For a dollar or two, add the rovings and make a much better fin. I can send you some if you can’t access any.

3

Thank you very much for your quick reply and your offer!

I already have rovings for the leading edge of my fins, so I will take some of this.

4

Experimentation is a source of inspiration, people have tried cloth, plant fibre, bamboo fibres, ply, whatever is around is worth a try.

Post pics if you can to keep the tribe interested !

5

I once tried hair clippings in a bind to re mould a broken lokbox. Epic fail which resulted in the loss of a dear fin. 

6

Using just PU resin will crack the second you try to squeeze the base pin into the fin.  Mixing in chopped roving with the resin will leave a ton of airbubbles.

If you are set on using a mold to make your single fin base try using wet-out roving.  Take some long roving strands and wet them out. Cut to length of your mold and place in the mold.  Keep it more on the wet side and place the roving in the mold.  Then slide whatever part of your fin you plan on sitting in the box/mold and wait for it to harden.  Solves both of the above issues.

Dave