Dynel Tip

[BillB]

I have read that dynel makes a good material for abrasion-resistant tips. So, I bought some 3/8" dynel cord and tried it on a practice piece. I soaked the dynel in epoxy and applied it to the practice tip, flattening the cord it as best I could. When it was tackfree I filed and sanded it flush to the flat dimension of the blade. Then I filled the voids between the two layers of dynel (the ends having been sanded away revealing the two layers) and fiberglassed the blade out past the end of the dynel. When this was dry I trimmed the glass. At this point I stopped the experiment, having satisfied myself that the dynel would make be a pretty tough tip. The problem is - it doesn't look very good. The dynel is a coarse weave and the voids show. I used clear epoxy but was thinking that adding color might help. Has anyone had experience using dynel on tips? How did you do it and what were your results? Some commercial paddle makers are now using dynel to protect their tips. I wonder how they do it. Thanks for your help.

[mbolton]

Dynel is very abrasion resistant. Most who use it vacuum bag it in some form or fashion. It really swells much more than most other cloths and is a trnslucent milky color usually.
But the way you applied it is a good way to do it yourself. Should work out well.