Michael,
I've been using contact adhesive and it seems to last about 3 months before working loose.
I still haven't been game to glue mine in case I want to shorten the shaft.
Mind you I probably SHOULD glue it just so I'm not tempted to shorten it that extra 10mm that would inevitably make the paddle too short.

But I understand that 5 minute araldite is the go, as it's sufficiently soft enough to be able to soften for removal with a heat gun.
Real epoxy will make it real permanent.

Deano

I didn't have to apply that much heat with the 5min araldyte. It says at 80 degrees C it softens. Sure enough i just twisted and out it came.

The problem with hot melt glue is you need the gun to use it....

Heating up araldite on the handle of a paddle with a round shaft might be OK, but I had a pig of a job removing the handle from my oval shaft paddle- you can't twist it off. I ended up hacksawing the paddle to the length I wanted and then grinding the old paddle shaft from the handle.
I would recommend hot melt glue especially for oval shaft paddles.

Thanks for the info. I have a hot melt glue gun at work and used that. Stuck really well but was slightly off centre. Reheated it with a hair dryer and managed to twist it straight then it hardening again quickly. Tried to move it but now it's set I can't. Guess the only issue will b if it's in the sun for a bit whether it will move. I'll see how it goes

Cheers

Abdillam said..

Thanks for the info. I have a hot melt glue gun at work and used that. Stuck really well but was slightly off centre. Reheated it with a hair dryer and managed to twist it straight then it hardening again quickly. Tried to move it but now it's set I can't. Guess the only issue will b if it's in the sun for a bit whether it will move. I'll see how it goes

Cheers

I've never had a problem with hot glue heating up enough in the sun to melt the glue. I also leave paddles in a paddle bag in the car on really hot days and still had no problems. I think you'll find that the melting temperature of the glue is well over 100 degrees celsius so that would be a pretty hot day... ON PLANET MERCURY!!!

I used to use 5 min araldyte and although occassionally I managed to get the handle off without too much trouble (using just a hairdryer or boiling water) but these were exceptions and usually only when I had been stingy on the glue (when playing around with the length and not wanting anything permanent).
Most of the time, if the handle is glued on solid, the araldyte was a pain in the butt to loosen, near impossible with a hairdryer or boiling water, so a heat gun becomes the only option. Even heating up very very slowly with a heat gun (to avoid overheating) twice I've been unlucky enough for the glue or resin inside paddle handle (providing its structure) to give before the araldyte - completely destroying the handle beyond repair!

Switched to using hot glue last year and haven't had any problems (including when the paddle is left to cook in the car all day. You can buy a really basic one from the craft section of the supermarket for about $10 (have seen but not tried these) or a cheap but more powerful one from bunnings for under $20.
I don't own a heat gun so have just used the hairdryer to heat up enough to loosen the bond - it does take longer but you a guaranteed it won't get hot enough to destroy the handle and the glue will come unstuck first.

When you go to glue I to or the first time, if you've got a heat gun, follow PTWoody's advice and don't bother with the glue gun. If (like me) you don't own a heat gun to directly heat the glue stick, you'll probably find the speed at which the melted glue comes out of the gun isn't really fast enough to get a nice even spread over the end of the handle and slide it into the paddle shaft before it starts to stiffen. Easiest way I've found is to apply a good thick coating around just the bottom half of the part of the paddle that fits inside the shaft (don't worry if it gets a big uneven or starts to stiffen). Next, grab a hairdryer and heat the glue evenly by rotating the handle until the glue softens completely and spreads out to a fairly even coat. Then slide the handle into the shaft and line it up (the residual heat in the handle from the hairdryer slows the cooling process and give you enough time to get the alignment just right), the glue around the bottom of the handle will spread up the handle as you push it into the shaft, allowing a good strong bond over the maximum possible area to hold the handle in place.

You'll probably end up with a bead of glue around the top of shaft, and it's best to let it cool (or cool it faster by dumping it in a bucket of cold water. Once cool the excess glue should be pretty easy to rub off.

Hope this helps a little!

A three inch nail and some duct tape!!!!