Using baking flour as an additive for epoxy

[Ann and Neville Clement]

   We have a cruising friend with extreme low budget and a badly storm damaged wooden dinghy.  He had been given some very old epoxy (the hardener was so dark, it looked like chocolate syrup) and he was desperate for a working dinghy.  Bits of scrap wood was available, tools and a shed was available, so the only thing needed was some courage to use the old epoxy and skill to use the tools.  We decided we had that and our friend had the will to work with us.

    For three days he and Nev fitted replacement parts after removing rot and damage from the elderly two part dinghy.  Another friend works at Wooden Boat and told me we could use baking flour as an additive to thicken it - he had tried it and experimented with it and found it ok.  I had heard that epoxy and hardener are ok many years past the sell by date.  Lacking an alternative, we went ahead and did the glue job today.  The epoxy has gone off properly already, the flour is pleasant to work with, and I suggest you experiment with it for yourselves.  It mixes easily with the epoxy, tools well, and is much more pleasant than wood flour.  Certainly I suggest you never toss out old epoxy.  One always finds these low budget desperate boating friends and it works!

      All the best,  Ann and Nev   

[Ann and Neville Clement]

I think that one of the main reasons Wharrams are good and reliable boats is that they are simple and kept so and even made more so year by year as the plans develop.  Ply, epoxy, glass fiber.  Almost nothing needed from the chandlery.  Simpliccity is just wonderful at sea.  But now we are way off the subject that started this discussion and I hope folks will start a new one with equipment that they have loved and that has worked well for them.  Ann and Nev