C-Forum

It is gonna be 5c (41F) this week-end here. Is it OK to glue Vynyl patches in Royalex
Canoe at this temperature. ANy precaution to take. I will keep the glue and patches
inside until i am ready to glue but cannot put the canoe inside. The patches are for anchoring
thigh straps so, the gluing has to be strong.

Sylvain in Montreal

I would carefully warm the hull where the patch is to be placed with a heat gun or hair drier before applying the Vynabond, then warm it again just before approximating the pieces. The solvent in vinyl adhesive flashes off pretty quickly so you should be able to get the hull surface up to 60-70 degrees and keep it there for long enough for the Vynabond to degass. Take care not to overheat the hull and deform the foam core.

A trick I often do is apply heat after I've laid down the patch. I put on the glue, let it dry until no longer tacky, then apply the patch. It will not stick very well because of the cold, but that gives you a chance to reposition it if you mess up. Once you have it down like you want it, use a heat gun to heat the patch evenly to a temperature that's just to the point of being uncomfortable to touch and apply pressure with a plastic putty knife to ensure a good bond.

Thanks for the suggestions. This is about what i plan. I was worried too much heat would
possibly degrade the glue. Your suggestions seem to indicate it is OK. I will definitely
be carefull not to apply too much heat though, just in case.

I should have time to reheat every 5 minutes for a while so that the chemical reaction
continue.

The next week i will do a test though, just to make sure.

Sylvain in Montreal.

I'm no expert on adhesives, but I think once you've establshed the bond through one heating cycle, I think you're good and you don't need to keep reheating it. I've never done more than one heat treatment. Just do it once thoroughly and do a good job of pressing the patch down. I've never had a patch that I installed this way come up.

light bulbs are heaters