Ayr Under Repair

Well, I mentioned in my last post that technical difficulties were encountered during the initial testing of the Ayr.  Manny also took care to mention that the high density phenolic from which the Ayr and Kickass have been fashioned might not be as flexible as materials used for other 'rangs in our collection. 

Not long into the weekend throwing session, a sharp crack sounded from where phnxhawk was standing.  Manny wheeled about, turning to his throwing partner to inquire as to the nature of the sound.  He saw phnxhawk frozen in time, stricken and dumbfounded, his normally stoic mask now twisted in shock.  Manny called out to him.  phnxhawk remained motionless, still staring intently at the boomerang in his hands.  "Don't tell me...you broke your Ayr?!" Manny asked, incredulous. 

phnxhawk blinked twice and slowly looked up.  Suddenly, his shoulders sagged, and his arms fell to his sides, each hand clutching a piece of what was once a single boomerang, the recently acquired Ayr.  It did not need to be said, but both throwers knew for certain that the problem lay not with the boomerang and its flight, but with the wielder and his impatience.

Anyway.  Enough with the histrionics.  In light of Saturday's incident, I brought the Ayr in for repair.  It did not take long to remove all the duct tape I had wrapped around the fracture on Saturday (so that I could continue throwing the boomerang).  I initially attempted to use common household superglue to set the pieces together.  Unfortunately, the pieces would not stick and very easily slid apart during handling.  However, I happen to keep a healthy supply of Pacer foam-safe CA and accelerator for my flat plate foamie RC airplane projects.  I decided to give that combination a try next.  To my surprise, the three pieces held together better.

I then decided to borrow a technique I employed in college to repair a fractured carbon fiber spar.  I cut a generous amount of dental floss and, having tied one end to the Ayr, wrapped the line up and down the break several times.  I then tucked the loose end under one of the loops.  Lastly, I coated the break--floss and all--in CA and sprayed the mess with kicker.  The last step, after wiping it down, was to re-wrap the break in duct tape.

Here are a couple photos showing the status of the boomerang just before I applied the duct tape:

From phnxhawk's Boomerang Collection

From phnxhawk's Boomerang Collection

And here is a photo of the "Broken Ayr" reborn:

From phnxhawk's Boomerang Collection

How well will this work?  We'll find out on Saturday.  I expect to also receive a new, un-broken Ayr later this week.  Depending on how the throwing goes, we'll see which one receives the honor of being my starting Ayr in the future.