On Oct 4, 11:04*am, T8 wrote:
Tips for removing seals:

1) use a hair dryer or heat gun to warm things up. *At 100 F plus, the
seal can usually be peeled back (slowly) span wise and take virtually
all of the adhesive residue with it. *Work the heat gun on the area
just ahead of the peel point. *Go slow, don't overheat. *Your should
just be able to hold a finger or thumb on the heated surface. *110 -
120F. *Most people can't keep a hand on 120F or more.

2) clean remaining residue with 3M red can adhesive remover. *Good
chemical resistant gloves recommended.

Tips for application:

1) Clean gelcoat with 3m adhesive remover thoroughly.

2) Apply bonding tape, DO NOT STRETCH. *It must be straight.
Everything must go down stress free. *Rub down with metal spoon.
Leave cover (non-adhesive) film in place for now.

3) Position Mylar where you want it. *It must be absolutely stress
free & straight. *Hold in place with strips of electrical tape (gap
seal tape) about 4 inches long every foot. *The gap seal tape goes on
span wise, more or less as you would anti-peel tape. *The leading edge
of the mylar must be exactly in line with the leading edge of the
bonding tape.

4) *Fold back the mylar on the hinge created by the gap seal tape,
tape it with more gap seal tape to hold it folded back and clean
underside of mylar with adhesive remover. *Let dry (30 seconds).

5) Remove protective film from bonding tape.

6) Now work carefully from one end, "roll" the mylar into place on the
gap seal tape hinge. *The objective is to bring the entire bonding
surface into very light, continuous contact. *After the whole seal is
lightly in contact, rub down with spoon.

7) *Clean top side of mylar and just ahead on wing with adhesive
remover. *Apply safety tape. *Do not stretch.

If you do that as I've described, you don't need to sand anything.
That said, sanding probably doesn't hurt.

This all goes best on a minimum 70 degree day. *I agree that some heat
helps establish the bond. *If in doubt, warm things up with a hair
dryer and rub down again. *Final tip: don't try to do this under time
pressure (i.e. on *flying day). *Do it fast and sloppy... do it again
real soon. *Do 'em correctly, they last for years and years. *Make
certain that trailer fixtures maintain control surfaces in neutral
position.

I have had problems with adhering to routed out composite surfaces
(e.g. ASW-24 ailerons). *I suspect one way to deal with this is paint
the surface with a very thin coat of epoxy and allow to cure fully
before applying sealing materials. *Have not had to try that yet.
Better ideas?

-Evan Ludeman / T8

Thin CA glue seems to work as a surfacer that helps when bonding to
routed surfaces. Tape seems to like the smoother surface.
Epoxy works well but CA is instant.
I still sand and scrape carefully.
FWIW
UH