fiberglass tapes

Ok, I want to reinforce all my corners with fiberglass tape. Aircraft
Spruce sells a 50 yard 8.7 oz tape to do this job. Can anyone tell me
why I shouldn't use cut strips of my 1.4 oz cloth instead of this very
heavy tape?
Lou

Earlier, Lou wrote:
Ok, I want to reinforce all my corners with fiberglass tape. Aircraft
Spruce sells a 50 yard 8.7 oz tape to do this job. Can anyone tell me
why I shouldn't use cut strips of my 1.4 oz cloth instead of this very
heavy tape?

For one, I don't think of 9 oz tape as being particularly "heavy" for
corner reinforcement. I find it's a relatively convenient weight; two
to five plies (depending on application) of it are about right for most
taped-in bulkheads and such. I don't know what you're building, but 1.4
ounce is lighter than anything I use except for veil cloth.

The thing about the prefab tapes is that the edges are hemmed (or
whatever you call it) so they aren't always unraveling at the edges.
That's a huge advantage when you're putting down a lot of the stuff.

Here's another thing to consider, though: If you cut your own tapes you
can cut them on the bias for easier draping and better shear strength.
Such tapes also don't unravel as much at the edges, since there are no
fibers parallel with the cut edge. The disadvantages to bias tapes are
that they are hard to keep of consistent width (they keep doing the
"Chinese handcuffs" thing), and that you can't have lengths greater
than about 1.4 times the width of the roll.

I guess the best thing to do is whatever it says in the plans you're
working from.

Thanks, Bob K.
http://www.hpaircraft.com

One really big advantage to a bias tape is its ability to conform to
complex shapes. It will also stay in the corner better and all the fibers
are NOT crossing a right angles.

Old Vari-Eze builder.


"Lou" wrote in message
ps.com...
Ok, I want to reinforce all my corners with fiberglass tape. Aircraft
Spruce sells a 50 yard 8.7 oz tape to do this job. Can anyone tell me
why I shouldn't use cut strips of my 1.4 oz cloth instead of this very
heavy tape?
Lou