Mylar Adhesive "Best Practices"

"Shawn" wrote in message
. ..
Gary Emerson wrote:
For the benefit of the group, let's hear about what works for
re-attaching mylar.

...
Now that we've established that the only solvent safe to use on a
composite glider is the sweat from a virgin Las Vegas showgirl,
can anyone answer Gary's question?


Ok, I hate it when some clueless moron comes along and says "I've never
tried this, but..."

So, I've never tried this, but what about the 3M stripe off wheel?
Essentially a rubber wheel you mount in a drill designed to "erase" trim
stripes and the adhesive without solvents. A picture is at:
http://www.imperialinc.com/items.asp?item=0726310 (I've never dealt with
this company, they just came up near the top of the search)

--
Geoff
The Sea Hawk at Wow Way d0t Com
remove spaces and make the obvious substitutions to reply by mail
When immigration is outlawed, only outlaws will immigrate.

I don't think you'll find any styrofoam in your glider's structure. The
R/C gliders, a different story... Most aircraft structural foams are
PVC. Some are urethane. Acetone used on the surface will not hurt
either the finish nor the structure. Don't get me wrong - please don't
pour a bunch of it on. A paper towel damp with acetone will not wet the
surface or structure sufficiently to cause damage... depending on the
finish. Most gel coats and urethane will be impervious to acetone. On
the other hand, if you're working on the original lacquer finish of a
Schweizer 1-35, leave the acetone in the can... don't ask me how I
know... at least I had the good sence to test it on a small, out of
sight spot. I'd recommend that before you use any solvent. MEK on the
other hand has such a bad reputation that I leave it alone. The only
time that gets used is in extremely small quantities of patch gel coat
I got from an RV dealer. Protect your health - we have too few glider
pilots already - use gloves and ventilation.

Regards

Jack Womack

Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe wrote:
"Shawn" wrote in message
. ..
Gary Emerson wrote:
For the benefit of the group, let's hear about what works for
re-attaching mylar.

...
Now that we've established that the only solvent safe to use on a
composite glider is the sweat from a virgin Las Vegas showgirl,
can anyone answer Gary's question?


Ok, I hate it when some clueless moron comes along and says "I've never
tried this, but..."

So, I've never tried this, but what about the 3M stripe off wheel?
Essentially a rubber wheel you mount in a drill designed to "erase" trim
stripes and the adhesive without solvents. A picture is at:
http://www.imperialinc.com/items.asp?item=0726310 (I've never dealt with
this company, they just came up near the top of the search)

--
Geoff
The Sea Hawk at Wow Way d0t Com
remove spaces and make the obvious substitutions to reply by mail
When immigration is outlawed, only outlaws will immigrate.


I have used this 3m Stripe Remover on my RV (Winnabago) recently. It
works very well. I removed a badly deteriorated wide stripe on it.
This side of the motorhome is fiberglass, and it did not damage the
surface. It does take a delicate touch, and the process is like using
an electric eraser. It works using friction and an sacrificial
elastomeric compound while removing the decal stripe. The caution here
is to be careful not to heat up your gel coat when using this. Also
for the purpose of removing tape residue on your wing so close to your
ailerons hinge line this may not be a good idea. I can imagine a slip
up where damage can occur. On my ship, the area where the tape is
located is a thin section where the aileron is fitted. I would try the
liquid residue remover first.
I haven't tried this stuff, but it looks like it may work well.
http://www.youroil.net/adhesive_remover.html

wrote:
Yikes.

I once had to do extensive re-repairs to a glider whe
- a previous repairer had spliced in new wing skins
- during the repair he liberally "cleaned" with MEK
- the MEK went through the joint, and disolved the foam.
This glider flew for a while, and when it was involved in
another accident the skins all cracked in the areas
where they were no longer supported by the foam core.
All the replaced skin areas had to be re-spliced !

For heavens sake, if you aren't expert, don't go
messing about with solvents you heard recommended
on RAS. Someone could get hurt, maybe you.

Be safe out there !
Best Regards, Dave

Bruce Greef wrote:

Not being a composites specialist I can't comment. Just try to use something a
little less aggressive - like MEK.

Any experts out there?


That was meant to be humour...

wrote:
Yikes.

I once had to do extensive re-repairs to a glider whe
- a previous repairer had spliced in new wing skins
- during the repair he liberally "cleaned" with MEK
- the MEK went through the joint, and disolved the foam.
This glider flew for a while, and when it was involved in
another accident the skins all cracked in the areas
where they were no longer supported by the foam core.
All the replaced skin areas had to be re-spliced !

For heavens sake, if you aren't expert, don't go
messing about with solvents you heard recommended
on RAS. Someone could get hurt, maybe you.

Be safe out there !
Best Regards, Dave

Bruce Greef wrote:

Not being a composites specialist I can't comment. Just try to use something a
little less aggressive - like MEK.

Any experts out there?


Hi Dave

That was meant to be humour...

But then I forget much of the world does not appreciate satire.

With a little effort you can remove things like adhesive residue with anything
from simple friction, to light vegetable oil, (peanut oil works well on most
adhesives believe it or not) without applying some corrosive health risk the
effects of which are unknown on your glider's structure. A gentle detergent will
clean just about any dirt or residue you may want to remove, without risk.

My point was that using aggressive chemicals on your glider is unwise, even in
small quantities.

So back to the original point. If you do want to use a solvent, check with the
manufacturer. Some elbow grease will probably do the job, and your fitness
levels the world of good, and not risk damage to the composites.

Cheers
Bruce