Tip: Removing Vinyl
 

Here is a little idea I came up with the other night while removing the vinyl from my Leading edge skin. I was using my 2 foot ruler to do the job and it kept slipping so I used a cleco clamp to hold the end of the ruler at the edge of the skin, but still needed something for the other end.

I looked at the problem and decided to use a piece of scrap from the wing trim bundle. First I drilled a #40 hole near one end then I deburred it. now all I need to do is cleco it to the end hole in a line of holes I wish to devinyl and clamp the other end. It's now held in place and I can melt vinyl with ease.

The first picture shows the tool I made (really this is easy), and the second picture shows the tool in use. I devinlyed my wing skins on the stand. I was able to sit in my chair while doing this which was alot nicer to my back.





You can also go to my web site and look at the wing page for 11-29-2006.

Hope this helps.

Another method is to use tape. Lay it over the rivet lines then draw the iron along the edge. It also makes it easier to pull the vinyl off as well. I've found it to be very quick.

One problem I had with metal straight edges is that they wicked a lot of the heat out of the solder iron and I had to go a lot slower to get it to melt the plastic. For a while I went to a wood straight edge which solved the problem. Then I asked myself what all the fuss was for and just free handed it which was much faster and I amazed myself at how straight the lines were anyway.

I painted an RV8 a few years ago that the owner cut the plastic with a RAZOR blade!!! leaving long cuts in the aluminum, that had to be filled and sanded. I have suggest the soldering iron since then. Good idea with the straight edge, i didnt think of that!!!!

I still don't understand
 

leaving the vynil on thing....If you think your going to polish your plane then maybe but if your going to paint then why not just rip it all off and save the bother?

Frank
7a painted naturally

Me too.
 

I do the tape thing too, it works good for curvy/flopping surfaces like control surfaces skins.

I plan to polish so I leave it on until the component is finished.

I am with you Frank. I am not going to polish, and the first thing the painter is going to do is run sctoch brite over the entire surface. I am pulling all of mine off after the initial drilling.

While I have not been obsessed about straight lines, I'm glad I've left my blue plastic on to date (about 22 months). It's still very easy to take off. Where it helps is in the inevitable dropping of tools or banging a part against something else in the garage. The blue plastic really absorbs a lot of abuse that would have left some pretty deep scratches. Sure, they can be filed, smoothed with enough work, but why subject your plane to any unnecessary scratches? Plus, if you leave it on, you can let your kids color on the blue panels with sharpies--my girls love to do that. Makes for some memories and quality time. If you live in a very humid environment, however, it may be a different story.

difference in time
 

True ... but when the painter does it, it is only a couple of days before a protective barrier (paint) is back on the the aluminum.

Personally, I don't want the scratches made during construction/assembly to be exposed to the air for the couple years it takes me to finish the rest of the plane--so I leave the blue on until the sub-section is complete, then remove.

Just another datapoint.

-Jim