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-   -   Window Installation (https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=169455)

steve murray 03-11-2019 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snoho3 (Post 1330454)
I used Sika on my -9A tip up. Lots of research and anxiety, but in the end it was a breeze. Couple of things to note - 1. I?m not flying yet, so... and 2. this stuff is messy. In my mind every bit as messy as pro seal. I didn?t tape off enough area and made quite a mess.

Working time with Sikaflex was not an issue, and glad to have avoided drilling the canopy.

Lars

I also used Sika on my -8 and it has been flying for 12 years > 750 hours with no problems. However... when I looked at using it on the -10 windows, I could not reconcile the recommended joint thickness with the window joggle. Sika recommends a much thicker bed of adhesive and that would have raised the window quite proud of the frame. I ended up using Lord adhesive on the front back windows, I have not yet done the front canopy, I may use Sike there as there is much more room for thicker bed of adhesive.

Steve

majuro15 03-11-2019 07:17 AM

The adhesive you'll want is the 295UV which is black. The activator (which acts as a cleaner/degreaser) is Sika 205. The primer (which is black and is painted on before applying the Sika 295) is 206GP.

I bought all of it from Merritt Marine Supply for about $125 with shipping. I ordered two tubes of the 295UV which was more than enough for the four windows but I'll probably need one more tube for the windscreen.

majuro15 03-11-2019 07:19 AM

Steve, I had a few areas that were thinner than the recommendation, but most spots were more than enough per the instructions for proper bonding. I'm not overly concerned based on tests that I saw from others using scrap material just to test the bonding ability. The nice thing about the windows on the 10 is the size of the joggle which will still yield at least .5-.75" wide surface for the window to bond to.

Janekom 03-14-2019 10:35 AM

Please see this thread
 
Code:

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=166973&highlight=sika

Canadian_JOY 03-14-2019 02:32 PM

As a Glasair Sportsman builder, I'll chime in here.

Silpruf is indeed a silicone-like material, rubbery, flexible. In thin layers it has no adhesive bond strength at all, you can just rub it off with your fingers. Get some thickness and its characteristics seem to change exponentially. I glued together two pieces of .032 6061 aluminum with a 1/8" thick x 3/4" wide bead of Silpruf. Ended up destroying the aluminum trying to get the pieces apart.

Silpruf is fairly "runny" and has a long cure time. If you want to do a neat job, that long cure time is critical. Cleaning up, faying out, smoothing etc takes some time. The windows in our Sportsman look like they were installed in the Gulfstream factory rather than a homebuilder's hangar.

The video series referenced previously was put together by "some guy" named Zach Chase of Fibertech Composites. He is a composites guru and he pioneered this method of taping, masking, color-saturating the inside of the windows, etc. I received instruction from him directly, long before those videos were posted to Youtube. His method is pretty much foolproof if you follow it. Cut corners and your results may not be what you were hoping for.

If using Zach's technique, I will caution about the color of the sealant used. From an aesthetics perspective, we want our eyes to be drawn to the gorgeous, sexy, flowing lines of our aircraft. Use of a dark color of window sealant produces the opposite effect by starkly outlining and highlighting the windows. We then focus on the windows rather than the flowing lines of the aircraft. Our eyes tend to get drawn to those things that stand out the most (gee, ever try using BOLD text to get attention? - that's because our eyes are drawn to things that stand out!). Same deal for dark window sealant. I should likely mention that Craig from SchemeDesigners also cautions against dark outlines for windows, doors or other features. Since he's a pro in the business I tend to follow his advice.

In the Glasair aircraft, the "aluminum" color of Silpruf seems to be the go-to color and in fact is what we used on our Sportsman. Unless one has a very dark paint scheme in mind, the use of a very dark window adhesive will likely produce a less-than-pleasing visual effect.

I should also mention that Silpruf has a "best before" date which must be respected. If ordering on line, ensure the vendor provides you the "best before" date before finalizing the transaction. The stuff typically is in the $8-$14/tube price range. For an RV10 you will likely need 4 tubes. Buy 6 to be sure. Yeah, sometimes we do dumb things like leaving the caulking gun pointed nose down while a pile of material builds up on the floor under it. Nah, that would never happen to me. Never!

az_gila 03-14-2019 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canadian_JOY (Post 1331581)
..ar.

.
If using Zach's technique, I will caution about the color of the sealant used. From an aesthetics perspective, we want our eyes to be drawn to the gorgeous, sexy, flowing lines of our aircraft. Use of a dark color of window sealant produces the opposite effect by starkly outlining and highlighting the windows. We then focus on the windows rather than the flowing lines of the aircraft. Our eyes tend to get drawn to those things that stand out the most (gee, ever try using BOLD text to get attention? - that's because our eyes are drawn to things that stand out!). Same deal for dark window sealant. I should likely mention that Craig from SchemeDesigners also cautions against dark outlines for windows, doors or other features. Since he's a pro in the business I tend to follow his advice.

.

Unless you go for the "Black Outline" method shown on some examples here...:)

bwestfall 03-14-2019 04:19 PM

clean up silpruf
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by togaflyer (Post 1330448)
...Silprof is silicon so it?s 100 percent UV and waterproof. You need to be carful not to get it on anything to be painted in the future or your paint may fish eye....

I went the route of Silpruf as well but I did it long ago and did not have the benefit of the videos to warn me about "not getting it on anything" thus my window edges were not taped off and there is a bit of ooze that you can see around them.

What is the best way to clean this up to prevent paint issue? Obviously I have not yet painted.

Canadian_JOY 03-14-2019 04:28 PM

One of the biggest no-no's I'm told is to make the mistake of sanding off the silicone residue. That seems to drive the silicone down into the tiny fissures made by the sandpaper.

I've had success with using a clean paper shop towel soaked with acetone to clean off the residue after first having used a fresh razor blade to cut the residue down to the bare minimum.

Janekom 03-14-2019 11:25 PM

Let me try again with the link. I have posted a lot of info there.

http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...highlight=sika

jeffwhip 03-15-2019 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by majuro15 (Post 1330783)
The adhesive you'll want is the 295UV which is black. The activator (which acts as a cleaner/degreaser) is Sika 205. The primer (which is black and is painted on before applying the Sika 295) is 206GP.

I bought all of it from Merritt Marine Supply for about $125 with shipping. I ordered two tubes of the 295UV which was more than enough for the four windows but I'll probably need one more tube for the windscreen.

Tim,
Thanks for the info! I just placed my order.


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